Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Third violent Purge is more political but not very smart.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Purge: Election Year
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 20 parent reviews
Based on 44 kid reviews
Kids say the movie is a wildly entertaining, albeit extremely violent and gory sequel that touches on political themes, making it a mixed bag for viewers. While many appreciate its action and character development, they also caution about the excessive violence and strong language, making it more suitable for older teens.
- extreme violence
- strong language
- political themes
- entertaining sequel
- action-packed
- mixed reviews
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Having survived The Purge: Anarchy, the tough guy known only as "sergeant" (Frank Grillo) is back for THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR. He's now working as head of security for Senator Charlene Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), who's running for president with the promise that she'll shut down the "purge" (i.e. an annual 12-hour period in which all crime is legal). Of course everything goes wrong, and the established "New Founding Fathers" come after both her and the sergeant. Joe (Mykelti Williamson), the proud but struggling owner of a convenience store, and his two hard-luck-case helpers, Marcos (Joseph Julian Soria) and Laney (Betty Gabriel), happen to be on hand and agree to help. But no one is prepared for what the powerful politicians have in mind for that night.
Is It Any Good?
When The Purge movies started, they played vaguely with psychological ideas; this time around, the themes have turned political, but irritatingly simplistic. Poor filmmaking choices don't help. Writer/director James DeMonaco may have raised some viewers' hopes by featuring a female senator running for president, but while Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell) is idealistic, she has little more to say than "the purge is bad" and that it targets the lower class. Then, oddly, The Purge: Election Year shows mainly these same people participating in the purge.
In essence, DeMonaco's so-called political satire and political statements are shallow and unsupported and aren't really any different than any social media rant. And on the technical side, DeMonaco doesn't seem to have learned anything after making the two previous films. The acting is overcooked, and the camerawork and editing are atrocious, resulting in a jerky, wretched-looking film that makes you want to bathe afterward.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about The Purge: Election Year's violence. What point is it trying to make? Does the movie celebrate or condemn violence? How does it make you feel? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
How would you describe the movie's political position? What do the two opposing political forces want? How do these ideas/themes apply to real life?
What's the movie's stance on the concept of "the purge"? What are the arguments for or against it?
Is the movie scary? Is the scary stuff supernatural or based on real life? What's the appeal of horror movies?
Movie Details
- In theaters : July 1, 2016
- On DVD or streaming : October 4, 2016
- Cast : Frank Grillo , Elizabeth Mitchell , Mykelti Williamson
- Director : James DeMonaco
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Universal Pictures
- Genre : Horror
- Run time : 105 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : disturbing bloody violence and strong language
- Last updated : February 15, 2023
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate