The Purge: Election Year (2016) User Reviews

Predictable . If You've Seen The Trailer You've Seen The Whole Movie

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 18 August 2016]

The original film in this franchise had a great premise but failed to do anything with the concept and I wasn't expecting anything with the sequel but was stunned by how much the production team developed the idea , so much so that I was genuinely excited to seeing the next film in the series which is a rare occurrence for me to get excited about upcoming film . As the trailers were released earlier in the year I did feel my excitement being negated and felt we'd be getting more of the same from a concept that with hindsight might not have much in the way of legs . Yeah the promos did feature some very topical satire about a female Senator and a right wing nutjob battaling for the future of America but seemed a little too obvious

The bad news is that's exactly how THE PURGE ELECTION YEAR plays out . You could say the studio has been honest and constructed a trailer that is refreshingly accurate and what you see is what you get but is a backhanded compliment really a compliment ? Worse than that the trailer is edited in chronological order and there's no surprises . One great thing about ANARCHY was that the story revolved around the mystery and the enigma of the mysterious violent anti-hero who had his own motives for trawling the streets during purge night . Here there's no mystery or character development . Here Sgt Leo is a knight in shining white armour saving the Senator from the fascist establishment and purgers thereby trying to save America from its extreme elements . Everything is black and white and painlessly simplistic . Everyone is good or bad with no in-between and no ambiguity involved

Being positive about this at least the dichotomy of the characterisation means no one is going to confuse the noble and genuine Senator Charlie Roan with any female politician running for President in 2016 so at least the film can't be accused of being cheerleaders for present American party politics . It also contains the occasional haunting image such as a body lying burning in a street , but there's nothing here that matches the impact of a burning bus driving along a road or the nail biting heart stopping tension of the hunting ground we saw in the second movie . Don't get me wrong ELECTION YEAR is still better than the original film and if you loved ANARCHY you'll probably like this one . The downside is that you had hoped for something a bit better and are left feeling rather disappointed by a rather predictable movie

This Election Has Truly Disturbing Bite

[rgkarim · 7/10 · 1 July 2016]

With the holiday coming up, the movie industry is doing its best to rope people into the theaters. You would think something patriotic like a war story, a biography of a founding father, or some type of political coming of age movie. But my first review is on a horror instead…that has to due with politics. My review is on The Purge: Election Year, the third installment in a series I never expected to have this much ground. Yours truly heads into the trenches to provide you another review and help guide your thoughts on how to spend your tickets in the theaters.

The GOOD: • Comedy • Semi Decent plot • Suspenseful

The first point has to be a surprise, but yes the Purge: Election Year has some decent comedy to lighten up the aggressively somber mood. I mainly laughed at the commentary from Joe, a local deli shop owner with an interesting background on his own. Joe's lines are a menagerie of one- liners, quips, and racial banter that had the audience laughing. Despite some of the intense moments, the writers made the lines very tasteful, making sure to add a fun edge that hopefully won't insult the masses. Some of the other characters have their moments as well, timed equally well to maximize the laughs.

But you didn't come for laughs, you came for suspense that the night of legalized murder has provided in the past. You might think that a third installment has lost its edge, but surprisingly Election Year keeps the same on the seat moments as the last one. Like its predecessor, this movie takes our characters onto the streets, each forging their own path through the chaotic forest of crazy violence. I was pulled into the movie not by the mindless killing, but by the wonder of which member of the merry band would bite the dust. Part of what helped this was a semi-decent, albeit rushed, plot that had a little more backbone than mindless murder. Election Year's plot brings us further down the rabbit hole as to the point of the Purge and fills into those pot holes left at the end of the second movie. It's nothing special, but the character profiles were what kept my interest and fostered a bond with all the characters.

The BAD • Pointless cursing/overacting • Violence substituted for plot • All the political issues it can drum up

No surprise, but a Rated R movie is going to have cursing, I get that I do. But as always the case, our writers get a little overzealous with dirtying the mouths of characters. Election Year unfortunately is not spared that fate as characters, mainly extras, fill their roles with overacted, dramatically-emphasized cursing that is more annoying than anything. I know it is to make you hate the character who will certainly die in the end, but they could have done it without such grandiose tactics. The silver lining of this, it is for limited run times so yay for that.

A second weakness for me, is substituting the violence for the plot. Now don't rip my head off, it is the Purge, a holiday that is only about violence and celebrating death, of course there will be violence. However, the Purge really needs to drop the glorified torture scenes and disturbing dances of craziness to provide more kick to their tale. That doesn't mean get rid of it all, after all there were plenty of jump at you moments where the violence was perfect, but Election Years tangents showing mask-wearing extras dancing or setting an elaborate trap that really doesn't work. This is another example of editing not eliminating all unnecessary scenes.

But perhaps the biggest weakness for me is the political issues this movie is sure to spark. Back in the day, you could make a movie like this and not start a revolution, but modern times have left our people a little more easily offended these days. The Purge's overdramatic antics, dialogue, and factions are certainly going to divide people and perhaps incite their own revolution on some level. All of the excessive violence, racial slurs, and political issues are over glorified, and I saw these effects take fruit in my theater with a few overzealous fans. So why did I bring this point up? Two reasons. The first is the political rants and corrupt speeches are cheesy, overdone, and eye rolling. The second is that if you are easily offended, no matter how much you like horror, you should not see this movie.

