US horror thriller in which a group of people must fight to survive a night of government-sanctioned mayhem.
With a sharper focus on race and plenty of real-life horrors to draw from, Gerard McMurray brings a fresh perspective to this splashily satirical prequel. If only its action was as punchy as its ideas.
It’s hard not to admire an attempt to bring tough societal trauma to the multiplex but in this particular package, it’s even harder to recommend.
While you can't accuse The First Purge of subtlety, the imagery used is charged and blisteringly effective and it makes great use of horror tropes and characters to bust racist myths.
Ultimately an old-fashioned B picture but it has more of an edge than its predecessors.
Maybe it’s forgettable, but it could not be more of its time.
The Purge films are B-movies, and so this ultraviolence mostly works, though its social commentary is served a little too rare to stomach easily.
For a fourth film in a franchise, The First Purge is surprisingly good.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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