By now, just about everyone is familiar with at least a couple of the films in the Purge franchise. And whether you love them or hate them yourself, it’s not hard to see why they’re so popular. The original Purge film and its offshoots invite horror fans everywhere to imagine American society at its very worst in a generic way that’s about nothing and everything all at once.
That said, 2021’s The Forever Purge treads familiar territory while also expanding the boundaries of the Purge universe for long-time fans. This time, writer James DeMonaco and director Everardo Valerio Gout take viewers to the border between Texas and Mexico for a closer look at immigrant-focused racism.
The Forever Purge stars a talented cast that includes Ana de la Reguera, Tenoch Huerta, Will Patton, and Cassidy Freeman. It is also the fifth overall film in the Purge franchise and a direct sequel to 2016’s The Purge: Election Year.
The storyline opens in the year 2048, eight years after the titular election of the previous film. Not only have the New Founding Fathers of America (NFFA) taken back their control of the American government, but they’ve predictably also reinstated the infamous annual Purge events complete with all the original rules. All the accompanying national sentiments are back with a vengeance, as well, including good old-fashioned racism and nativism.
Enter married couple Juan and Adela (played by Huerta and de la Reguera, respectively). They’re a migrant Mexican couple fleeing the vengeance of a nasty drug cartel, and their travels eventually take them over the border into Texas in search of a new life. Adela finds work at a meat-packing plant, while Juan finds work on the Tucker family ranch.
The day before the next Purge event, the couple joins a larger group of immigrants in a gated, guarded sanctuary for protection. During their stay at the refuge, they become aware of a group known as the Purge Purification Force (PPF), who specially target “non-Americans”. They also survive the event unharmed. But that’s not the end of the story, of course.
Juan and Adela return to their jobs only to find the PPF isn’t out of the picture after all. Instead, they’re behind a plot to make the Purge a continuous state of affairs, and it’s up to Adela and Juan, the white Tucker family, and others to band together to stop that from happening.
If you’re thinking the plot here sounds like reasonably typical Purge fare, you’re not wrong. The Forever Purge is just like the other films in the franchise in that it somehow straddles the fence between “too much” and “not nearly enough”. There’s plenty of violence and numerous scenes that will call to mind much of what America experienced during the Trump presidency. And, of course, there’s a healthy dose of “can’t we all just get along” thrown in there for good measure – the very definition of “been there and done that” for long-time Purge viewers.
However, the performances here are top-notch, bringing an element of freshness and intensity to what could otherwise be another tired, predictable trip into the Purge universe. De la Reguera and Huerta shine especially brightly as the immigrant couple at the center of the action and truly make the film worth watching all by themselves. The always great Will Patton is also a bright spot in his role as Caleb Tucker. Whether you’ll like this film depends entirely on how you feel about The Purge in general. There’s not much here to hold the attention of non-fans, but long-time lovers of the franchise will be glad they gave it a watch.
