THE FOREVER PURGE: Nothing Lasts Forever

The Purge series has shifted and changed with the sway of American culture over its five-movie run, showing such an eerie feel for where we were headed that it deserves much more consideration than it’s received. Simmering tension exploded into full-blown chaos, a contentious election further divided the nation, and the entire violent machination was revealed to be a method for the ultra-rich to become even richer, all of which happened both in an alternate reality USA of the Purge series and in the very real US of A where I live. 

The reason the series gets written off is readily apparent: its observations are filtered through b-movie sensibilities, and no one takes those seriously. The elevator pitch that America created a holiday called the Purge where all crime is legal for 12 hours is brought to life with such gaudy excess that the films are rarely scary, and its messaging is delivered so boldly that what it proposes seems hilariously preposterous until we see the toned-down, real-life version happen before our eyes.

The Forever Purge would’ve played the same way had it released as scheduled in the summer of 2020. Its premise that an organized group of everyday citizens could twist the government-fueled violence into a full-blown revolt would’ve seemed like the stuff of other, less stable countries until we witnessed the attack on the US capital just a few months later. Instead, we’re getting the prediction late, and the ability to chuckle at its violent imaginings is gone.

But that’s not the only thing taking the shine off the usually reliable series. The way The Forever Purge decided to shift its focus is drab instead of energetic, a deadly mistake for a series powered by bold decisions, one that makes this entry the first to truly take a step backward.

Missing The Mark

The great joy of the Purge movies is in the gaudiness, the joyful, often humorous violence being thrown at you so consistently that you think you’re seeing something much more fun than you are. I mean, young women rolling up in a decked-out car blaring Party in the USA while wielding automatic weapons is hard to take seriously, even if they can definitely kill you, and even though they personify the kind of flippant mass violence that occurs routinely and uniquely in the country.

This bluntly wielded imagery is the hallmark of James DeMonaco’s work, who despite stepping down from directing after the series’ third outing continues to write every entry. What’s allowed him to keep these displays from feeling repetitive is his ability to find new flashpoints, quick scenarios that embody exactly what Americans are fighting over. The moment of the last movie, The First Purge, was the image of police officers encircling a black man in the middle of a baseball field, a blatant statement on police violence as Americana. That was put on the screen long before Black Lives Matter was a widely embraced political movement, and it was a bold and searing thing to include. 

Despite DeMonaco once again coming up with a prescient premise, he and director Everardo Valerio Gout fail to find these punctuating moments for Forever Purge in part because they spend too much time running from the violence.

Most of the series has put its frantic characters in the heart of chaotic big cities, giving the filmmakers plenty of opportunities to throw things at the wall and see what sticks. Forever Purge puts its ragtag group in the dusty expanse of Texas, having them spend as much time on the road as they do encountering the people who are keeping the Purge going until America has been cleansed. This zaps the film not only of opportunities for big, meaningful moments but of its propulsion, slowing the usually tightly coiled series to a crawl.

Uncharacteristically Pulled Punches

Even if they had sped up this entry, it seems DeMonaco finally encountered a premise he couldn’t look at dead on. Whereas previous entries took on our failings with a c*ckeyed but honest perspective, DeMonaco and Gout soften the blow in Forever Purge with an arc so clichéd it’s actually painful to see wheeled out.

What they’re trying to put under the microscope here is America’s growing sense of nationalism and its related combative take on immigration, particularly with those coming from the Southern border. Hence the Texas setting, and hence why the group it follows is made up of immigrants from Mexico and the wealthy, white family who employs them. Both factions include a central couple, Ana de la Reguera and Tenoch Huerta’s Adela and Juan and Josh Lucas and Cassidy Freeman’s Dylan and Cassie. The men have a prickly relationship thanks to Dylan hating people from Mexico, but where the series would usually take a hard stance on its characters’ moralities, with good guys like Juan being good and bigots like Dylan being bad, this movie stumbles on the old “he’s not that bigoted so he can learn” arc. 

At this point, sticking these characters on a road trip for their lives so the white guy and his family can either learn to appreciate immigrants or show that they weren’t bigoted in the first place is retrograde, not challenging. Instead of rubbing our face in the nastiness, Americans have allowed to fester it…gives us a pass, at least on a personal level. That’s a cop-out, an uncharacteristic one for the Purge series, and one that undermines anything it could have possibly said with this setup.

Conclusion: The Forever Purge

The delayed-release has undoubtedly changed how The Forever Purge plays on our worst fears, but even if it had come out on time, the halfhearted critique it offers up is neither challenging nor engaging. It’s an inauspicious outing for a series that has built itself up into a ludicrously biting cultural critic, and one wonders if it’s finally time for the holiday to end.

Are you typically a fan of the Purge series? How do you think this one stacks up against the rest? Let us know in the comments!

The Forever Purge will be released in theaters in the US on July 2nd, 2021 and in the UK on July 16th, 2021. For international release dates, click here.

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