2015 bummed us all out with its noticeable lack of a Purge sequel, though the latest look at The Purge: Election Year shows the third entry in the franchise may actually be worth the wait. Frank Grillo, reprising his Purge: Anarchy role as Leo Barnes, is now the head of security for Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell). However, in a move that makes Election Year the most topical AF movie of the year, the nation's annual tradition of lawlessness just might derail her path to the White House.
Election Year, which picks up two years after the revenge-centered events of 2014's The Purge: Anarchy, sees creator James DeMonaco back at the helm to keep the ruthlessness on-brand. The franchise boasts the rare distinction of actually improving with each new entry, as the so-so reviews of 2013's The Purgewere all but forgotten when The Purge: Anarchy landed larger box office receipts and a higher ratio of praise from critics.
Surrounding Anarchy's release, we decided to hit up a sociologist about the possibility of The Purge happening in real life. Given the very timely vibes of Election Year, Lester Andrist's thoughts on the matter are probably worth another read. Is there truth hidden in the fiction? Most definitely.
"Why does [The Purge] resonate with such a broad swath of the population?" Andrist told Complex. "What is it about that story or that premise that we're all kind of like, 'That's something I'd like to see'? And I think it has to do with the fact that it mirrors the time that we're living in right now. The gap between the rich and the poor has been growing steadily over the past 50 years or so, and that has allowed us to arrive at some parallels with the real world that you can actually see in The Purge."