The Verdict

Despite being a third installment, The Purge Election Year certainly brings the same bite it always has. Yes, it is overdramatic and glorifies violence, and at times is certainly reflective of a mad man's mind. However, as far as horror movies go, it is surprisingly decent in terms of plot, action, and suspense that will entertain many of this genre. With interesting characters and a fast moving pace, you certainly won't be bored for the 105 minute run time. Necessary for a trip to the theater? Not really, but those who love the dive into the mad realm of murder, will certainly enjoy this tale.

My scores:

Action/Horror/Sci-Fi: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.0

Third Purge film worldbuilds, but has the same strengths and weaknesses of it's predecessors

[a_chinn · 7/10 · 3 August 2018]

I have real mixed feelings about The Purge films. I've greatly enjoyed each one and am always excited for the next one to come out (I can't wait for the TV series!), but at the same time I've also always found each film a huge disappointment. This third installment does a better job than the previous films of delving more into the social-political context and ramifications of The Purge (an annual 12-hour period where the US government declares all crimes, even murder, legal). The story here is connected to the prior films in that the excellent Frank Grillo is now head of security for a US Senator fighting to end The Purge, who finds herself the night of The Purge being hunted down by The New Founding Fathers of America, the proponents of annual event. Another interesting story element is a former Purger, Betty Gabriel, who now drives a militarized Red Cross ambulance of sorts around the streets during The Purge to help innocent victims, who ends up helping Grillo and the senator. There's also Dwayne "Dante" Bishop returning again as a resistance moment leader fighting a Black Panther-like overthrow of The New Founding Fathers. Thematically, the second film did address issues of class and economics, which was lacking in the first film, including storylines about wealthy folks having poor folks pulled off the street to be murdered in the safety of their mansions, with poor folks starting to push back. Election Year continues those class warfare themes, but also brings in politics and how wealthy powerbroker and politicians collude to use The Purge for their own financial benefit, scheming to kill off wide swaths of the poor (really disappointed they didn't use The Dead Kennedys on the soundtrack). Also better than the previous films, writer/director James DeMonaco fills the screen with more memorable images of chaos in the streets. Some of the best are the Lincoln Memorial on fire and vandalized, a group of teen girls cruising around in masks, with guns, in a car covered in Christmas lights, and a then there's a enjoyably throwaway scene of an alleyway pit and the pendulum-like guillotine. DeMonaco also continues to worldbuild, besides introducing politicians debating merits of The Purge, there's "murder tourists" coming from other countries to the US to participate in the anarchy. The downside to this third installment is that it felt nowhere as lawless and frightening as the earlier installments. The first film was a more traditional of home invasion horror film, which lent itself to making The Purge something very scary on a small scale, but the two subsequent sequels felt more like action films, which somewhat muted the film's terrifying premiss. Also, these worldbulding elements, although interesting, felt more like throwaway ideas that were just tossed in and never fully explored. It's not bad that they were included in the the film and they certainly add to the world of The Purge, but again, they feel like missed opportunities. Overall, I was never bored by "The Purge: Election Year" and was in fact quite entertained, but I still feel like the film should have been scarier, with more horror elements, and although it did delve more into the subtext of the series original premiss, it felt like it was playing things too safe. Maybe the new TV series will be scarier and more incendiary in it's subtext.

One of the best in the series.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 7 September 2018]

Films don't always do so well when they mix stories with politics, particularly horror films, but in all fairness this one did the job surprisingly well. This feels like a good conclusion to the Purge series, with the upcoming first Purge explaining how it all started. This one had a story as well as the usual tales of hate and revenge. This was visually very good, some of the scenes looked great, the shop under attack scenes in particular was expertly staged. It was well acted once again, and the story was rather intriguing. It lacked some of the subtleties of the first film, and at times it did feel like we've been here before many times, but overall it was very watchable, I got the impression all involved were taking it very seriously. 7/10

A bit stale n devoid of tension.

[Fella_shibby · 7/10 · 15 July 2021]

I first saw this in 2016 on a dvd which I own. Revisited it recently with my family.

This is the third installment in the Purge franchise.

A young Charlene Roan is forced to watch as her mother, father, and brother are killed on a Purge night. Fast forward eighteen years n Roan, a U. S. Senator is campaigning for the U. S. Presidency and promises an executive action to end the annual Purge nights.

This one gets a bit stale but i am generous with a 7 cos of Grillo.

In this one there are no psychopaths or creepy stuff.

It also has lots of clichés moments.

It was easy to predict that apart from Grillo's character, all other security personnel will be traitors.

Also the tunnel stuff are all too far fetched n predictable.

