Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

The Forever Purge 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 28, 2021

While The Purge franchise might not fit neatly into the typical "Horror" genre, the series nevertheless takes a horrifying look at a grim near future America in which radical government, ceaseless bloodlust, and decaying morality converge into the once-per-year "Purge" event in which citizens are free to murder one another (or commit other atrocities against people and property, save, of course, for those governmental entities who have given themselves immunity) with no repercussions. In what is now a franchise that just seems to churn out movies on a regular basis, the story has evolved in The Forever Purge to, as the title suggests, transition from one night of violence to a ceaseless cesspool of depravity, here with a goal of racial cleansing and purification. It's a movie that builds its narrative by pouring fuel onto the fire, and it's neither clever nor relevant in the way that it goes about it, leaving the movie, and the franchise, much like the bad actors who commit these crimes: being violent for violence's sake.

In the near future, and following the events of The Purge: Election Year, the NFFA (New Founding Fathers of America) has been voted back into power and the Purge is immediately reinstated within its original 12-hour free-for-all parameters. A night of violence ensues, but for the characters the film follows, the night is navigated peacefully and without harm. And so it also is for millions of Americans who stayed home, hunkered down, and refused to take part in the blood chaos on the country's streets. It is business as usual for a wealthy ranching family and their migrant ranch hands the following morning, but when everyone’s guard goes down, that is when the true violence arrives. A well-armed, highly organized, and feverishly determined band of rogue “Purgers” institute “the forever purge” with an eye on racial purification: killing anyone who isn’t white. As violence spins out of control, as cities burn, as the military and government are overrun, as millions of Americans head for Canada and Mexico, the country is left in flames and its future bleaker than ever before.

Unfortunately, The Forever Purge is not at all concerned with its character qualities or depth. It's a movie made for a superficial purpose, ironically much the same thought process as the film's purging villains who discriminate only on the basis of externalities. The movies cares only for what the characters externally do for the story, leaving all of them identically bland and flat inside. But truly the film's first priority is to find a vehicle for violence, and it builds some hot-button themes of race, division, immigration, white supremacy, and so on and so forth into the narrative, or what passes for a narrative, which is only a framework for Purge violence. It's not disheartening because it's absolutely expected. The film exists to pile on and capitalize on the name, and whatever pretense it might present about commenting on society and the direction it's headed is lost to the heavy-handed externalities. Long gone, it seems, at least in movies like this, are the more finely interwoven and carefully considered social commentaries, replaced with the sledgehammer approach that's just going to be lost under the violent maelstroms that populate the film.

Without much of an internal anchor even the film's top billed cast members -- familiar faces like Josh Lucas and Will Patton -- are left filling parts rather than inhabiting them. There's no room for the actors to maneuver inside the paper thin characters whose best lines are cuss words, whose best acting comes in a series of scowls, and who are mostly on the screen to shoot guns and participate in various bloody action scenes. Their place in the film is last, not first, and promotional materials for the film even tout the external differentiation evident in this film compared to the others in that it takes place, mostly, during the day. With the purge "festivities" continuing beyond the prescribed overnight limits, audiences are granted a unique perspective to watch the violence unfold under the sun. Unfortunately, even with the time of day shift, there's nothing new under that sun: this it the same old, same old through-and-through.

The Forever Purge 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Universal's 2160p/HDR UHD presentation of The Forever Purge delivers a healthy upgrade over the concurrently released Blu-ray. The resolution allows for an image that is noticeably sharper, so much so that the Blu-ray often looks a little flat and soft by comparison. The UHD is more expressively clear and dynamic, and while intricate detail boosts are not substantial, the overall increase to textural stability, accuracy, and extremely fine-point details do make a big difference. Viewers will appreciate the UHD's ability to pack in more clarity and intricate, intimate textures on faces, clothes, and environments where even small gains in sharpness result in a big gain for the picture on this format. The HDR color grading is also a point of improvement for the UHD but on a much more dramatic scale. The color spectrum is, here, fine tuned and complete, revealing exceptional depth and vividness across the spectrum, from brilliantly perfect whites to exceptionally deep blacks. Everything in between is well served by, and well suited to, the HDR spectrum. The presentation is clearly superior to the Blu-ray's SDR colors, maxing out tonal intensity while remaining in balance and true to the film's native color timing. This is a very nice looking UHD from Universal, certainly not one to break new ground but one that offers a very solid upgrade over the Blu-ray.

The Forever Purge 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Universal's Dolby Atmos soundtrack delivers from the get-go. A structure out in the middle of nowhere rattles around with impressive definition and detail with full stage engagement. The top end is audibly utilized as a latch above closes and water drips in the underground tunnel moments later. Overhead channels are not used so discretely throughout, but they do carry ample material to pull the listener into the chaotic "purging" that unfolds throughout the film. Traditional surround engagement is excellent; sound placement and prioritization could not be better. Clarity is first-rate too for gunfire, music, and dialogue; gunshots are impressively deep and particularly noteworthy for quality of output, even when many of them overlap during pitch battle scenes. Dialogue is clear and effectively positioned in the front center channel.

The Forever Purge 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of The Forever Purge includes an alternate open, a deleted scene, a couple of featurettes, and a trailer. A Blu-ray copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Alternate Opening - Storyboard Sequence (2160p/SDR, 1:40): A storyboarded alternate take on the movie's opening moments.
• Deleted Scene (2160p/SDR, 1:36): A single scene that is not provided a title or other identifying marker.
• Collapsing the System: Behind The Forever Purge (2160p/SDR, 8:00): The obligatory hype reel attempting to sell the movie's worth: story details, telling a Purge story in daylight, why much of the story is told in Spanish, Director Everardo Gout's style and the qualities he brings to the film, building the film's intense action scenes, cast and performances, and more.
• Creeptastic Wardrobe (2160p/SDR, 2:06): A rapid look at the scary costumes seen in the film.
• The Forever Purge Theatrical Trailer (2160p/SDR, 2:30).

The Forever Purge 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Whatever creative spark and imaginative social commentary that drove the original film to modest success has been all but erased now, yeas later, with movies like The Forever Purge which is just another invention to make an excuse for pushing mindless violence onto the screen. To make matters worse the movie is dripping with stale political points that just fall flat under the inundation of violence. At least the big bad violent tales from the 80s didn't pretend to mean anything beyond the muscles and gunplay. Here it's just a movie trying to capitalize on the red-hot political fervor that has already damaged and divided the country. Universal's UHD does deliver high end video and audio, the former well worth the upgrade cost compared to the Blu-ray. Supplements don't inspire any real interest. For hardcore franchise fans only.