Respond to these rapid questions in our The First Purge quiz and we will tell you which The First Purge character you are. Play it now.
When “The Purge” was released in 2013, things were a lot more straightforward. It was a time, you could say, when the inherent atavism of United States society was still in its infancy and could be satisfactorily addressed through the lens of a genre film allegory. Alternatively, as I put it in my review of the film for another publication, it was a time when its premise and execution could be treated as “a nasty little high-concept horror movie that is not only gratifyingly and consistently nerve-jangling but also doesn’t shrink from the mordant social consciousness that drives its narrative motor”
Since the film’s success, several sequels have been released, though I must admit that neither “The Purge: Anarchy” (2014) nor 2016’s “The Purge: Election Year” have been watched by me. I can infer that the writers and directors of these films, all of whom are named James DeMonaco, were aiming for a more direct social commentary than the 2013 film. DeMonaco’s screenplay and Gerard McMurray’s direction of “The First Purge” attempt to depict a society that has been forced to accept the government’s night-in-which-all-crime-is-legal scheme that was the aforementioned narrative motor of the original film.
In the film’s opening sequence, an extreme close-up shows a person of color, his thin face scarified and his teeth orange-yellow, responding to the question “Who are you angry at?” with the words “Everyone. Everything.” Skeletor is the nickname that will be given to this character later on. He is one of many residents of a Staten Island neighborhood who have been selected by the President of the United States of America’s “New Founding Fathers” political party to participate in a social science experiment. Poverty-stricken individuals are being offered $5,000 to remain on the island during the 12-hour period of free crime, with additional compensation available if they participate while donning sci-fi contact lenses to record their crimes.
But you shouldn’t waste any more time and start this The First Purge quiz.
The scheme has been devised by social scientist Dr. Updale, who is played by Marisa Tomei in a manner that suggests she did not get much sleep during the filming of the film, and put into action by Arlo Sabian, one of the many doughy white guys who appear to dominate the political party in power in the film. Local activists Nya (Lex Scott Davis) and local drug lord Dmitri (Y’lan Noel) are among the native Staten Islanders who are opposed to the lab rat experimentation situation. Nya believes it is detrimental to the poverty-stricken community, and Dmitri believes it is detrimental to his business. They’re both correct, of course! Nya’s little brother Isaiah (Joivan Wade), who has been frustrated by his family’s circumstances, has been flirting with the idea of becoming one of Dmitri’s drug dealers, which is convenient for both of them. His ability to function is threatened by the previously mentioned Skeletor, who is truly an insane jerk, even before the Purge officially begins.
The First Purge Quiz
It’s not necessarily a big deal that a handful of characters are supposed to represent the entirety of a New York City borough in a television show. One of the most frustrating aspects of the film is that the social commentary portions are simplistic, even by the low standards that are generally set by genre films. Despite the fact that Dmitri and his crew have placed themselves on lockdown, he extends an invitation to Nya to take refuge in his home. Nya responds by telling him that while the Purge is a destructive force, “you destroy this community 364 days of the year.” After discovering that the Purge is rigged, it’s almost a given that Dmitri will be thinking about this for a long time after that. That is, the white supremacist “New Founding Fathers” have dispatched mercenaries to the scene in order to wreak havoc if the general public does not contribute enough funds.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this The First Purge quiz.
Given the potentially dangerous nature of the racially charged setting, I suppose it speaks well of DeMonaco and his group of producers, which includes Michael Bay, that they were able to secure a director of color to oversee the proceedings. I wish the director in question had been a better choice. McMurray has a capable special effects team to get the blood spurting and the flamethrowers blazing; however, his proclivity to linger over stabbing deaths and the accompanying noises does not suggest a commitment to realism so much as a desire to test the gag reflex of any particular audience member. In addition, he includes footage that would have been discarded by another director. When Dr. Updale is feeling down, Patch Darragh’s Sabian character tries to perk her up by telling her that what they’re doing is “for our country” and shaking her by the shoulder. Instead of responding, Marisa Tomei simply stands there gaping, perhaps trying to remember her line. A retake would have been in order in this case, without a doubt. Later in the film, Tomei’s character is given the opportunity to express what she may have been thinking all along: “What have I done?”.
About the quiz
If and when the mercenaries begin to walk around in actual Ku Klux Klan garb, all pretenses of allegory are thrown out of the window. And it is gratifying to see men in pointy hoods being blown away by righteous African-American vigilantes, as has been demonstrated. However, the cinematic cost of getting there was not worth it in the eyes of this viewer.Also, you must try to play this The First Purge quiz.
For more personality quizzes check this: The First Purge Quiz.