Good sequel set in a pseudo-apocalyptic future with chills, shocks and loads of violence

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 6 September 2019]

This thrilling picture results to be a futuristic yarn full of kinetic energy and amazing stunt work . It contains mystery , chills , noisy action , thrills , fights , social critical , and a weird atmosphere with dark with a surprising ending . The known and unrealistic premise of "The Purge" developing in the first installment is the following : The idea behind this whole futuristic America is that the Economy is down and Crime is up , as authorities put a lot of emphasis on murder being legal , that's why they believe assassinations would get better problems . It is just universally accepted that the cause of all these troubles is built up aggression within the human population. In order to correct this, the United States Government decides that it would be a good idea to give the public a day to "release the aggression". So, one day of each year, they will have an annual "Purge" where all crime is legal , including killing . Somehow, magically, this does help the Economy and Crime overall is down for the rest of the year. Because if people get out all that anger in one day, they will not feel the need to commit any more crimes for the rest of the year . This third outing is set some years later from first entry , it's been two years since Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo who reprises the character of former police sergeant Leo Barnes) stopped himself from a regrettable act of vendetta on Purge Night . Nowadays serving as head of security for Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell) , who is promising to end the annual purge nights , she is competing at national election against another candidate , Minister Edwidge Owens (Kyle Secor) . The New Founding Fathers of America's (NFFA) leader, Caleb Warrens (Raymond J. Barry) and their candidate, Minister Edwidge Owens, view Roan as a threat; in the guise of regaining the public's trust, revoke immunity for rank 10 or higher government officials to kill her on Purge night . Charlie's mission is to protect her in a run for president and survive the annual ritual that targets the poor and innocent . They have to confront a really ruthless gang of masked killers led by Earl Danzinger (Terry Serpico) . But a betrayal forces them onto the streets of D.C. on the one night when no help is available . Along the way the security agent and the Senator are helped by a motley group of brave people called Joe Dixon (Mykelti Williamson) , Marcos (Joseph Soria) and Laney Rucker (Betty Gabriel) . As they must stay alive until dawn...or both be sacrificed for their sins against the state . I Purged . For one night only, America invites you to its annual tradition . Keep America Great .Purge for the People .Purge for the Nation . Purge for the Power .Purge for Your Liberty . Purge for the Glory. Witness the birth of an American tradition. Citizens, join the Purge. A nation reborn. It Changed Our Country. It Challenged Our Beliefs. Now, Witness How It All Began.

The film is a comic-books style story , set in a dystopian nearly future , plenty of energetic action , shootouts , extreme violence , thriller , surprise-filled entertainment and high body-count . The tale is a blending of ordinary Sci-Fi movies , such as : Escape from N.Y , 2013 : Rescue in L.A. , Doomsday , and even Mad Max series , taking parts here and there . Instead of attempting to be a terror movie , it turns a fantastic thriller/action film set in a pseudo-apocalyptic future about a group of people trying to survive on a night where it's all-out war on the streets . This exciting movie is packed with frenetic action , crossfire , unbelievable car stunts , tension , thrills , chills , and lots of blood and gore, including throating-slit , beheading and anything else . The nail-biting action scenes are uniformly very well done , and the suspense and intrigue are enough to keep you interested throughout the film runtime , even in the low parts of the picture . This Great Action Thriller was the final movie in the "Purge" trilogy (2013-2016) until a prequel was made : The First Purge (2018) . It displays a magnificent plethora of characters , pretty well drawn , giving exceptional performances by its entire cast .

This is a decent movie and well set in a post-apocalyptic D.C. , dealing with a valient group who will have to fight cruel disguised cutthroats , bands of depraved crazies ; packing frantic action , shocks as well as abundant violence, being professionaly directed by James de Monaco . And it even has earned more money at the box office than its predecessor . Monaco is a good writer/producer and director . He has written the Purge saga and Purge TV series ; and Assault on Precinct 13 , Skinwalkers , Negotiator , Hate , Staten Island , The kill Point series , Crash series . And he has directed The Purge films ; this horror/thriller franchise is formed by The Purge 2013 , The Purge: Anarchy 2014 , Election year 2016 , and The First Purge 2018 . All of them are set in different locations , as the first film takes place in a house , the second film takes place in the streets , and the third film takes place in official locations , as well as D.C. , and The First Purge takes place on Staten Island, New York , in which no character from any of the previous installments will be returning. This Purge Election is an acceptable film in its own right and it's worth watching . Rating : 6.5/10 . It is very highly recommend to anyone who appeals apocalyptic thrillers .

expanding the Purge universe

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 24 July 2016]

Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell) is running for President on a platform of ending the Purge. Her family was massacred during the Purge in her childhood. The NFFA revokes the Purge rule protecting high rank government officials but Roan refuses to add security. Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) from the previous movie is now her head of security. Store owner Joe Dixon (Mykelti Williamson) is informed that his Purge insurance has been canceled. Roan is betrayed and escapes with Barnes into the streets where they are hunted.

This tries to add politics to what started out as a simple horror franchise. It's making social commentary. The world of the Purge continuous to be expanded. There are fun Purge visuals. There are some fun action although I wouldn't call it a scary horror. It goes down some weirder paths which is interesting. One thing holding it back is that there is only one possible good ending and the movie would ignore it to its detriment. Roan has to die.

A Great movie!! The Purge: Election Year lays it all out in a action oriented, fun horror style.

[subxerogravity · 7/10 · 1 July 2016]

It's a far better follow up to The Purge: Anarchy than Anarchy was a follow up to the original Purge. It's the same element of social science fiction action horror. It helps that Frank Grillo reprises his role from Anarchy, but it's a different story altogether.

