The First Purge

Most horror franchises eventually retreat into the "origin story" when they run out of ways to kill people in the present. Usually, it’s a desperate move—a way to squeeze blood from a stone. But when I sat down to watch The First Purge in 2018, the air in the theater felt different. We weren’t just looking at a fictional past; we were looking at a distorted, neon-soaked reflection of the very real tension happening right outside the lobby doors.

I remember watching this while nursing a lukewarm diet soda and a mild case of "new shoe" blisters, which made the characters’ frantic running feel oddly relatable. It’s a film that trades the polished, high-concept suspense of the earlier entries for something much more grounded, angry, and undeniably blunt.

Staten Island is the Laboratory

The premise takes us back to the beginning. The New Founding Fathers of America (NFFA) have seized power, and to "thin the herd" and lower crime, they propose a 12-hour social experiment on Staten Island. If you stay and survive, you get $5,000. It’s a bribe aimed squarely at the marginalized, and the film doesn't pretend otherwise. Unlike the first Purge, which was a contained home-invasion thriller, or the sequels that felt like Escape from New York riffs, this one is a siege movie with a heavy political conscience.

Director Gerard McMurray (who previously did the frat-hazing drama Burning Sands) takes over from series creator James DeMonaco, and you can feel the shift in DNA immediately. This isn't just about "spooky masks"; it's about the systemic weaponization of violence. When the citizens of Staten Island decide to just have block parties instead of murdering each other, the government sends in mercenaries to "stimulate" the numbers. It’s a cynical, aggressive take on the genre, and honestly, the Purge works better as a political slasher than a high-concept thriller.

Action Hero Energy and glowing eyes

The real surprise here is Y'lan Noel as Dmitri. I’ve seen him in Insecure, but here he transforms into a legitimate, old-school action hero. He plays a drug kingpin who ends up being the neighborhood's only line of defense, and he carries the film with a quiet, simmering intensity. There is a specific stairwell fight scene later in the movie that feels like a nod to The Raid—it’s well-choreographed, brutal, and easily the highlight of the film’s action beats.

Alongside him, Lex Scott Davis as Nya and Joivan Wade as Isaiah provide the emotional stakes. They aren't just fodder for the "purgers"; they represent a community trying to hold its integrity together while the world literally goes to hell. The horror mechanics here rely less on jump scares and more on the imagery of the "hunters." Those glowing blue contact lenses given to the participants create a haunting, digital-demon look that works surprisingly well on camera, especially when captured by Anastas N. Michos’ cinematography, which favors heavy shadows and sharp, artificial pops of color.

The Business of Chaos

From a production standpoint, The First Purge is a fascinating case study in Blumhouse efficiency. With a lean budget of just $13 million, the film managed to rake in over $137 million worldwide. In the era of the $200 million superhero fatigue, seeing a mid-budget horror-action hybrid absolutely dominate the box office is a reminder of why these "concept" films stay alive. It’s the highest-grossing entry in the entire franchise, likely because it tapped so directly into the 2018 zeitgeist.

The film leans heavily into the "Contemporary Cinema" vibe of using horror as a delivery system for social commentary. It’s not subtle. When you see mercenaries dressed in costumes that evoke the KKK or black-ops teams raiding housing projects, the movie is screaming its themes at you. While some might find it heavy-handed, I appreciated the honesty. It knows exactly what it wants to say about how the powerful view the poor. It’s a "popcorn" movie that leaves a bitter, intentional aftertaste.

The First Purge isn’t going to win any points for nuance, and it definitely leans on some familiar tropes to get to the finish line. There are moments where the logic of the "experiment" feels a bit thin, and Patch Darragh plays his villainous Chief of Staff role with a sneer so cartoonish I expected him to start twirling a mustache. However, as an expansion of the lore and a showcase for Y'lan Noel, it’s a total blast. It’s a gritty, unapologetic entry that proved this franchise had more to offer than just a catchy hook. If you're looking for a night of cathartic, high-stakes action that actually has something on its mind, this is the one to grab from the collection.