At long last, the fifth (but ) Purge movie has arrived. The Forever Purge is in theaters right now and, unlike the last film in the franchise, The First Purge, this one’s not a prequel. Instead, it’s a direct sequel to 2016’s The Purge: Election Year.
The franchise envisions a world in which the United States legally sanctions all crimes–including murder–for a single 12-hour period once a year as a way to keep the violent intentions of its citizens at bay. It’s a simple yet ludicrous idea, but one that seems almost hauntingly prescient at times.
You might not expect there to be much to explore with an idea like this beyond a single film. But The Purge franchise has proven that’s not the case. With five films and two seasons of a TV show so far, each installment series is enjoyable and easy to engage with, even if its approach to politics can sometimes feel ham-fisted.
What’s the best take on The Purge, though? To figure that out, we watched The Forever Purge, then revisited the other four films and both seasons of the TV show to figure out the definitive ranking–until The Purge undoubtedly returns to theaters for another movie again in a few years. Check out the ranking below, from least to most awesome, and sound off in the comments with your thoughts.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for every entry in the Purge franchise, including The Forever Purge, which is in theaters now.
