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So June 7th finally got here, and I went to see The Purge with two of my besties. I feel like I've been waiting for forever! I really liked the movie although there are a lot of negative reviews out there. Mostly I see people saying the movie had a lot of potential but ended up just being another home invasion movie. The Purge has been compared to Assault on Precinct 13, "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, Panic Room, Straw Dogs, and The Strangers.
If you're a horror movie fan like me, don't go into this movie thinking it's horror - it isn't. If I had to classify the genre, I'd say it's dystopian and thriller. There were a lot of tense moments where I felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest! I had to hide my face in my sweater, not out of fear but just out of the superbly built tension and not knowing what was going to happen next.
There were several funny moments, but I'm not sure if those were intentional or on accident. I found myself laughing several times. I know that makes me sound crazy macabre, but if you see the movie, you'll know why I was laughing. A couple times I had tears running down my face because I was trying my best not to laugh out loud at those moments. I wasn't the only one laughing I just want to point out! The audience around me was, too!
Anyway, no matter what the critics say, I really had a blast watching it. Sure, they could've focused more on the purge itself - how it was decided upon, how it got started, and who is against it. It raises a lot of interesting questions, and on the way home, my two friends and I had a pretty lively discussion. Could it ever become a reality? Why or why not?
My husband has no interest in seeing the movie, but he did say he doesn't think our government would ever go for it. "Those twelve hours are total anarchy," he said. "There's no way that would ever work." We also thought about how if someone really wants to kill somebody, then what would really stop that person from waiting until the night of the purge? A psycho is a psycho.
Even if you haven't seen the movie, what are your thoughts? Do you think our country is capable of trying out an idea like the purge?
I agree with your husband, a psycho is a psycho. I believe the opposite approach is more possible with governments, trying to subdue the population instead of setting them free, like in Firefly's Serenity and the Reavers. I'm glad you liked it, but too bad they didn't include your list in the movie. It would have been cool to the tipping point to lead to such action, glimpses of the first purge because that had to be something else. This sounds like a movie that is possibly more fun afterwards.
ReplyDeleteI could see the government doing that, too. Yeah, like if I had done this movie, I would've started out with some explanation of how the purge came about and what the first one was like. I think I would've focused more on the dystopian aspect. I also think the reason I liked this movie so much is all of the questions it raises and the cool ideas we all came up with afterward. You're right - it was more fun afterwards I think. I did enjoy those tense moments during. Call me crazy, lol, but I like not knowing what's going to happen. :D
ReplyDeleteI just thought about this - isn't our society so violent already that it might not be that big of a leap to have 12 hours of anarchy? I mean, it's kind of odd, but I'm okay with my daughter seeing a horror movie with violence as long as it doesn't have sex in it. My friend Jill brought up a really interesting point - her sister feels that way, too, and Jill doesn't understand why. She said sex is natural, not that kids should watch explicit scenes or something, but that it's about love whereas violence is not. Like I said, we got into some deep discussion, lol. ;)
DeleteI totally agree! Look at Hunger Games, wasn't that first considered Juvenile fiction? The violence is off the charts, but we get like one kiss and no sex thoughts, so it's deemed appropriate for young audiences. Violence is more acceptable. I think our version of The Purge comes in forms of occupations, which is a dark, dark thought. Moving on! Happy weekend, Jennifer!!
DeleteThere were parts of The Purge that reminded me and my friends of The Hunger Games. Hope you have a great weekend!
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