Prequel treads familiar ground

day become a reality — although, hopefully not!

Aesthetically and tonally, The First Purge has more in common with its two previous predecessors as the series veers ever further away from the home invasion-themed original.

McMurray doesn’t change an awful lot of the visual style we’ve come to expect as he utilises creepy masks, spurts of gore and shocking images of humanity gone wrong to project terror.

DeMonaco’s script builds on the third flick’s idea of the powers-that-be playing off the poor and working class as pawns to be easily disposed of to shape their vision of an ideal America.

It’s not very subtle, but does help when creating characters to root for in what could easily be a world where anyone’s death means very little to us as an audience.

The issue of race — loosely touched on in the previous entries — comes to the fore here as black residents of Staten Island fight for their very existence against white political figures making increasingly deplorable decisions.

McMurray gets to the heart of his protagonists by shooting them up close, often using handheld cameras, while the baddies get more widescreen, glamorous treatment.

Fans of the series are sure to lap up what is another entertainingbut-downbeat instalment.

But for everyone else, the lack of subtlety, characters’ silly decisionmaking and shaky ideology will leave them hoping The First Purge is also the last.