The First Purge Review: 2 Ups & 7 Downs
3. It's Shockingly Boring
Whatever you think of the previous Purge movies, you probably wouldn't call them boring. The last two films in particular have a tenacious sense of energy and even fun to them, playing-up the theatrical insanity of the Purgers and revelling in their go-for-broke action sequences.
The First Purge, however, suffers from bad pacing, mediocre action that lacks the invention of its predecessors, and a diminished sense of edginess compared to what came before.
Perhaps this is simply a case of the series generally entering the "curtailing returns" period of its life, but given that this is the first Purge movie not directed by franchise writer James DeMonaco, it's easy to lay most of the blame at McMurray's feet.
The Purge finally feels utterly pedestrian and ordinary, and that's a real shame.