A senator is running for president on the idea that she would fight to end the purge and her body guard, Leo Barnes believes in her cause. So when her enemies wish to use the purge to kill her, he puts his life on the line with the help of some citizens who also believe in her make sure the senator survives the night.

the combination of horror with the social commentary makes it scary. Adding to that, the movie is released in the year of the US's biggest election. It's an exaggerated reflection on society, but still its like looking into a mirror of what people would do if they could get away with it.

I felt the movie was pretty even on every side of what the purging does: the poor get eliminated, the rich get richer, and Election Year adds those who are poor who fight back and those who see it as a religious day.

My favorite was a group of girls that represent a generation who grew up just knowing twitter who live all year waiting to seek revenge on adults who they think make their lives horrible, and have fun unleashing their anger.

Election Year touches all emotions, it almost acts as my purge. It lays every thing on the line very real like.

Great action, socially scary and very funny. A must see.

I wish I could purge this movie from my system

[pennyblenny · 2/10 · 29 June 2016]

I love a good action movie. The last two "Purge" films were okay, nothing amazing, but I was willing to give this one a shot. Honestly, it was nauseating - not from violence, but from politicization. Regardless if a movie's political message resonates with me or not, if it gets to overshadowing the whole thing, then I feel it ruins the film. That was the case here.

I was fully expecting cheesy one liners (trust me, plenty of those) and gory action, and if that's all you want from this film, then I think you'll like it. I wanted to be lighthearted and enjoy it, but it went sour from preachiness REALLY fast.

I'm just glad that I went to a free screening - if I had spent my money on this, I would have been mad.

"The Purge: Election Year" is the deepest and most entertaining, but most overdone of the trilogy.

[dave-mcclain · 6/10 · 2 July 2016]

2016. A presidential election year. Both in reality and on the big screen – with high stakes AND what seems to be an increasing amount of insanity working its way into the process. 2016 marks the second time the GOP is lead by a candidate mainly known for his accomplishments as a businessman, the third time with a candidate named Clinton heading the Democratic ticket – and the third time for a story about an annual 12-hour period at the beginning of spring during which all crime is legal – even murder.

As many questions as have been raised by the first two iterations in "The Purge" film franchise, writer-director James DeMonaco (accomplishing the rare feat of creating three movies in a single horror series) manages to find even more questions to ask in "The Purge: Election Year" (R, 1:45). For example, might such an annual event attract foreigners who would like to get away with murder for a night? (Yes. They're called "murder tourists".) Does insurance cover property against purge night destruction? (Yes. But they might hike up their rates at the last minute, even beyond what people can pay.) Is it possible for a politician to turn back the clock and end the annual purge? (Maybe. But it wouldn't be easy.) Senator Charlene "Charlie" Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell) is an Independent candidate for President running primarily on a promise to end the purge, mainly because of seeing her entire family murdered on an earlier purge night. She has the backing of a guy who actually has her back, her head of security, former police Sergeant Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo), who was stopped from nearly carrying out a revenge killing on a more recent purge night and now hates the brutal tradition almost as much as Roan does. Although there is a growing anti-purge movement, including a group led by Dante Bishop (Edwin Hodge, the only actor to appear in all three of the films), there are a lot of powerful people who want the purge to go on.

On this purge night, the usual ban against killing high-ranking politicians is lifted. That puts Roan's life in danger. It also exposes the NFFA (New Founding Fathers of America) to being targeted themselves, but they have the money to hire plenty of security with plenty of firepower. When the NFFA turn their considerable resources against Roan, she finds herself on the run in the streets of Washington DC, trying to survive the night so she can (hopefully) win the election and make this the last purge night ever.

As the usual purge mayhem unfolds around them, Barnes and Roan are saved from certain death by deli owner Joe Dixon (Mykelti Williamson) and his loyal employee, Marcos (Joseph Julian Soria). With their help and the help of purge night triage vehicle operator Laney "Little Death" Rucker (Betty Gabriel) and (later in the movie) Bishop and his followers, Roan and Barnes just might survive the night… but it won't be easy and it may cost the lives of some of the main characters. NFFA leaders like Caleb Warrens (Raymond J. Berry) and Minister Edwige Owens (Kyle Secor), Roan's opponent in the presidential election, have money, influence, superior technology and ruthless thugs like Earl Danzinger (Terry Serpico, looking like an evil Anthony Michael Hall) to help bring their nefarious plans to fruition.

Like the pervious "Purge" movies, "The Purge: Election Day" is surprisingly entertaining and deep. The first film explored the idea of income and class inequality taken to extremes, but it just felt like an interesting one-off. A 2014 sequel added more action – and made the franchise's theme more obvious (especially late in the movie), while adding the subplot of growing popular resistance to the purge. The third film throws its message right in the audience's face, but what it lacks in subtlety, it makes up for in even better story-telling. The plot is multi-faceted, but not overly complicated, and features some interesting twists along the way. Some of the characters are over-acted, parts of the script are unnecessarily crude and there's a distracting amount of blood and gore, but "The Purge: Election Day" gives Movie Fans plenty of engaging action and biting social commentary. "B"

Another success; The Purge franchise hasn't messed up quite yet.

