The Forever Purge

This is perhaps the best film of the franchise so far, as it is a souped-up adventure thanks not only to Josh Lucas and Will Patton, but also to its higher production values. Of course, it is a dark and violent adventure that blasts its way wildly from the idyllic setting of a Texas ranch to an almost post-apocalyptic setting where one might expect to find Snake Plissken. The Forever Purges is more ambitious both in its action scenes (two of which are apparent references to the famous one-shot scenes from Children of Men) and in the thematic healing of wounds from the anti-Mexican Trump era. The screenplay is likable and topically exploits the politically noteworthy theme of the franchise as a whole. A strong three stars. (11/07/2021)

I like that here, for the first time, they show how utterly stupid and nonsensical the concept of The Purge is, something that has persistently prevented me from really enjoying any of the previous episodes. Ironically, the creators came to this conclusion only after four feature films and a TV series based on it, but whatever. In The Forever Purge, embittered American patriots defy the sirens announcing the end of the Purge and go on a rampage. If we think about last January’s footage from the Washington Capitol, it must be admitted that the filmmakers have quite hit the mood of America with this entire series, and The Purge as a phenomenon actually transcends its individual episodes, which are mediocre B-movies at best. The previous episodes kind of blend into one for me, but I feel like I had an above average time with this last bit. Maybe it's also because I went to the cinema for the first time after several months of withdrawal. (02/07/2021)

The fifth and perhaps last episode is, together with the first, the weakest. It's very obvious the the Purge franchise is a cash cow without higher ambitions, but this time I felt that they didn't try to stick to what I enjoyed in the previous films. It's nice that they still manage to come up with something relatively new and interesting, but this sequel lacked juice for me. There is not much gore, the setting of Mexico is fine, but when I remember Sicario, where I had an uncomfortable feeling with every shot, that is definitely not the case here. The action is routine, the shootouts are not impressive (at times it felt like a cheaper 90's B-movie), even the Masks, what Purge is famous for, I can't think of any cool one after watching it. There definitely won't be a Halloween costume sale after this one. I'd rather not see another sequel. Story 2/5, Action 3/5, Humor 0/5, Violence 2/5, Fun 3/5 Music 2/5, Visuals 3/5, Atmosphere 2/5, Suspense 3/5. 5/10. (24/07/2021)

This time the Purge did not end after twelve hours and all hell broke loose in America. Murderous lunatics are on the streets, killing anyone who gets in their way. Will the heroes find a place where they can be safe, or will they too be consumed by a Purge that should never end? The fifth installment of the action-horror franchise introduces new settings and new characters, but still relies on a combination of scares and shootouts in the burning streets of cities. It's been done a couple of episodes back, only this time it's a tad worse. Fans will probably be happy, as the decline from the previous films isn't too significant, but if you felt like you'd had enough of The Purge in the past, feel free to skip this latest one. You'll find only what was there last time, just a whole lot worse looking and less entertaining. (01/07/2021)

With every installment I think I've sufficiently girded myself, and yet I always stare in disbelief at how someone who can, for example, legally drive a car, could sign their name to something so horribly stupid. I'd like to say that DeMonaco can at least be acknowledged for how he manages to keep his finger on the pulse of the times and adapt that idiotic SAtiRe to current moods (criticism of the rich in post-crisis times, racial friction in the present), but there's no effort on his part to somehow clean up the scripts, make the characters at least something beyond inanimate pawns, or otherwise try to obliterate the pure fact that this is a mere money-grab, parasitizing on current social ills. And here's the problem – I don't actually know whether to be mad at him for this, because I don't think he has the capacity for anything better. Should I be angry at the stupid man in power or at the society that elected him there based on his stupid slogans? Likewise, I wonder, should I hate the stupid DeMonaco or the viewing public that has caused the fourth sequel of the most nonsensical and contrived plot ever to hit theaters? (Not to mention that technically, from the digital flames and blood to the horrible color-grading, it totally looks like Asylum). (28/09/2021)