The Forever Purge – An Unsubtle Horror Thriller (Early Review)

Ever since 2013’s The Purge, the franchise about an annual event where all crime is legal for 12 hours has hit a chord with audiences as it is essentially some escapism that also shined a mirror on the world at the time. After 3 other films (including 1 prequel) and a television series, that premise can only go so far but nevertheless here we are as our world has not arguably been any better since that first film therefore that escapism aspect has become more and more real-feeling, maybe too real. After so many variations of The Purge, the franchise has now landed on The Forever Purge which is sort of the case in real life. While the series has consistently offered social commentary through the guise of the sensational event that was the purge, it can only tap into that well so many times. Though this film definitely still features that same level of brutality, its focus has shifted more towards what it all represents with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, making the film into a caricature of what it once was. That being said, it wasn’t without its moments.

At this point, the story of The Forever Purge is pretty much self-explanatory as the reinstated NFFA have brought back The Purge. This time taking place in Texas leading up to the next purge, the film offers a different perspective on the dynamics within its version of America through the eyes of a pair of newly-installed Mexican immigrants, a young married couple named Juan (Huerta) and Adela (de la Reguera) still gripping with what it meant to live out the American dream. Suffice it to say that Juan and Adela picked the best time to come to America as this year’s purge would play out a little bit different as a growing fringe group was not interested in stopping once the purge ended and would continue to purge indefinitely until the country was in their image. The parallels should be clear to anyone who has kept up with the news at any point over the last 4-5 years. Without any kind of development, these unsavory characters and their motivations come off as comical.

As much as The Forever Purge was about the purge itself, it was about surviving as nowhere seemed safe from these forever purgers. In the midst of it all, there was still purging going on as the film did not shy away from the brutality of it all without perhaps not reaching the heights of previous films in the series (though still earning its 14A/R rating). While the country suffered from unrest on a larger scale, the film kept things on a smaller scale as Juan and Adela and the wealthy family of Juan’s employer including Dylan Tucker (Lucas), his wife Emma (Cassidy Freeman), and his sister (Leven Rambin). The culture clash was there but it mostly took a backseat as they had to fight to survive as the country was crumbling around them. Though there was certainly some tension there, the lack of that development made for an empty experience overall. The peaks of that tension came from some impressive action sequences as the characters had to run into the line of fire to proceed. In the end, the ultimate outcome was never in question.

Ultimately, the best part of The Forever Purge was the performances of Huerta and de la Reguera as Juan and Adela. Despite the obvious messaging of placing immigrants at the forefront of the story, they were more than and were actually interesting characters. It was just a shame that the story only scratched the surface with them and their backstories. Regardless, both were compelling to watch as they brought a new energy to the franchise that it was easy to connect with their characters and their struggle to find a home. Meanwhile, the remainder of the cast were solid, from Lucas to Freeman to Rambin as the Tuckers who grew closer to Juan and Adela through their shared experience.

At the end of the day, The Forever Purge may not be nearly as groundbreaking as the previous entries in the franchise but it is still a decent action-thriller in its own right with some horror thrown in.

still courtesy of Universal Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.