The First Purge

Year: 2018
Director: Gerard McMurray
Cast: Y'lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade, Patch Darragh, Marisa Tomei, Rotimi Paul


Plot: The New Founding Fathers of America (NFFA), who have recently taken over the US government, carries out an experimental Purge night at Staten Island, New York, offering money to anyone who participates. Among those involved are a pair of siblings and a local crime lord.


Review: If you're a fan of the Purge movies and you always wanted to know how it all began, this prequel offers a backstory where Purge night was just an experimental exercise and confined to one place instead of the entire country.

Franchise director and creator James DeMonaco hands over directorial duties to relative newcomer Gerard McMurray while he only writes and produces this time around. As in the previous Purge films, the black community become the victims of the NFFA's attempt to reduce the population and save the economy. It's interesting to note that the doctor who comes up with the experiment (played by Marisa Tomei) isn't exactly on board with the NFFA's methods but realises this much too late, offering a different angle to the whole "white people are all bad" element.

McMurray deserves some credit for executing some well staged action sequences, the best being the final fight where crime lord Dmitri takes on the NFFA assassins sent to purge an apartment block, with hints of Rambo 3 style action. There are also plenty of shootouts, slashings, stabbings and explosions to boot. A particular sequence featuring explosive stuffed animals was particularly hilarious. Unfortunately, McMurray takes too much time in setting up the first act, so the first half of the movie can be a bit tedious to sit through.

The cast does well generally, but the film suffers from a lack of recognizable stars here, save for Tomei. Rotimi Paul deserves praise for his psychotic portrayal of Skeletor, a crazy drug addict with a penchant for violence, even though his character is a bit over the top at times to feel genuine.

In the end, The First Purge is a competent enough film, but offers little more than what we've already seen in other Purge movies. In comparison, Anarchy and Election Year were more compelling overall. (6.5/10)