Chronicle

While most super hero films of late have opted for the well-known actors and characters that have had decades to secure a strong following Chronicle dares to be different.  Taking its main actors from TV shows rather than a-list movies all the while creating a story from scratch rather than using an already established brand or recognisable name.

 The story revolves around three teenagers who develop telekinetic super powers through some mysterious hole in the ground.  Although the origin of their powers was a lose end the story-arc felt refreshing.   It focussed on one character in particular Andrew (Dane DeHaan), a boy whose mother is dying and whose father is an abusive alcoholic that has spent years on the coach.

Andy’s social awkwardness is the main thing we follow throughout the first part of the film, the camera which we see through chronicles (pun intended) his life.  His friend Steve (Michael B. Jordon) aptly says in the film that the camera acts as a barrier between him and other people.  It’s clear that he’s an introvert who doesn’t want to abode to social expectations. Through his bad luck and unfortunate placement in life we watch as our social awkward lead steadily becomes an antagonist who spirals out of control.

Stepping away from the Marvel and DC incarnations of the superhero world, these boys are real people.  Andy has a life laced with tragedy, Steve, the popular student who has an interest in people and politics, and Matt (Alex Russell), Andy’s cousin who is more concerned about fitting in and  acts as the moral compass.  When they develop their powers, their first instinct is to cause childish mischief and play pranks, pushing shopping carts out of arms and trying to pull chewing gums from people’s mouths, which lead to some genuine laughs.

The story is strong and coherent balancing a fantastical story with a serious tone whilst fitting in some humour in appropriate measures.   Although heavily influenced by the Manga and live action anima Akira, the strongest asset this film as is something that has lacked in many others of date; originality.   Its relatable characters help you stick with the story whilst helping you immerse into the screen without the need of 3D glasses.  You can feel consumed in the clouds as they fly and make you feel a ping of remorse with its tragic events.

The major flaw with Chronicle is the found footage angle.  In some scenes it adds to the story and fits perfectly to the world we’re supposed to be involved with, yet it draws attention to itself.   We’re led to believe that what we’re watching is ‘found footage’.  Yet the footage is from people who just happen to be carrying high definition cameras around with them at all times.   One scene in particular made it a bit too unbelievable during an action sequence; in an apartment a man and wife are filming something, and just happened to catch Andy fly through their apartment.  It’s 30 seconds of footage, but that’s all it took to think the whole thing was stretching itself too far.  Who found this footage?  How and why would they use 30 seconds of this random guys film?  It just didn’t make sense.

As an overall reaction the film came across as a strong film, well acted, and well filmed (par the moments mentioned above), and it is a welcome change to the ever growing genre of ‘super’ films.  However, with a year of blockbusters such as the Avengers and the Spiderman reboot this may be a forgotten gem before long.   A recommended watch, but one what may be forgotten in the shadows of this summer’s established brand name movies.

Check out the trailer above- B.