YMMV / The Purge: Election Year

• Alternate Character Interpretation:
  • The main group of antagonists, while decked out in Neo-Nazi symbols and the like, never say or do anything explicitly Neo-Nazi or white supremacist, and it's left ambiguous whether they actually are what they look to be, or if the symbols are there to either fuck with their targets or conceal who they're really working for. Granted, the Purge is explicitly used to target minorities and poor people, and all the people white terrorists hate, so trying to ensure the regime survival is alone a pretty white supremacist thing.
  • Did Roan spare Owens's life due to believing in If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!, or was it a case of pragmatism in that she didn't want to make a martyr out of him? Both possibilities are mentioned in the film, so it's up in the air.
• Awesome Music: 20th Century Boy from T-Rex and Afraid of Americans from David Bowie.
• Catharsis Factor:
  • Kimmy's gang are hated for being Ax-Crazy sociopaths and the NFFA are hated for being utter elitist sociopaths. So the audience pretty much cheered when the former gets run over by a car or shotgunned while the latter has their Mass ambushed.
  • In a more general sense, the Purge being eliminated by the new president, robbing the NFFA and people like them of their sick pleasure.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Marcos and Laney, being competent characters providing a continuing lower class presence during a film with a plot-driven by an upper echelon election.
  • Earl Danzinger for being an Affably Evil Punch-Clock Villain professional driven by commendable My Country, Right or Wrong-based Villainous Valour, while not being a supporter of the Purge besides his Undying Loyalty to the NFFA who organized it, making him a walking Evil Is Cool and his portrayer Terry Serpico a fan favorite amongst horror conventions. Some would like to believe he and the men under his command are not really Neo-Nazis despite their appearance, thinking it could be a Red Herring front to mask the fact they're really government troops (which the first bullet of Alternate Character Interpretation above asserts) and wish that after the deaths of all of his superiors, he would do a Heel–Face Turn instead of continuing to be The Heavy and a penultimate Final Boss. These people view his one-on-one with Leo and death as a Redemption Rejection and an Alas, Poor Villain moment.
• Evil Is Cool: The Neo-Nazi mercs are arguably a lot scarier than any of the crazed civilian Purgers the film focuses on, especially when they're introduced massacring Roan's security with ruthless, silent efficiency. Their leader, Danzinger, even goes one-on-one with Leo in the end.
• Funny Moments: Everything that Joe says is either this or Narm.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • Doubles as Hilarious in Hindsight: This film's Tagline, "Keep America Great", would later become Donald Trump's 2020 campaign slogan.
  • Arguably the events of the entire movie can be seen as this considering that despite Roan winning office, the events of The Forever Purge make it clear that not only was she unable to permanently end the Purge but was voted out of office years later because people wanted the holiday back. Although this could also be considered bittersweet considering that movie ending with even the New Founding Fathers losing control and the United States falling into chaos by their own hubris.
  • The epilogue shows that Roan's election did not stop anti-Purgers from rioting in attempts to stop her from becoming President. In January 2021, supporters of Donald Trump began violently attacking the US Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election and stop the certification of Joe Biden as the new President.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Frank Grillo fighting Neo-Nazi White Supremacists working for a government conspiracy. His most famous role is as Crossbones in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, who works for a dictatorial conspiracy with ties to Nazi Germany, and who is a Neo-Nazi White Supremacist in the comics.
• Narm: The usage of Gosh Dang It to Heck! throughout the movie ("We'll freaking do whatever it takes!", "We'll show those card-suckers ...", "My Negro!").
• Narm Charm: It's a Purge movie, so it's to be expected.
  • The shop looter girls exiting their flashing car while "Party In the USA" by Miley Cyrus plays. Somewhat cheesy, but it really just fits!
  • Once again the masks and demeanor of the psychos do not disappoint.
  • Everyone involved in the Purging mass who takes the stereotypical attributes of a Cultist up a notch.
    "Purge and Purify!"
    • Granted, outside of the ritualistic killings, the way the Minister acts channels real life preachers from some of the more out-there Christian denominations. And yes, that includes the bit where he starts speaking complete gibberish.
• Shipping: Some viewers do this Roan and Leo mainly due to what has been seen as some major UST between them. At one point, Roan even does a small, subtle caressing of Leo's arm which can be interpreted as a Will They or Won't They?.
• Tear Jerker:
  • Seeing Senator Roan's family get killed in the prologue flashback. Also doubles as Nightmare Fuel as the family is bound, bloodied and crying.
  • Joe's death and final words; that Roan win the election and that Marcus and Laney look after his store.
  • Bishop's death by itself, and especially considering that in the first film he did not want to die and even told the Sandins themselves that. Then, at the climax of this film, he performs a Heroic Sacrifice for Leo to get the upper hand to defeat the mercs. It was a willing choice, but his death can still make the Sandins' attempts to save him from the Purgers appear to be All for Nothing and a Shoot the Shaggy Dog result. Granted, he did get to live 18 years longer than otherwise, which is still something.

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