[InDyingArms · 8/10 · 3 July 2016]

Here we all are with yet another year of purging; The Purge: Election Year, or just The Purge 3 is a film that finds itself in assumption for the worse, but has actually managed to stabilize itself into it's third year, keeping solid, as well as keeping The Purge franchise followers happy.

So knowing that the first film was pretty good, leading to the second that actually managed ( In my opinion ) to rise itself a bit higher.. this was exciting news to know another installment was coming, and here we are; This film was interesting as a whole. The film now takes upon the more deeper insight of the entire ordeal, the political standpoint on the entirety of the purge itself, and how it can be used to surpass wants. At the same time, the film, like the others in a way succeeds in bringing the audience into an adventure that revolves around the characters / protagonists as they are forced through the horrifying events that follow the entirety of the purge. With all of that being said, this film as a whole was intriguing. It had a pretty good villain to hero - type of plot going for it, and that stood out well for the entire film. We, the audience are overall sitting intrigued, unable to look away as we're greeted with surprises on every corner, challenge after challenge, and overall ordeal of action that strikes fear to those watching. The scenes of action were intense, and thrilling. Whenever such actions take place, we suddenly find ourselves watching an all out battle, wondering if anything drastic toward our main characters shall happen as we sit, intrigued; It was absolutely awesome, as well to see such events take place, and to see the film succeed in such levels, and portrayals of intensity and action. Aside from all that, on the other hand, this film seemed to take an even more interesting turn toward it's horror side of things. Throughout the film there we're greeted with a rather eerie, impending - doom type feeling; Of course, such vibes and such were given off in the other two films, but this one seemed to crank the level up a bit on that note, introducing itself overall with it, leading to it's success within it's eerie atmosphere, visual eye candy, and just overall events that were executed. Overall on such note, the film cranked up its levels in this one, which of course was a very pleasant surprise, and an exciting aspect for Purge franchise followers. This film felt more intense, and eerie throughout the entire length of the film, the action scenes, as well as events were executed intriguingly, and smoothly. And the Purge blood, gore, and even jump scares as well were well themselves. Another element that was extremely eventful to watch through this horror trip were the characters. From the senator, to the NFFA organization, to the purgers' themselves, it all stood out, and surprisingly enough lead itself into some pleasing twists, and turns. The main characters including The senator Charlie, the characters picked up throughout the film, Leo, and of course her overall competition / enemies each worked in unique ways, and all seemed to work with the story, and not just seem like a pointless character dropped off. It was extremely fun seeing characters such as Leo return, as well ( After being in the second film ) they had great roles, and truly executed their survival throughout simplistically. Overall, with all of our leading characters however, each had a heavy heart throughout the story, displaying their care for each other, how each of them connect, and look out for each other as a whole through the hellish ordeal; Sappy. Overall it was fun to see characters return, and watching them go through the twists, and turns of the overall purge was fun as well; The film succeeding in stabilizing their characters, keeping them from becoming boring, or worn out.

In conclusion, this was a fun watch. A third installment that's assumed to suck - but ended up being just what the entire franchise needed. Fun characters, awesome portrayal of them as well, returns, unique personalities, as well as additions to the story that works. A turn - up within the topic of their gore, as well as shock value with how the kills are executed, not too much, but also not to little. And to top it all off, an interesting story that stays solid throughout, not seeming to give up with its twists, turns, and overall adventurous, yet at the same time eerie overall execution. The only real problem that stood with this film is the fact that it tends to drag on at times, the film became slow within the middle - to end parts; But every movie has it's moment like such. I feel as if Purge franchise followers, and overall fans won't be disappointed, instead pleased. This was a fun watch, I personally recommend experiencing it.

the reviews are the best part of this experience... ; - )

[imizrahi2002 · 15 July 2016]

i'd give the movie a 6.5, if possible... not bad...not anything more than OK. it has it's weak and strong points... but the reVIEWS! some are REALly entertaining...not just funny entertaining...i like how some reflect on the political similarities to real life, present day politics... and remember...this film is set in the future...so there's still time to get to there from here... ; - ) okay. a bit about the movie...and btw, IMDb, how LOTS of the reviews i read NOT get penalized for NOT checking the spoiler box? aMAzing! i wouldn't need to see the film after a few of those... so let me be vague... interesting political struggles. sociological points made. not anywhere near as much 'creative violence'(boy...an oxymoron if ever there was one... ;-) as whatever other one of this series i saw... i thought that part of that movie, though, WAS actually artistic... good use of slow mo, etc... this was more action than horror, let's say...the socio/political blurbs weighed it in that(less horror. except for the horror of the purge High Council proponents. but hey...that's politics. we're kinda USED to that in real life, right?). something i usually like to do with movies that i KNOW will be violent is...guess who's gonna die. this movie had for me a VERY predictable death with a VERY corny/trite 'farewell' speech. otherwise i would've given this a 6.6 or even SEVen... ;-)

so that's it. i'd say if you THINK you have something better, watch it. but if you're bored and outta other options, you could do worse.

lastly, thanks again for the innard grins, fellow commentators...

I Think This May Be My Favourite Now

[frosty-44431 · 8/10 · 9 February 2021]

To be 3 films in and it's this good, just shows how far they can go with this franchise. This was really gripping, suspenseful and had a great story.

