Up, Up, and Astray.

To be honest, I didn't want to see this.  Not at all.  What do we have here?  Another "shaky-cam" opus ala Blair Witch?  With teens obtaining superpowers? Enough already.  

I must admit, the whole "found-footage" thing is really not that original anymore, but was it really to begin with?  Cloverfield was great, Blair Witch was good, but now seems to have drowned into a parody of itself, the Paranormal Activity franchise is getting stale, and more recently, the horror anthology V/H/S....which was an amazing piece of raw horror storytelling, but with flaws scattered all through it.

Josh Trank's Chronicle takes a different approach.  Could it be labeled as a "superhero" movie?  Perhaps, but in this blogger's opinion, it really isn't.  It's a character-driven melodrama about the struggles of becoming an adult and what can happen when you allow a gift to become a curse.

Simply put, three teenagers find a hole in the ground that contains something other-worldly and allows them to obtain fantastical powers.   One of the teens named Andrew, comes from a troubled family with a drunk, abusive father and a sickly, bed-ridden mother.  After exploring the pit's mysterious glow, in no time at all, the guys start flying through the sky, making cars move by themselves in a parking lot, scaring little kids at the toy store, and bending eating utensils like they were made of licorice.

Sounds unoriginal, correct?  In a way, yes it is; but the film's execution is the heart of what makes it so good.  This could have easily been just another teen angst-ridden John Hughes ripoff with superhero elements thrown in, but the screenwriter, Max Landis (son of American Werewolf's John), doesn't let that happen.  The characters come first.  Andrew, (in a what should have been an Oscar-nominated performance for newcomer Dane DeHaan) presents his character with honesty.  This is a troubled kid, with lots and lots of problems.  He's bullied at school, his father physically abuses him, his mother is dying, and in all actuality, he appears to be someone who just wants to be left alone.

Along with his two friends, Matt and Steve, they all decide they've been blessed with something fantastic, and immediately start executing their new-found powers.  I mean, who wouldn't?  If I suddenly had the ability to fly, would I sit down and start worrying that I might need superhero insurance?  Probably not.  (However, check out the movie Hancock, which explores similar issues, but yet does delve into the fact of a super-human interacting with the real world. And a superhero that probably WOULD need insurance.)

Chronicle's first half is mostly all fun, with the audience being entertained by the powers the guys possess.  Visual effects are used to a minimum, which create a better sense of drama and wonder than any CGI-laden action crapfest. (Michael Bay, are you listening?)  Then there's an abrupt bump in the road that changes everything.  Unfortunately, the guys were not able to go find Perez Hilton or Lady Gaga and have them flung onto a desert island inhabited by cannibals, but, oh well, we can't have everything.

Once there's a mood shift, things start getting considerably dark and out of hand.  In what could have been one of the biggest mistakes in film history, director Trank crosses this path very delicately and allows the characters to inhabit the screen moreso than the visual effects. There's a slow buildup, which obviously leads to an unexpected conclusion.  (Yes, that last sentence just sounded like a cliche written in every other movie review, but I'm sticking to it anyway.)

 

So, what exactly is Chronicle?  Is it a comedy? Some parts are funny.  Is it a drama?  Most definitely.  Is it a film with heart and soul?  Absolutely.  More than that, it's an amazing character study focusing on a troubled teen who begins to find an unusual way out of his horrible situation, until....well, I'll just avoid the spoilers.

It's a great movie meant more specifically for open-minded adults.  While kids will most definitely get a kick out of the superhero angle, that's not really the point of the movie.  This isn't Superman Returns (thank God), or X-Men, or even The Dark Knight.  It's presented more like a simple fable, with superhero undertones.  

The great Roger Ebert once said: 

"Every great film should seem new every time you see it."

I've seen Chronicle twice.  And I have a feeling when I see it for the third time, that quote will resonate more deeply than ever.

Chronicle, (2012)
Directed by Josh Trank
Grade: A