Film Review: THE FOREVER PURGE (2021): A Watchable but Underwhelming Mix of Horror and Politics

The Forever Purge Review

The Forever Purge (2021) Film Review, a movie directed by Everardo Gout, and starring Ana de la Reguera, Josh Lucas, Will Patton, Cassidy Freeman, Veronica Falcon, Leven Rambin, Tenoch Huerta, Susie Abromeit, Alejandro Edda, Anthony Molinari, Will Brittain, Antwan Eilish, Edward Gelhaus, Brett Edwards, Sammi Rotibi, Joshua Dov, Erin Dinsmore, and Gregory Zaragoza. 

The Forever Purge is the fifth and last entry in The Purge horror film series which began in 2013 with the original movie that starred Ethan Hawke. This time, the action is set in Texas and there’s the usual heavy handed politics that these films always seem to feature but an excellent set of lead characters make it one of the better entries in the franchise.

As you probably know if you have seen any of the earlier films, the movie centers on a yearly 12 hour period where all criminal activity is legal in the United States. This new picture opens with a couple named Adela (Ana de la Reguera) and Juan (Tenoch Huerta). These two dreamers have come to America to get jobs and live a better life for themselves. Adela works in a slaughterhouse while Juan helps with horses on a ranch. This ranch is run by the Tuckers. Will Patton is Caleb, the patriarch of the Tucker family and Josh Lucas plays his son Dylan whose wife is expecting a baby. As the film’s plot kicks into motion, workers are getting their Purge protection money to keep safe during the 12 hour time period where all illegal activity will be legal.

Adela and Juan are happy to make it through the Purge night but when they go to their respective jobs the next day, something is very wrong. There aren’t a lot of people around and it turns out many Americans have decided that they don’t want the Purge to end and Adela gets caught in a trap that looks like something out of the Saw movies until she is rescued. However, the police make an arrest on her and the man who saved her thinking they were trying to get away with extra purge time.

This film essentially becomes a movie about its characters trying to escape the United States. Because of the overwhelming number of people trying to continue the Purge forever, other countries such as Mexico and Canada are opening up their borders to as many people as they can accommodate. This premise is actually truly frightening and the movie keeps the audience on the edge of its seat for a good deal of the film.

Josh Lucas, as Dylan, is the movie’s star. Lucas has always been an intriguing actor and, now, he gets a role worthy of his talents. When he tells a key character that people of the same kind should stick together, we want to see Dylan learn his lesson. This character that Lucas plays is heroic but has flawed philosophies. Lucas portrays the character’s transformation terrifically. We want to root for Dylan and his family, and we do thanks to Lucas.

Ana de la Reguera, as Adela, is the film’s other leading character. She does a good job here and we sympathize for her and Juan throughout. These characters of Adela and Juan teach Dylan and the Tuckers a thing or two about decency along the way. Also noteworthy in the cast is Will Patton who has a scene stealing speech about his views on realities in America before his character is killed off.

This film’s premise becomes a “what if” scenario. What if the good citizens of the United States had to depend on other countries for help because of many crazed citizens who took the idea of the Purge too far? This is an amazing premise but the idea got the best of the filmmakers who didn’t know how to conclude the film. There is no satisfying resolve here and that becomes the film’s major flaw.

If you’re going to see a Purge movie, you know you’ll be getting some heavy handed messages about society today and The Forever Purge is just merely watchable because of the unsettling potential realities it suggests. With a better, more hopeful ending, it may have been a better film.

That being said, Josh Lucas is a great action hero and his performance alone makes the movie better than some of the other installments in the franchise. You’ll know if this movie is for you or not if you liked the other films in the series. If you did, you may enjoy it just the same as the others.

Rating: 6/10

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