After a successful run of four feature films that turned a combined $35 million production budget into a whopping $284 million at the domestic box office, it should come as no surprise that Blumhouse has turned The Purge into a TV series. Another fact you won’t find the least bit surprising? USA‘s TV version of The Purge is a nearly carbon copy of the film franchise, which is both very good, and very bad.
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Let me make this clear up front: If you like the Purge movies, you’ll absolutely love the TV show. If you’re not into the movies, this series isn’t for you, plain and simple. Blumhouse clearly knows its audience and doesn’t do anything to try and gain new followers in its move to television.
Like the films, The Purge takes place on the annual Purge night, a 12-hour window in which the government has allowed for laws to be ignored, making all crime, including murder, legal. The series follows three distinct storylines on this Purge night: A Marine named Miguel (Gabriel Chavarria) trying to find his sister, a married couple (Hannah Emily Anderson and Colin Woodell) who attend a dangerous white-collar party to gain funding for their business, and a hard-working finance professional (Amanda Warren) who hires an assassin to take out her boss.
These three storylines are all given pretty equal screen time, but they don’t all hold equal interest. Miguel’s search for his sister Penelope (Jessica Garza) is far and away the most intriguing subplot of the series, mainly because it spends its time either bringing the action, or dealing with a twisted death-cult. The cult, who sacrifice themselves on Purge night to make the world a better place, is perhaps the best individual aspect to the series so far, as it actually gives more insight into a part of the Purge that we haven’t seen in the films. The cult storyline also provides the strongest acting of the entire ensemble.
The other two storylines are much more bland and, like the films that have come before them, they are often times entirely too on-the-nose. The finance professional, Jane, has a boss that has made a clear glass ceiling for her after she turned down his sexual advances. The young couple, Rick and Jenna, have to deal with a rich villain who jokes that he isn’t into helping the poor and doesn’t pay his taxes. It’s not that these characters shouldn’t exist, but a hint of subtlety could go a long way with this series. Moments involving these certain aspects take you out of the story completely, trying desperately to remind us, “Hey, this isn’t just a horror show! We really do have something to say!”
Despite the lack of interesting story to tell, both of these subplots do have interesting aspects that do a great job of (mostly) keeping you engaged. Rick and Jenna have a run-in with an ex-lover named Lila (Lili Simmons), who swiftly steals every scene that she’s a part of. While her link to the couple is a bit over-the-top, Lila’s story remains shrouded in mystery, and Simmons sets herself apart as one of the best performers in the ensemble. Similarly, Jane’s relationship with her hired assassin is interesting enough to keep that story moving, though you’ll have to wait until the third episode to actually have any stake in that game.
At times, The Purge will absolutely thrill you, as it brings to life the horrors of what society could become. At other times, The Purge is a boring, mundane affair that struggles to set itself apart from the films that came before. Through three episodes, it’s a genuine mixed bag of content, but it seems as though things are coming into focus, and the end result might actually be better than expected.
Like I said before, if you like the Purge films, you’re in for a treat. If you didn’t, be sure to steer clear of the TV adaptation.
The Purge debuts on Tuesday, September 4 on USA.
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Image Courtesy of Starz
