It’s amusing to see this franchise continue to double down on its insanity. We're now three movies into this ultra-violent social satire, and this one is pretending it has something relevant to say about our current political cycle. It doesn't really, but its still a fun ride. Three movies in, the characters are still stock stereotypes, the villains silly caricatures, but the production values are actually pretty high, and everything looks pretty good in setup and execution. The movie works to riff off current socio-political events, big surprise in a film subtitled "Election Year". There's some very unsubtle propaganda and a lot of surface level social commentary uttered with the conviction of stoner profundity. What I find most surprising about these movies is that they actually seem to be getting better. While the first movie mostly served to set up the premise and world-building, the subsequent films have been all about expanding the universe and advancing a narrative. To some degree, this movie is an extension of the second film "Anarchy", but can stand alone. Now these movies are not a great vehicle to examine philosophical concepts and moral complexity, as they're patently absurd in their premise and execution. But if you are willing to ride the crazy train and aren't easily offended by political jabs, this movie can be surprisingly fun.
The Purge: Election Year