I've been watching The Lunatic build his case since the series of web episodes began on YouTube back in June - it was originally brought to my attention by a friend who noticed that this clip with no attribution had been viewed almost a half million times in about a week. I watched with interest as each episode revealed a bit more, and the view count grew to over 7 million views before being unceremoniously dumped by YouTube without explanation.
I've just previewed Episode 7 - The Baker, and if you're one of the seven million who have already taken the trip, you'll be pleased to know that you still can't predict exactly where this is all leading, but you'll also be pleased to hear that The Lunatic is most likely you. He's most likely a lot like most of us. If you haven't joined the party, come on in, the water's fine.
Episode 7 takes a decidedly more lighthearted approach with it's '50s sit-com music, black & white commercial trailers, and it's Gumb-like antagonist. The Baker is as unlovable as a politician, and we can all relate to the fact that we want to see him get what he's got coming. Maybe that's a big part of the appeal of The Lunatic at this point. We saw the early episodes, in which one was never certain if The Lunatic was hero, or villain, and we developed a healthy fear of his malevolence and demeanor. Then in Episode 5 - A 21st Century Man, we finally were able to collectively exhale when we found his particular bend was towards that of vigilante, and not villain.
Speaking for myself, I've been down those roads too many times, and while I know that the wages of vengeance are meager, it is an honest day's work. And I know that while society (read as: governments) don't approve of vigilantism, audiences do, and I can easily imagine throngs of movie goers raising their fists to the sky every time a bad guy dies at the hands of The Lunatic. There's darkness in us all, and as we are drawn closer to a darker shade of darkness, we often lose the light of reason, and the visceral becomes pleasing. Even if we never actually cross the line, we enjoying watching someone cross the line for us.
Of course, there is still one more web episode to go before The Lunatic leaves the monitor and heads for the big screen. I have more questions than answers at this point, but of course I realize that our hero can't just go about his business of righting the world's wrongs as he attempts to come to peace with a disturbed past, it simply never works out that way - the powers that rule this world know we need bad guys worse than themselves to deflect the light from their own misdeeds, and surely there will be forces unleashed against The Lunatic. I can only imagine where it'll go from there, and I anxiously await to see where the film's makers take this.
Give The Lunatic a look, and if you're of the mind, throw the filmmakers a few bucks toward their Indiegogo campaign so I can continue my living vicariously through The Lunatic. I'd hate to have to come visit you late one night after the lights are out.
Like I said, maybe we're all The Lunatic. See you at the movies.
Indiegogo link: http://igg.me/506080/x/4518738
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