The Purge: Anarchy movie review

The annual Purge has commenced. The Purge: Anarchy, the sequel to 2013’s The Purge. This go around James DeMonaco returns to direct a new cast including Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford, Kiel Sanchez, Zoe Soul, and Michael K. Williams in Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes’ film.

While the first film was wildly perceived as a let down because an incredible premise boiled down to nothing more than a home invasion horror film, this film takes the concept of the Purge to the streets. Which is what the fan base expected in the first one, which resulted in fans voicing their displeasure for the misconception of what the first film as about.

So the question is, do the fans get what they wanted this go around? I’d say, yes, yes they do.

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The Purge: Anarchy follows a group of four people who are not into the Purge movement but find themselves in the middle of downtown stranded on the most dangerous and deadly night of the year. Shane (Gilford) and Liz (Sanchez), a couple whose relationship is in a rocky spot, get stranded when their car breaks down as they make their way to their sister’s home. Mother and daughter, Eva (Ejogo) and Cali (Soul), find themselves out on the streets after a well armed tactical group of Purgers break in and attempt to take them. The four get together following a Purger (Grillo), who saves Eva and Cali. Now the five must survive the night together, all while their protector has an agenda of his own.

The first film attempted to be a horror film, this film corrected that mistake and went all out as an action thriller. The Purge series lends itself to action much better than horror and Anarchy proves that. The focus is now on the thrills and action rather than attempting to scare the audience and it makes the film much more enjoyable. That shift has opened up more avenues to carry this franchise in the future, all thanks to a genre switch.

The cast is much stronger this go round as well. Nothing against Lena Headey, she was awesome in Dredd, just whiny and weak in The Purge. Also, I’ve never liked Ethan Hawke, Training Day being the excpetion. But this cast of, well to me, relative unknowns fits well together. They are normal people who attempt to stand up and do what they must in the face adversity and danger. Grillo, mark my words, is the next Liam Neeson. He is a bonafide action star, definitely miscast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Don’t get me wrong, Grillo makes for a great Crossbones, but I’ll be damned if he wouldn’t make the perfect Punisher. There is one character that is horribly miss cast in Anarchy, Samuel L. Jackson should have been in this movie. When you watch it, you’ll know exactly which role I am talking about.

The direction is solid, the story is decent, the cast is great. It is refreshing to see a sequel to a not so good movie, where directors and writers listen to the fan base and give the fans what they want. The Purge: Anarchy is a fun action thriller. When I scored it, I gave the film a Jeebus Score of 4.0, a Good Time at the Theater.

The Jeebus System explained:

I base films on what I call the Jeebus System, which is a 6 point grade with a possible .5 bonus. With a full 1 point given for entertainment value, story, SFX or cinematography, acting, and casting each, then a half point for direction and dialog each. Titles are given to each score, with “death penalty to all involved” to anything <.9. “You’ll see this on FXx a lot” for <1.9. “Redbox or Netflix it” for <2.9. “Check out the Matinee” for <3.9. “A good time at the theater” for <4.9. “Multiple viewings required” for <5.9. And finally, Jeebus-tacular for 6 or above.