The NRA Loves It

Rating: 4/10 (5 March 2020)

A Disappointment
To begin with: pounding the square Marxist peg into the round comic book hole was probably never going to work that well.
But, if the filmmaker had been new, just starting out, I think many would have crucified him for the uneven pace of this narrative - a little bit of story - then we pause to watch Joaquin emote - then a little bit more story - then the acting - etc.
The word I'm looking for is "turgid".
The film moves forward in a turgid manner.
The other word at top of mind is "lazy".
No particular creativity. Just, again and again, the obvious - borrowing from other movies - recycling old ideas - not even really trying to synthesize something new.
I didn't find it thought provoking. I found it impatience-provoking.
And, as mentioned in my headline, if NRA TV still existed they would be running this movie in a continuous loop.
What is Arthur "before"? A helpless clown. Pathetic and expendable.
What is Arthur "after"? Empowered. He pushes back. He answers malice with malice, eventually becoming famous for being malicious.
And what made the change? Somebody gave him a gun.
The message of the film - from a director who makes no secret of his left-wing views - is that power comes from a gun in a unique and inevitable way.
A gun solves problems. And the obvious conclusion is that we should all be carrying one.
What kind of message is that to put in a movie?