10 Movies That Wasted Brilliant Concepts

The problem with many big budget movies these days is that they go too big too fast (think the DCEU), but in contrast The Purge's main issue is that it doesn't go big enough, planning a movie around the idea that for 12 hours all crime is legal, and then offering audiences a predictable home invasion thriller.

Failing to dig into its limitless premise, the film instead tries to be a moody, claustrophobic horror about a family who attempt to survive the attacks of a masked group of Purgers. The results are rife with tired genre cliches, bland characters, and depressingly heavy-handed social commentary that feels somewhat tacked on.

Despite the best efforts of stars Ethan Hawke and Lena Heady, The Purge's decision to take a big idea and turn it into a generic thriller was ultimately its undoing. Luckily - although they're also not particularly great films - its various sequels at least made the most of its core concept with a wider scope and higher stakes.