This Year, The Elections Will Purge Our Deepest Fears

[FelipeCarrillo · 7/10 · 4 September 2016]

DeMonaco evolves its subversive franchise satisfactorily, the third installment of "The Purge" is concentrated in please the bloody craving of the public and the delight critical about socio-economic problems of movie critics, as well, it takes advantage of the political event shakes to the country, currently, and makes use of the popular July 4th for its pre-release.

Despite carry one theme in common, James DeMonaco has emphasized to give own personality to every film and apparently, "Election Year" goes beyond in a nuanced plot and an absorbent atmosphere; It integrates new ideas such as criminal tourism, lack of legal protection to governmental personalities and, of course, the emphasis on the political and human atmosphere.

Frank Grillo resumes his character from "Anarchy", the former sergeant, Leo Barnes, who leads the Special Security Group of the controversial presidential candidate, Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), who proclaims and longs for the permanent suspension of the annual purge. "No one else deserves to die!", many people (usually, belonging to the less-favored social classes - Florida -) defend and support her proposals, on the other hand, her adversaries plan to eliminate the root of the problem. They conceive a dystopian world embellished with bloody sequences of murder, nevertheless, this utopia is really close to stop being so. Roan obeys its principles and determines to spend the night of the extermination like everyone, inside of her own house, nevertheless, the protection is betrayed, so Barnes and Roan will be faced to save their lives, walking within a hell of flesh-and-blood. The Mission of Barnes: keeping alive to the senator, at the cost of his own life; The Mission of Roan: Playing clean and win the elections without the dementia from her competitors. After the 'home invasion', the film runs with intimidating and twisted sequences such as diabolical dances around hanged men in a lugubrious tree or families tied up to a car and cruelly killed with flails, a 'survival' better designed than in the previous installments.

Annually, on March 21–22, 7 p.m. – 7 a.m., any crime is legal, all health care center public is suspended until dawn. The election year brings along with the dismantling of the true aim of the apparent catharsis, liquidate to the poorest people (among them, some main actors) and absorb the capital of health insurance, pensions and others of the deceaseds, illegally, enriching to "The New Founding Fathers of America". The government manipulates the minds of the weak and they camouflaged their dishonest intentions as a need to cleanse their souls, Did their souls clean with violence?

It visually striking, "Election Year" permeates visual hyperrealism, accompanied by a not-so-ingenious narrative; its potential to create the vulnerability effect that the senator feels and distressing atmospheres is provides by bright neon lights, masks with important personalities in the North American country, bizarre costumes, such as the wedding dress accompanied by the mask with saw-tooth, where reads "KISS ME", a brown bear disguise and even Abraham Lincoln's monument bathed in blood and burning in flames. Executioners celebrating the purification childishly, a muscular man soaked in blood, a extravagant decapitation through the medieval guillotine (excellent handling of lights), a parade of iconoclastic masks, gangs and redeemers theatrically represent a modest, but somewhat foolish treatment to such storyline.

For the third time, DeMonaco raises the success flag, with a rooted manichaeism and representations of foreign ethnic groups, "Election Year" explores new and dangerous areas and goes beyond than its predecessors, with marked current themes and strenuous visuals,however, it is the script, which reaches the risible, even evident in the so unusual plot. As horror movie is predictable and regularly is transform in a Eli Roth's gore, nevertheless, it works pretty well like a sociopolitical thriller film, corresponding with these dates perfectly (election period, Hollywood has it all carefully timed). This year, "The New Founding Fathers of America" are waiting for us, though, apparently, we will have to purge with fervent desires in this final year. May God bless you!

Crap alert, keep your calm and find the theatre exit at all costs !!!

[searchanddestroy-1 · 6 August 2016]

Oh my God, I can't believe it. How Jim De Monaco could do such a garbage junk? How can this director, who gave us STATEN ISLAND seven years ago, how can he make this ? This crap is full of clichés and awful performances and also so foreseeable script. The kind of garbage stuff that monitors you to think in such a way that it is absolutely unbearable. Even if, from the side of me, I also hate all those hypocritical politicians who rule our cities and states, but the way it is shown is no way the best one to talk about it. This feature was made for brainless audiences who crave for gratuitous violence, meaningless story which leads to anywhere. Please, for your mental welfare, avoid this junk movie at all costs.

Lots of fun, but a few flaws

[meredithkemble · 6/10 · 2 July 2016]

The Purge: Election Year is very similar to The Purge: Anarchy in that it is much better than the first installment in the series, but tries to put too many things into one movie. Election Year introduces some great visuals and themes, but does not expand on any of them to their fullest. This makes for an action-packed ride with a lot of fun splatter horror, but not as much substance as the concept leaves room for.

My main problem with the film would be the way it tries very hard to make the purge seem like a plausible occurrence for America while simultaneously showing some very implausible scenarios. Afterall, the movies are set in near-future America to present them in a "real world" kind of scenario. But then it shows ridiculous things like an entire guillotine setup in an alleyway, or two cars completely covered in Christmas lights. Who is actually trying to do such over- the-top things in the middle of the purge? How are there so many people going out of their way to look scary and kill people who seem to have very little interest in staying home and not being killed by other people? Furthermore, the movie presented some interesting topics like purge insurance, murder tourism, and underground resistance but didn't really develop them. I would have preferred development of substance rather than crazy visuals and meaningless violence.

