When the original Purge hit theaters in 2013 it created new world that was open for a wide range of possibilities and sequels full of all the terror and violence fans could want. With its success it came as no surprise that it launched a new franchise with the first sequel The Purge: Anarchy hitting theaters in 2014 focusing on a new group of people. Now the annual Purge is back with the latest entry in the series The Purge: Election Year, but does it offer up more of the bloody fun or will it be a night that needs to be banned once and for all?

 

The Purge: Election Year follows Leo Barnes stopped himself from a regrettable act of revenge on Purge Night. Now serving as head of security for Senator Charlie Roan, his mission is to protect her in a run for president and survive the annual ritual that targets the poor and innocent. But when a betrayal forces them onto the streets of D.C. on the one night when no help is available, they must stay alive until dawn...or both be sacrificed for their sins against the state. Unlike the first two films this time around it offers up a sequel to Anarchy bringing back Frank Grillo to continue his story during another night. Besides Grillo they have a great supporting cast including Elizabeth Mitchell, Mykelti Williamson, Joseph Julian Sporia, Betty Gabriel, Ethan Phillips and Edwin Hodge the only cast member to appear in all three films. Hodge is finally given an actual name and more to do this time around helping to bridge the gap between the films and seeing how he has evolved due to the situations in his life.

 

The story this time around shows even more so how the abuse of the Purge not only brings on the violence, but also the misuse of what was intended to be something to help society. This aspect makes this a great addition to the already great franchise despite a lot of it feeling all too familiar. By keeping the story moving forward and away from the individual story it feels bigger, but also does often feel like you have already seen it before. This is in no way a bad thing if you are fan of the series, but it would be nice to see something new with the Purge night. That being said there is some great action and violence here that will have fans cheering in glee as the blood flows. Sadly some of the best and most creative kills are those in the background, but still serve as great set pieces to the chaos they are making their way through.

 

This latest installment of The Purge does step the game up and manages to deliver a strong entry into this series. This direction the last two films have taken are more suited for the idea and should it get to continue will hopefully be one that is explored even further in different ways with different characters for years to come, but if they can somehow still bring the always awesome Grillo back no one would be mad. In addition to the film this release includes deleted scenes, character spotlight and the Inside The Purge featurette.

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Join the latest Purge night when The Purge: Election Year hits Blu-ray and DVD on October 4th from Universal Home Entertainment.