“The First Purge”: A horrifying look at the possible future

BY ISABELLA MARCON

“The First Purge” is the fourth installment in the “Purge” horror movie franchise. The movie differs from its predecessors by being a prequel that promises to reveal the origin of the notorious annual Purge, during which all crime is legal for 24 hours. The movie lives up to its promise while raising a number of questions about society and humanity. A number of these questions are ultimately left unanswered and remain open to interpretation. The result is a solid, but not exceptional, addition to the “Purge” franchise.

The scariest component of the movie is the way that the fictional world of “The First Purge” resembles our own. Racism, poverty, overpopulation, erosion of morality, greed, corruption of government and gun violence are familiar concepts magnified in the dystopian universe of the film. The characters presented are morally ambiguous and extreme, yet still mostly believable.

The story begins by introducing a series of interviews with characters and scientists working on behalf of the government. The interviews raise two main questions and become vital to the plot of the story: “Are humans good or evil?” and “What will it take to push them into participating in the Purge?”

The movie loses its focus in the jump scares and cartoonish violence.

Initially, the Purge begins as an experiment in Staten Island, New York and participation is low. The people of Staten Island use the Purge as an excuse to party in the streets. Since the experiment appeared to be failing, the government intervened and took it upon themselves to gain the results they wanted- the genocide of the poor, the old and the sick.

The movie has a number of faults, and at times, feels like its broad ambition is limited by its placement in the horror genre and its budget. The movie clearly presents a lot of ideas and meaningful messages in an attempt to make it more complex than the typical horror movie. But toward the end, it loses its focus in the jump scares and cartoonish violence.

Many of the key questions relating to the plot and characters are left unanswered and are kept open to interpretation by the audience. The movie’s plot does not allow viewers to learn enough about the backstory and motivations of the characters to fully relate to them and understand their decisions. As a result, much of the promise of morality set up at the beginning of the movie is left unfulfilled.

Much of the promise of morality set up at the beginning of the movie is left unfulfilled.

Much of the questions on how society developed to the point seen in the “Purge” movies are left unanswered. Instead, viewers mostly see a corrupt government manipulating a poor community with guns and mercenaries dressed up as racist characters. The one thing that is clear by the end was that the Purge experiment was not an experiment at all, but a government-sponsored genocide.

What the movie lacks in plot and character development, it mostly makes up for with its primal focus- horror and panic. “The First Purge” lacks character and plot development but it fulfilled its main promise of providing a backstory to the Purge. The movie is a fair addition to the “Purge” series.

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures