The Purge Movie Review | Common Sense Media

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Parents' Guide to

The Purge Movie R 2013 85 minutes

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 28 Reviews
• Kids Say 174 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

By Jeffrey M. Anderson , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 18+

Home invasion movie has intense ideas, strong violence.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Purge is a futuristic sci-fi/horror movie with a horrific idea: Once a year, American citizens are given a 12-hour period in which they can do whatever they want -- including murder -- legally. This supposedly has the effect of reducing crime and lowering unemployment. Violence…

Why Age 18+? Language

Language is fairly infrequent but contains strong words. "F--k" and &q

Violence & Scariness

The movie starts off with surveillance footage of acts of violence, fighting, st

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Two teens are shown kissing and engaging in "heavy petting." The girl

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Adults drink glasses of wine with dinner.

Products & Purchases Not present Any Positive Content? Positive Messages

The messages in this movie occupy complex gray areas. The youngest boy in the fa

Positive Role Models

Most of the characters are simply meant to illustrate the horrific, dual-sided n

• Parents Need to Know

  Parents need to know that The Purge is a futuristic sci-fi/horror movie with a horrific idea: Once a year, American citizens are given a 12-hour period in which they can do whatever they want -- including murder -- legally. This supposedly has the effect of reducing crime and lowering unemployment. Violence is strong throughougt the movie, with various beatings, stabbings, and shootings, with lots of dead bodies (including teens) and a fair amount of blood. Language includes a few uses of "f--k" and other strong words, and a teen couple is shown making out and getting a bit hot and heavy. The movie may inspire discussion about human nature, mob mentality, the function of society, consumerism, exploitation, the rich and the poor, and other hot topics.

  To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

• Language

  a lot Language is fairly infrequent but contains strong words. "F--k" and "motherf----r" are used a few times. Other words include "bulls--t," "son of a bitch," "penis," "Jesus Christ" (as an exclamation), "hell," and "goddamn." A middle finger gesture is used.

  Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

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• Violence & Scariness

  a lot The movie starts off with surveillance footage of acts of violence, fighting, stabbings, shootings, and dead bodies. During the course of the movie, characters (both major and minor) -- including teens -- are shot, stabbed, and/or killed. There's heavy fighting, including attacks with various objects (pool cues, vases, etc.). A prisoner is tied up and tortured (a character pokes a letter opener into his open wound). A woman's face is smashed on a glass table, and her nose and mouth bleed profusely. A fair amount of blood is shown, though the movie isn't overly gory.

  Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

  Get started Close

• Sex, Romance & Nudity

  a little Two teens are shown kissing and engaging in "heavy petting." The girl undoes a couple of buttons on her top, but they stop before anything goes further. Otherwise, the movie shows a married couple who are comfortable with each other, but with no real sex or innuendo.

  Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

  Get started Close

• Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

  very little Adults drink glasses of wine with dinner.

  Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

  Get started Close

• Positive Messages

  very little The messages in this movie occupy complex gray areas. The youngest boy in the family tries to do a good deed, but it goes horribly awry. The family must also decide between fighting (possibly killing others or getting killed) or facing certain death. Then there's the overall message of the "purge" itself. The movie includes many voices on television and radio arguing over the event's good points and bad points -- although either way it comes down to violence and killing without consequences.

• Positive Role Models

  very little Most of the characters are simply meant to illustrate the horrific, dual-sided nature of the movie's sinister idea; they're symbolic rather than sympathetic. The main characters are kind and likeable, and they exhibit bravery in the face of danger, but viewers are certainly better off questioning their behavior than emulating it.

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The Purge

Parent and Kid Reviews

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• Parents Say (28)
• Kids Say (174)

age 14+

Based on 28 parent reviews

See all 28 parent reviews age 14+

Based on 174 kid reviews

Kids say the movie offers a mix of predictable storytelling and mild horror elements, with many reviewers noting the violence is not as severe compared to other films in the genre. Recommendations vary for who should watch it, with some suggesting it’s suitable for teens while others caution against its disturbing content and general lack of suspense or engagement.

• predictable storytelling
• mild horror
• suitable for teens
• disturbing content
• mixed reviews

Summarized with AI

See all 174 kid reviews

What's the Story?

In the year 2022, the U.S. government has established THE PURGE, an annual 12-hour period during which citizens can do whatever they want, legally, even murder. James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) has made tons of money selling security systems to the wealthy, and as the purge begins, he prepares to barricade himself inside with his wife Mary (Lena Headey) and kids, Zoey (Adelaide Kane) and Charlie (Max Burkholder). Unfortunately, Zoey's boyfriend has snuck in just before lockdown, and Charlie tries to help a homeless man by letting him in, too. These small events eventually lead to a terrifying standoff: James must decide whether to sacrifice one man to save himself and his family or fight and face certain death.

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Is It Any Good?

Our review: Parents say (28 ): Kids say (174 ):

The movie has a fascinating premise, but it's too dark for most teens, especially younger ones. Writer/director James DeMonaco, who previously wrote the screenplays for The Negotiator and the remake of Assault on Precinct 13, adds a new wrinkle to the "home invasion" subgenre here. His idea of the futuristic "purge" brings up many layers of ideas worth discussing. The Purge is clever enough to begin asking these questions right away and to make the audience implicit in the discourse. It's impossible to watch and not wonder, "What would I do?" and "Is this right or wrong?" Or, worse, "What if it's a little of both?"

The movie isn't quite as clever at its story and character level. The typical cat-and-mouse chases around the house rely on characters never looking in the right place at the right time, and it becomes clear that they're more important to the movie as representations than as sympathetic characters. Only Rhys Wakefield as a strangely polite, intelligent, grinning invader provides anything of human interest. Regardless, a movie this smart and ambitious isn't easy to dismiss.

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Talk to Your Kids About ...

• Families can talk about The Purge's strong violence. Is the violence necessary to express the movie's point? Could it have been less violent? More violent?

• What do you think of the idea of "the purge"? Would it really lower crime and lessen poverty? What other issues does it bring up?

• What's the movie's perspective on business? The rich and poor? What reaction do you think the filmmakers expect from viewers?

• Should Charlie have let in the man calling for help? Why is his good deed punished?

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Movie Details

• In theaters : June 7, 2013
• On DVD or streaming : October 8, 2013
• Cast : Ethan Hawke , Lena Headey , Rhys Wakefield
• Director : James DeMonaco
• Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
• Studio : Universal Pictures
• Genre : Horror
• Run time : 85 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : strong disturbing violence and some language
• Last updated : November 3, 2025

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Did we miss something on diversity?

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The Purge

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