Chronicle

Everyone wants superpowers. I'd bet that most people have at least thought about it. But what would the general population do with such power at their disposal? Unlimited, godlike power, what would you do? I believe it is naive to say that everyone has the personal fortitude to be Superman. What would that story look like? A person tries to be a hero, but can't take the pressure? Doesn't that sound like a cool movie? Too bad we got Chronicle? Social outcast/loner Andrew (Dane DeHaan) has decided to film his life, including his dying mother and his abusive father. One night, Andrew's cousin Matt (Alex Russell) drags him to a party. There, Andrew, Matt, and popular student Steve (Michael B. Jordan) go into a cave containing a mysterious glowing macguffin. As it turns out, the macguffin gives the three telekinetic powers. Their powers are constantly growing, but so are Andrew's problems, and things start to spiral out of control. Ok, first things first: to hell with "found footage" filmmaking. The Blair Witch Project is the only film to make use of the technique; the rest are just cash ins. Found footage is cheap, it's lazy, often nauseating, and an excuse not to try. It isn't edgy or stylish, it just creates a rift between the viewer and the movie and takes out out of the story. This is what happened to me with Chronicle. Because of the jerky camera and cheap production value, I just couldn't get into it. I'll give Chronicle one concession. It is well made. Besides the found-footage crap, Chronicle is well acted and directed, and has great special effects. However the film lacks coherence and any character development; most of the plot is very jumpy and silly. We aren't given a good transition from teens-with-powers to the eventual superhero chaos of the finale. The plot is very predictable and formulaic, a lot of plot points are abandoned halfway, and most of the story is filler between action scenes. About halfway through Chronicle I realized why it felt so familiar; it is the same story and basic plot progression as 1981's Akira. Only this time it's more angsty and in live action. I don't have time now, but given the proper forum I could draw parallels between at least five scenes and characters. So in the end, Chronicle isn't even original like the ads say it is. There are definitely interesting concepts in the film, but none are explored enough and I was left unsatisfied and annoyed. Maybe I'm too tough, but this is my opinion, take it or leave it.