Overall, it was a fun ride that I'm glad I saw in theaters, but probably would not buy for my own collection to watch again.

Kinda more boring

[desertrose0601-690-503760 · 6/10 · 28 September 2022]

Not as interesting as the Purge movies before it. I found myself checking my phone more through it, where normally I'm glued to the screen during these movies. I really enjoyed the first two, and think the purge is a fascinating premise for a movie series overall. Just something about this movie though didn't do it for me. I think I think I prefer seeing how every day people get through the purge, rather than the political machinations. That said it is still a pretty good movie. I'll be curious to see where this franchise goes in the future. It was nice to see the main cop guy again too, although he was better in the last movie I thought, lol. He's always a delight, though.

POLITICALLY RELEVANT "PURGE" FILM

[jeromesgabilo · 6/10 · 22 April 2022]

Probably the most interesting and most relevant installment in the franchise, this film is more of an action/thriller than horror like the rest of the franchise. The political and social theme was as accurate as it got. There were no annoying characters or unnecessary scenes. I think it could be better if it was longer.

Libtard propaganda. Nothing more

[robnunya · 1/10 · 16 July 2016]

Pure anti-Trump, liberal bias, Hollywood muck. Garbage.

Imagine if the reverse message were made into a movie? The whole country would be shouting and screaming "Nazis! Racism!" When it's reversed, perfectly fine.

That's the thing about liberals. All bets are off if all the hate is against the guy THEY decide to hate. Liberal mentality and "logic" in a nutshell.

Pure stupid in raw form. This movie is disgusting and those who like it are idiots, period.

The only thing in need of an actual purge are the liberals who smear this fecal waste on our movie screens.

And frankly, people never learn. Just as with Hitler, people are generally cattle and vote in their own demise, which is why this pro-HITLERy movie is just a symbolic piece of evidence of how 'murica will destroy itself and take millions of innocent lives with them as that filthy maggot HITLERy starts WWIII and all the libiots will wonder how and why and then find a way to blame someone else for their stupidity.

If you have more than 10 brain cells, refuse to watch this movie out of sheer self respect if nothing else.

Judging by the other reviews and the unfortunately high rating (and I consider anything above a 1 for this vomit a high rating), there are way too many brainwashed walking dead in this world. Zombie apocalypse? Just look outside or look at what Hollywood just puked out for the cattle-brained with this piece of filth. It's a full blown reality.

In a politically charged sequel, intense thrills clash with social commentary.

[Mysterygeneration · 6/10 · 6 January 2024]

With its violent action scenes and nail-biting suspense, The Purge: Election Year delivers an intense and captivating cinematic experience. The narrative is given depth by the examination of political topics and social criticism, which considers the effects of institutionalized violence. But the movie occasionally falters with cliched character arcs and predictable story turns. Although it effectively expands upon the existing Purge universe, there are a few awkward moments that lessen the overall impact. Election Year has plenty to offer fans of the franchise-despite its shortcomings-to satiate their craving for exciting dystopian turmoil.

Here we go again....

[viccrown · 1/10 · 27 April 2021]

Here we go again, making it political. It's not that it's a big deal that it's during an election year in the storyline, it's who they portray the bad guys, ALWAYS: all white people and definitely Republican. Even though it's dems that are wanting to infiltrate your life, hold you back, and take your weapons. But hollywood would never portray it that way. It's ridiculous really. And by the way, I hate both parties, but you can definitely tell what they were aiming for because they don't try and hide it.

A Rarity that Completes the Trilogy

[in1984 · 9/10 · 4 July 2016]

8.75 of 10. It's a rare trilogy that the last film is both the best and smartest of the 3, and this is one of those rarities.

After suffering a dropoff with the second, Anarchy, from the first in the series that created a world we wanted to see and know more about, we're back to wanting to see more. On the other hand, this completes the series perfectly, or as close as it may ever get to it, and they should let it end here.

Once again, this is not sci-fi. That hasn't changed. What we have is an expansion and development of the dystopian, modern-day alternate reality the first setup so well. We also get a longer film with more plot and character that doesn't attempt to rush through it like a conventional action/horror flick.

"I want my Candy!" - School Girl

[jerichoyj20 · 6/10 · 2 July 2016]

This movie was way over the top and a good conclusion to the Purge trilogy. There were moments in the movie were I thought the actors were pushing and action too crazy though.

I wish the intro scene with the guy talking in the chair somehow came up again later, because i thought that the scene had some importance. The whole time watching I was waiting for the scene to be scene again, or at least some explanation to it.

I really liked Joe Dixon played by Wykelti Williamson, he was great with the humor in the film. Frank Grillo delivered another solid performance as the protector of senator Charlie Roan in this movie. The narrative of this movie is really great visually. I think the script was okay, their weren't too many clichéd lines. The twist with the involvement of the government officials was really interesting and made this addition memorable.

My one complaint though not a big one was the School girl wanting to kill Joe Dixon just because she didn't get candy. This choice in writing did not make the choice to purge good enough in my opinion, but what they heck. The Candy girl scenes to me seemed like something miley cyrus would make if she directed a horror film.

