FILM: Chronicle (6/10)

Why did I watch it?

I wanted to watch this one from the first time I saw the trailer. It looked like an interesting superhero themed take on the found footage genre from a first time director.

What's it all about?

Filmed in the majority by one of their handheld cameras, three high school guys develop telekinetic superpowers after climbing into a hole in the ground created by some strange alien equipment. After the initial excitement over their abilities passes, each of the teenagers deals with their new responsibilities in different ways and bullied Andrew, who also has a difficult home life, begins to see his powers as a method of righting the wrongs in his life.

Should you watch it?

My viewing experience of Chronicle was incredibly mixed. In equal measures I enjoyed some parts and got bored of others. I loved the boys will be boys element of the groups discovery, using the powers for fun and stupidly testing the limits of their growing abilities. It seems exactly the sort of behaviour you would expect from teenage boys. As you would also expect, it isn't too long before someone goes too far when showing off and that person is Andrew (Dane DeHaan).

Bullied at school and with an abusive father and dying mother at home, you can certainly sympathise with Andrew's outlook on life and understand his temptation to allow his anger to exploit his powers. That said, his character (and partially that of his cousin Matt too) was the main reason for my annoyance with the film. I didn't like them, simple as. The pair were incredibly whiny, and their arguing and screaming at each other dragged the script down into soap opera territory.

Considering the budget, the special effects are pretty respectable and the story itself is an interesting journey, dealing with the loss of self-control and responsibility past the point of no return, culminating in the film's frantic finale.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?