Previous installments of the Purge series have squandered their attempts at tackling the issues being addressed, whether by providing bland, irrelevant commentary, such as 2013’s The Purge, or by having a pro-establishment savior, such as The Purge: Election Year. The Forever Purge, however, follows in the footsteps of The First Purge, offering an incendiary exploitation film with a fresh twist and enough Purging and violence to satisfy most fans, all while offering a natural conclusion to the series.
While not as direct as The First Purge, which was a totemic example of 21st century blaxploitation done right, The Forever Purge is a fine example of the Purge movies’ ideas and conflicts at work. The story follows a Mexican couple that has illegally crossed into the U.S. and made a home for themselves. After the annual Purge night has ended, a nation-wide group of white supremacists have called for a “Forever Purge,” continuing to commit crime indefinitely after the sanctioned day has ended. The couple, along with a wealthy Texan family who employed one of them, then attempt to escape to Mexican border. Where the previous films have shown an utmost failure of the system and its structure to offer protection for those who have less money and privilege, The Forever Purge shows its grisly end state, one of constant violence and dominant nationalist ideologies, dissolving both the facist government structure in the film, launching the country into complete anarchy, and the thin fictional veil of the Purge movies, showing a reality where this violence and hatred does not stay contained to a single night.
The film, like The First Purge, suffers stylistically without series creator James DeMonaco at the helm, but not to a great extent. While never great, DeMonaco’s style offered a unique look and energy to the events of the Purge night that was not replicated in the fourth and fifth movies, which adhered to a safer, blander visual style. Nonetheless, The Forever Purge director Everardo Gout is more than capable at handling the action of this movie, which is explosive throughout.
While it doesn’t rise to the heights stylistically or thematically of previous installments of the Purge series, The Forever Purge mimics what it’s direct predecessor got right, while remaining entertaining and satisfying to fans of these films.
Score: ★★★ / ★★★★★
While not as direct as The First Purge, which was a totemic example of 21st century blaxploitation done right, The Forever Purge is a fine example of the Purge movies’ ideas and conflicts at work. The story follows a Mexican couple that has illegally crossed into the U.S. and made a home for themselves. After the annual Purge night has ended, a nation-wide group of white supremacists have called for a “Forever Purge,” continuing to commit crime indefinitely after the sanctioned day has ended. The couple, along with a wealthy Texan family who employed one of them, then attempt to escape to Mexican border. Where the previous films have shown an utmost failure of the system and its structure to offer protection for those who have less money and privilege, The Forever Purge shows its grisly end state, one of constant violence and dominant nationalist ideologies, dissolving both the facist government structure in the film, launching the country into complete anarchy, and the thin fictional veil of the Purge movies, showing a reality where this violence and hatred does not stay contained to a single night.
The film, like The First Purge, suffers stylistically without series creator James DeMonaco at the helm, but not to a great extent. While never great, DeMonaco’s style offered a unique look and energy to the events of the Purge night that was not replicated in the fourth and fifth movies, which adhered to a safer, blander visual style. Nonetheless, The Forever Purge director Everardo Gout is more than capable at handling the action of this movie, which is explosive throughout.
While it doesn’t rise to the heights stylistically or thematically of previous installments of the Purge series, The Forever Purge mimics what it’s direct predecessor got right, while remaining entertaining and satisfying to fans of these films.
Score: ★★★ / ★★★★★
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