The church scene made me a little uncomfortable. It was weird.The priest was creepy looking. And i don't understand his involvement other than looks, and his actions towards the end.

The movie definitely will satisfy Purge fans. Any comments please, help. I want to start reviewing movies.

Not the goofy dump you'd expect

[justinwfirestone · 6/10 · 6 July 2016]

Now I gotta admit: I ain't seen the first two Purges. Seems like an alright kinda idea for a moving picture. I even proposed a simyular idea years ago: every day on your birthday, you get to kill one person. That seems tame compared to This Here Purge, when no crime is verboten, and this time around, not even killing top gubment officials.

So we get a nice . . . blend? Or is it gauche to say pastiche? Of soup du jour, of-the-day hints at social commentary. The obvious: gun violence (meh, violence generally); classism; racism; despotic blind faith. The less obvious: we all got it comin'.

Our "hero," a white powerful woman who needs poor black people to survive ironically, says so poignantly that we don't need the Purge. There are, as she says, Other Ways. But much like a Bernie Trump, we are left with a quarter enchilada, and let's be real: with 7,000,000,000 of us, life really ain't too special.

The cinematography was better than needed.

Making a final killing

[coreyjdenford · 6/10 · 25 August 2016]

This is my review of The Purge: Election Year (spoiler free)

*** (3/5)

Cast: Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell, Mykelti Williamson

Plot: America, 2025. As public sentiment rises against the Purge, ruling class the New Founding Fathers Of America target Presidential candidate Charlotte Roan (Mitchell), who's lobbying to end the annual lawless mayhem. She'll need the help of Leo Barnes (Grillo) if she's to survive the night.

With his scary vision of a near-future United States where all crime including murder is legal for one night in order to keep the peace for the rest of the rest of the year, writer/director James DeMonaco has crafted a successful, thrifty franchise. As real-world America slides further into electoral madness, the latest Purge feels more apt than ever, even as it ramps up the terrifying politics and the slow-motion violence. Although Election Year comes dangerously close to repeating or even remaking the first follow-up 2014's The Purge: Anarchy we're once again out on the streets close to the action but this time in Washington DC, (weirdly filmed in Providence, Rhode Island) as opposed to Los Angeles, though at this it could really be 'Anycity, USA' as our heroes try to find safety. Barnes, Grillo's reliably relatable tough guy, must this time shepherd Mitchell's determined Roan through the madness to keep her political chances – and, more importantly, her – alive. The added wrinkle here is that the rule protecting governmental people has been relaxed, and the New Founding Fathers have not only paid off a chunk of her security detail, they've also sent a mercenary to take her out, because they enforce a new rule that will now make government officials of ranking ten vulnerable for the night, so now the New Founding Fathers will kill everybody who is involved.

Set two years after the merciless killings in The Purge: Anarchy (2014) Leo Barnes (Grillo) who is now head of security for Senator Charlie, he and his employer has to survive as they put it "one last purge." This film takes you right into the action something that the first one failed to do now The Purge: Anarchy was actually better than the first although this despite all its craziness and its terrible scripting it is a very entertaining end to the trilogy, although not what you might have thought it was because writer/director James DeMonaco keeps the same style as he did in the previous it unfortunately fails to deliver one thing and that is an actual story, it just continues as a psycho killer film and all though it has pretty good action and good acting from Frank Grillo and Mitchell and fortunately down have to go down the romance route – no time for love when you're on the run from a skull-emblazoned drone., it fails to deliver in everything else. It also decides to add not only torture which has a bad impact on the film but also adds a schlocky alternative to Trump vs Clinton not exactly a great way of putting it, but you get the idea.

Good things about the film it adds a creepy song which is what many good horrors like Nightmare on Elm Street tend to do, but instead of "Freddy is coming for you" it adds a new spin and is put 'we are gonna purge tonight', in a very creepy tone which gives it a dark and edgy feel to the film. It's much more suspenseful because with the first one it had suspense but didn't do anything else besides that and the second one had plenty of suspense and action of course but lacked the craziness that this one has and although some killers come out dressed as previous American Presidents it does get more than that, but that is the start and the middle of the crazy. Weirdly enough in the first two government officials ranking above ten weren't affected during the Purge night, but now in this one everyone is affected but that's basically nobody wants Charlie Roan as the President so the killers try to make a killing to get rid of her, but don't quite succeed.

Amongst the anguish and pain it decides to take a religious turn but instead of praying it makes it turn out that the people who don't kill are sinners as the film puts it, and although that idea is original it really wasn't needed in a film that was already cold hearted but this adds even more cold heartedness. We should really forgive this series for taking pride in creepy masks and world class warfare. This one is very problematic and simplistic but keeps the idea alive and although it may not be the best in a series that takes pride in senseless killing, it's still an enjoyable addition to the trilogy and a pretty good ending. This final film adds a killing end to the surprisingly successful B-movie franchise and maintains to keep the thrills and the entertainment just as well as the previous two.

VERDICT: Election Year maintains the nervy tension that made the first film entertaining, but doubles down on the political metaphors, overwhelming you with its soap-box rhetoric.

6/10 an enjoyable conclusion