Given the country's overcrowded prisons, the U.S. government begins to allow 12-hour periods of time in which all illegal activity is legal. During one of these free-for-alls, a family must protect themselves from a home invasion.
It's the basic premise that makes _The Purge_ such a chilling watch and, thought you may see the thrills and scares coming from a mile away, it's the most interesting home-invasion thriller that I've seen in a very long time.
The core idea of a "purge" is interesting, but every single moment of "horror" or "thrill" in this film is a predictable jumpscare. It takes itself way too seriously and makes some heavy-handed social commentary, while at the same time being really unconvincing and riddled with tropes. Whenever one of the masked villains is on-screen you can count on them to silently tilt their head to the side, playfully skip with a weapon in hand, or giggle about killing.
The main concept and Lena Headey's acting bumped the rating up a little.
Atrocious directing and cheesy jump scares disguised as nonsensical "social commentary."
