I am soooo glad this was a free rental
931241
Certain films just scream a purchase to me, even blind buys. The Fly and Dr Strangelove were pure blind buys and I didn't regret them. Sometimes though a film comes out and you just have to test the waters. Well going to the video store, I found out I got a free rental so I was very curious about Hostel so got that. Well, that saying of "I want those 90 minutes back" certainly applied to me. "Scariest movie in a decade"? Liars.

2 Americans and a Icelandic friend are in England backpacking looking for, what else? Women, particularly soon-to-be naked willing women. They overhear a story of a place that has incredibly easy girls who just love American accents. Well getting there, they meet 2 girls and soon they get suckered in to an odd place: people who pay to torture and kill people for a price, and wouldn't you know it? Americans fetch a mighty fine price.

Like Land of the Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, the Saw films and Wolf Creek, the film tries to horrify by showing disgusting images such as severed limbs or any other nasty business. Hostel doesn't delve into it right away but there's still a kind of pointless feel to it all. When the carnage starts happening, I can just imagine the filmmakers going nuts because they just wanted to make a violent movie. Gore can be used in a more artistic fashion such as war films but here it just feels violent just for the sake of it.

What piqued my interest was this guy at the college mentioned the film and one of the gory shots and a woman in the class said "every guy his age should see that film". Whether she meant it as "boys will be boys" who will see those nudity/violence filled movies or it shows commentary on a thing apparently guys love to do: go overseas and bed "hot European chicks". To be honest, I never was into that, preferring the romance and chase angle but this is a commentary and it's a well-told one at that, it's just too bad it's on a ridiculous and pointless movie.

If you want good horror movies, check out the Exorcist or the Shining or Carrie but if you're into gory stuff, you'll love it. Me? I want my free rental back.
2362612
I'm glad I never looked at the ratings or reviews for this before I watched it, because I probably wouldn't have watched it and I'm glad I did. I was definitely unnerved throughout the whole film. It was so claustrophobic and tense that I was relieved every time a character stepped outside of the apartment. The fact that they did such a great job on such a low budget is amazing. Observance was a great surprise.
1835934
One of those movies I'm glad I didn't pay full freight to see at the theater but disappointed I didn't wait until it was free.
1866740
I was so happy I was able to rent this textbook.  while the book was interesting, I did not want to pay so much money to purchase it.
1709486
Im actually happy that I didn't have the option to rent this movie because now I own it and can force all my friends and family to watch it with me at Christmas time! This film was so cute and so much thought was put into trying to show how everything could work in present day and in the past. I really enjoyed this film! I can't wait till the holidays to watch it again!
4425501
You know what you think right? It's free it just can't be any good, so I nearly didn't download it. I am so glad I did. I am 36, so not a teen but I loved this moving and engaging story of what the world turns into when the unthinkable happens. I found it real and loved the characters. I am a sci-fi junky, so if your not it may not be your thing. There is perhaps a little niggle in the back of your mind saying "really all the adults"? But it is easily over looked in the face of all the other positives. I found it very difficult to put down and will look out more by Mr Scott Cramer. I would gladly have paid for this and enjoyed it more than some I have paid for.
1570898
I just saw this the other day at the movie theater (Yea, I was the only one in the theater, but hey, it was like the ultimate home entertainment center!). I never saw the first Purge, but I was able to follow Purge Anarchy with no problem. It wasn't as gory and bloody as it was marketed to be, but it did turn out to be a feel-good movie.

Jason Statham could have easily played the lead role. It has elements of Escape From New York, Mad Max, and The Warriors. I'm not a big movie goer, and I didn't have any expectations going in. This movie is definitely worth 2 hours of time!
2757234
I got this free so that I could get the HD remake of Crusader for free. So here's five free stars for all the free going on in here.

And no, I never played it, but I own it, so FIVE STARS IT IS!!!
1361046
Wow, glad I rented this.  I decided the movie wasn't worth my time to finish.  Love the first movie.  TOO bad.
1544037
What amazing talent. It was free on Prime. I feel like a thief.
3097456
I love the feeling I get when I walk out of the theatre after seeing a really surprisingly great movie.  I couldn't believe how good this was.  The action sequences and the story line all built up into an amazing final sequence.  I don't know if I have ever looked forward to a sequel like I am looking forward to this!!  I feel that half of the bad reviews on here are due to people not being able to handle direction with a documentary camera feel.  It makes me feel bad that they didn't give this a chance :)
2853971
I REALLy wasn't expecting this to be nearly as good as was. Well done especially for a free Prime movie. Going to look at Schism by same director.
162862
This was one of those movies that popped up on the "Visit the Page You Made" and I thought "what the heck, let's give it a try. $13 won't ruin you". I am very happy I took a chance! I had no expectations whatsoever, just hoped that it wouldn't be a waste of time and money and it surely wasn't. Nice effects, though changing in quality they where generally above average. Some nice twists and turns in the story. A couple of well-known faces (look out for Rachel Weisz' 30 second appearance early in the movie). And above all, the humor. The humor is somewhat black and crude in this movie and that suited me (and the movie) just fine.
Bottom Line: If you like action-science fictions and are not too critical on story and demand big budget effects, give this one a chance - I am glad I did!
4932164
I was given a free copy by the author and I really loved it!!
649204
I wasn't sure about this one at first, but I thought I'd give it a try since it was free. I'm glad I did, I loved it!
940848
Glad I bought this one,  saved me from renting it at least twice a year from here on out...
2082425
This looks like a great movie. Looks like just what I would have watched tonight. Fun, lots of action, fantasy-ish, nice looking storyline, decent reviews. And then you don't have an option for a rental, only purchase. Stupid. I did not watch this movie because I didn't want to pay $15 to stream something I will only watch once. Stupid. I would have paid up to $5 to rent it too - I really wanted to see it. Now I'm watching another movie.