The Purge: Anarchy

2014 sequel

Rating: 13/20

Plot: Another Purge night has a few characters who didn't make it inside trying to survive while their new friend seeks revenge.

Since I have nothing better to do with my time, I decided to give the Purge sequels a go even though I didn't like the first movie much at all. I was confused about why my brother says he did like it, claiming it was Warriors-esque. It turns out, he saw this movie and didn't even see the first one. That's precisely the route I would take if you want to give this franchise a shot.

This really is a ton better than its predecessor even though its problems keep it from being a good movie. The first movie focused on one family in one house. This is more ambitious, focusing on the plights of a lot more characters running for their lives in a lot more settings. The Purgers do recall gangs from The Warriors in a way, and this movie takes more of a shot at satire, something I expected from the first movie and was disappointed wasn't there at all. The thrills work better than in the first movie with its jump scares and horror tropes piled on horror cliches, and it takes the opportunity to explore a few themes rather than tell a story about characters that nobody's going to care about.

It might bite off a little more than it can actually chew. There's a lot going on to keep track of, and a few thematic loose ends are never resolved in a satisfying way. Still, it made me happy to see this and realize that my brother had not completely lost his mind when expressing his love for what he thought was the first movie. I had kind of lost all respect for him.