January 6th, 2021: The day America’s underbelly showed itself. The people of America had been told by the former President that the election was rigged, QAnon had spread plenty of misinformation, and White Supremacists were hellbent on “taking back their country.” In a sense, this is what The Forever Purge is based on. Immigration has kicked up, racial tensions are rising, and the NFFA is back in charge of things.
The NFFA voted back into power after Senator Charlie Roan loses reelection. They automatically reinstate the Purge, and things are in no way normal again. The Purge happens, and even after the twelve-hour window ends it continues. Adela (Ana de la Reguera) and her husband Juan ( Tenoch Huerta) must help the Tucker family Dylan (Josh Lucas), Cassidy (Cassidy Freeman), and Harper (Leven Rambin) get across the border to Mexico as they try to escape the mayhem of the newly pronounced Forever Purge. The Forever Purge much like the “Stop the Steal” January 6th insurrection is something that is planned and coordinated by White Supremacist.
This film much like all The Purge films is very relevant to what’s happening in our country today. The only difference is that instead of the “villain” being voted out, they are voted back in. Much like the insurrection and Republicans fearing for their lives. The NFFA must reap the repercussions of what they’ve allowed to happen. Nobody is safe in this Forever Purge, not the politicians that helped spread the lies, the police or military that conservatives claim they love and respect. Truly showing the hypocrisy of these false agendas that are all tied to white supremacy.
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Creator James DeMonaco is back as the screenwriter, and he expands his universe in a great way. We know that Purge films are always about minorities, rich people, poor people, and the government. This film is no different and continues the lovely tradition of exposing America. Everardo Gout is the director for this installation of the franchise, and he does a wonderful job showing us this portion of the Purge universe. The symbolism, the ideologies, and just what this country had become over the franchise meshed into one big time bomb. The world-building is fantastic.
De la Reguera, Lucas, and Huerta give some powerful performances especially during those hard conversations about race. Jeffrey Doornbos plays Elijah or Alpha Daddy, the main villain and he’s definitely a highlight in this film. Alejandro Edda who plays T.T. also helps this film with some good acting. The action sequences in this installation maybe some of the best from the franchise next to Anarchy. The casting choices for this film were great especially considering the location.
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The camera work from Luis David Sansans is absolutely phenomenal and maybe my favorite thing about this film. The location for this movie was perfect. The valley/desert of Texas being highlighted was awesome. The beauty, the landscape, and El Paso getting the big-screen attention it deserves. I’m hoping this will get more studios’ attention and they’ll start filming in Texas more. Especially for adventure films such as this. It’s simply perfect and this film shows it.
My only issue with this film is that the setup seems cheap. We don’t know exactly how the NFFA comes back to power and it just feels rushed. I know these films aren’t meant to be two-hour epics, but a more fleshed-out story would’ve gone a long way. I enjoyed this film, DeMonaco knows his films and what they are. He sticks to his guns and that’s what makes these films so much fun. I’m all in for one more installment of The Purge with all of our main characters from various films and our newbies banding together to finally end it all. Hopefully, that’s where we go next and we can appreciate this saga for the greatness that it is. – Rascal F. Kennedy
Rating – 7/10
The Forever Purge is in theaters currently.
