Seems a lot of IMDb voters don't like this film. I suspect they were seeking conventional sci-fi with action, CGI and possibly stars. A lot of people can't imagine sci-fi being anything else.
This film has none of that but some very interesting ideas about genetic engineering and programming for roles in life. It's a film that suggests if we don't care about each other, if we lose sight of what it means to be human, to love someone, we will doom ourselves as a species.
But it also has hope. It suggests that no matter what kind of control various governments or other control systems seek to impose on people, humanity will eventually reassert itself.
Some of the things I enjoyed about it were: a compelling and unusual story that asks the viewer to think and refuses to take the usual sci fi route of a hero triumphing over adversity (it's more complex than that); an original style which made liberal use of mock news reports, community service announcements, commercials and current affairs interviews as well as things like text and titles, rapid cutting and images within images. In short, a film which is not afraid to take risks.
I also noticed that some of King's mise-en-scene echoes those of several all-time great films - A Clockwork Orange, North By North West, and THX1138 come to mind.
I enjoyed it but as another reviewer says, it's not for everyone. If you like passive entertainment with predictable stories and lots of whizz-bang and bang bang, you probably won't enjoy Purge. But I see that people who like that sort of thing have also liked Purge so it's really up to the individual.
It's a pity those IMDb voters who didn't like it can't find the words to say why.
This film has none of that but some very interesting ideas about genetic engineering and programming for roles in life. It's a film that suggests if we don't care about each other, if we lose sight of what it means to be human, to love someone, we will doom ourselves as a species.
But it also has hope. It suggests that no matter what kind of control various governments or other control systems seek to impose on people, humanity will eventually reassert itself.
Some of the things I enjoyed about it were: a compelling and unusual story that asks the viewer to think and refuses to take the usual sci fi route of a hero triumphing over adversity (it's more complex than that); an original style which made liberal use of mock news reports, community service announcements, commercials and current affairs interviews as well as things like text and titles, rapid cutting and images within images. In short, a film which is not afraid to take risks.
I also noticed that some of King's mise-en-scene echoes those of several all-time great films - A Clockwork Orange, North By North West, and THX1138 come to mind.
I enjoyed it but as another reviewer says, it's not for everyone. If you like passive entertainment with predictable stories and lots of whizz-bang and bang bang, you probably won't enjoy Purge. But I see that people who like that sort of thing have also liked Purge so it's really up to the individual.
It's a pity those IMDb voters who didn't like it can't find the words to say why.