Underplayed Gems

The First Purge (2018)

The First Purge poster
Directed by
Gerard McMurray
Genre
horror film, action film, thriller film, dystopian film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 38m
Rated
R
Rating
6.0 of 10 from 4,253 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

The film is set in the near future where the government tests a 12-hour period of legalized crime on Staten Island. Residents are paid to stay but soon face threats from armed gangs and government agents who want the experiment to succeed.

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What happens

The First Purge is a 2018 American dystopian action horror film serving as a prequel to The Purge film series and the fourth installment overall. Written by James DeMonaco and directed by Gerard McMurray, it is the first film in the franchise not directed by DeMonaco. It stars Y'lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade, and Steve Harris. The film depicts the origins of the annual "Purge": a 12-hour period in which all crime in America is decriminalized as a means to reduce crime for the rest of the year. The event originates as an experiment conceived by a political party called the New Founding Fathers of America and confined to Staten Island with the promise that those who stay on the island for its duration will be paid a large sum of money, but the NFFA are determined to get the results they want by any means necessary. The First Purge was released on July 4, 2018, by Universal Pictures. It grossed over $137 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing entry in the franchise, but received mixed reviews from critics like its predecessors. The fifth installment, The Forever Purge, was released on July 2, 2021. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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