Third time’s not the charm…
For those of you who are new to the Purge movies, they all take place in an alternate America where the US Government grant 12 hours per year to commit acts of anarchy and murder, free from prosecution. The annual Purge allows people to get the urge out of their system so that for the rest of the year, the crime rate can stay below one percent.
James DeMonaco writes and directs The Purge: Election Year – just as he did the first two movies. The third takes place two years after the events of Anarchy and centres around Presidential candidate Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell from TV’s Lost), who uses her political status fighting to put an end to Purge Night.
With the powers that be not taking too kindly to this, they plan to have her assassinated on Purge Night.
Luckily, she has the help of her security guard, Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo, reprising his character from Anarchy), who together (with a few friends gathered along the way) go on the run, desperately trying to escape the savages that are after them.
Politics is a popular topic right now – not necessarily for the right reasons. With Britain voting to leave the EU and a rather colourful US election happening, The Purge: Election Year feels relevant.
However, it also feels like lazy filmmaking – simply more of the same that we had in the first two instalments. It’s just entertaining enough to make it worth your while, but if the franchise is to continue, it’s going to need to pull something a little more original out of the bag.
Mikey Clarke
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Genre: Horror
Cast: Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell, Mykelti Williamson, David Aaron Baker, Kyle Secor, Ethan Phillips
Running Time: 1hr 49mins
Written/Directed by: James DeMonaco
See The Purge: Election Yearand much more at Showcase Cinema, Peterborough. Visit www.showcasecinemas.co.uk for the latest up-to-date show times. You can also join the chat on Twitter @showcasecinemas or on Facebook by searching for ‘Showcase Cinemas’.
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