Rating of
2/4
One Trick Pony
Looneymanthegreat - wrote on 07/21/14
The Purge: Anarchy is a one trick pony that uses the same trick as a bunch of other one trick ponies. This sequel takes the premise of last years hit (which was really just a jumping off place for a run-of-the-mill home invasion thriller,) and makes it a whole lot dumber and a lot less thrilling.
Its Message is basically Elysium (I know I’ve said that a hundred times before, but it’s true,) but instead of simply refusing to give the poor healthcare, in The Purge: Anarchy they literally kidnap and assassinate the poor for the fun of it, and the government helps them along. It’s just like The Hunger Games, but with more balls and less brain. I wouldn’t mind if Hollywood made these preachy 1% messaged movies if they gave them half a brain, but they’re, for the most part, stupid.
To be fair; there is a lot that has improved in this horror sequel. The characters are a lot more interesting this time around, and the movie wisely chooses more of a Stagecoach build to its plot instead of a typical horror movie one.
Unfortunately, while the characters are better, they’re also not very likable. When they die the audience doesn’t particularly care which causes any attempt the movie makes to create tension useless. It’s not really scary, and it’s not really thrilling. It entertains the audience only through a general sense of curiosity. Throughout the movie I was curious to find out what happened next, but if had never found out, I wouldn’t have particularly cared.
Overall I’m kind of apathetic on this one. It tries really hard to be better than its predecessor, and succeeds to some extent, but the end result simply makes it less memorable. Highlights include some surprisingly good acting from Frank Grillo, and an over the top freedom fighter played by Michael K. Williams. I’d say it was worth the two hours it took to watch it, but not worth the ten dollar price of admission. Check it out if you liked the first one, but otherwise I can’t recommend it.
