10s Movie Review - The First Purge

Director: Gerard McMurray
Genre: Horror/ Thriller/ Action
Runtime: 98 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Y’lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade, Mugga Patch Darragh, Marisa Tomei, Luna Lauren Velez, Kristen Solis, Rotimi Paul, Mo McRae, Jermel Howard, Siya, Christian Robinson, Steve Harris, Derek Basco, D.K. Bowser, Mitchell Edwards, Maria Rivera, Chyna Layne

Description: America’s third political party, the New Founding Fathers of America, comes to power and conducts an experiment: no laws for 12 hours on Staten Island. No one has to stay on the island, but 5,000 dollars is given to anyone who does.
 
Review: For a film that both the press and audiences weren’t hugely excited about at the time, 2013s “The Purge” turns out to have a remarkably long run. I liked the first movie and also enjoyed “The Purge: Election Year”, “The First Purge” doesn’t really add anything to the franchise. Even though it’s an interesting premise, getting to know how it all started. It’s pretty much the same as all the other editions and isn’t captivating whatsoever.
This first edition of the purge is smaller in scale. This is because it is a pilot taking place on Staten Island, the district of New York. The fact that this island was chosen as a test location because of its representativeness for the rest of the country seems rather out of the blue. The populations shown consists purely of ethnic minorities of low social status, many of whom engage in drug trafficking or other crimes. In any case, it doesn’t look like a place where the police would drop by, so a night when the authorities don’t turn up and everyone is left to fend for themselves shouldn’t exactly be considered a completely new situation.
Anyone who wants to preserve their lives would do well to leave the island for a night, but there is a way around that: those who stay get an allowance from the government that many can only well use. The allowance is even a bit larger with active participation in the purge. While previous films in the “Purge” series have shown some of the atrocities that people are capable of when protected from prosecution, this part seems to focus on what people without money are willing to do to improve their financial situation. But as often in this film series, very little is done with this potentially interesting fact. The only ones who really get to kill are those who would probably do so without the purge.
It is hard to believe that someone who is permanently rigid with aggression would restrain for 364 days a year because he fears legal prosecution. And what about a drug lord who tries to kill his competitor, only to have the latter destroy him? Does that really require a Purge? Drug criminals in general pay very little attention to prevailing laws when it comes to protecting their power status.
This is an unnecessary film, that even Marisa Tomei couldn’t save. “The First Purge” is a waste of your time.

Rating: 1,5/ 5