Are superhero movies getting worn out? Well, yes and no, depending on the project and who’s directing it. On the one hand, X-Men First Class was fantastic last year, making up for the weak sequels X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Captain America wasn’t bad either. However, Thor left a little something to be desired, and we aren’t thrilled with the idea of Spider-Man being remade so soon. Shouldn’t they have saved the Amazing storyline for, what, another year? But given a fresh perspective, the superhero genre can live on -- especially if it’s the sort of tale that we aren’t really used to. That’s just what Chronicle is, a movie that mixes a little high school angst with the kind of reality perspective that a lot of crappy horror movies use as of late. But this is no spook tale. It’s a science fiction film that’s got superhero at its heart, even if the characters involved aren’t exactly men of steel. But it’s their side of humanity that helps give this film its necessary push above others in the genre.
The movie focuses on three kids – a youngster named Andrew, his cousin Matt, and another kid named Steve. Andrew’s going through some tough times right now, as he father has turned into a raging alcoholic and his mother is slowly and painfully dying from cancer. On top of that, he doesn’t really fit in at school. Then one night, as the “chronicle” tells us, they discover a mysterious hole in the ground. Upon exploring it, they discover that not all is what it seems, and the next thing they know, they begin developing superpowers. Not like X-ray vision or bulletproof skin, but stuff more along the lines of flying and being able to manipulate and push objects using Force-like capabilities. At first, they’re using their powers innocently enough, making girls’ skirts fly up (typical boyhood fantasy), scaring a little girl out of her wits by making a teddy bear moving around, and confusing a shopper by moving her car from one parking space to another. But it isn’t long before an impatient motorist forces Andrew to wreck their honking vehicle, and soon the boys begin to question whether their powers should be used for good, or if Andrew is really seeping into evil. The rest of the film unfolds with a kind of question into ethics, with the poor kid wondering just what he should do – and how far he’ll push his newfound abilities to get there.
Writer Max Landis (the son of legendary filmmaker John Landis) and director Josh Trank could’ve easily folded into the kind of traits that make other reality-style films so bad, including the horrid The Devil Inside, a film that ended on the kind of abrupt conclusion that would anger any given audience member. Instead, they tell their tale with a great deal of intelligence. There are hints of comedy, but also plenty of action and conflict, surprisingly well done for a $15 million budget. And the whole camera effect actually has a neat trick to it, as one of the kids who develops the power concentrates some of it on making it follow him around, rather than reenacting everything in the first power. It’s a neat trick, one that unfolds well. There are times when the action gets a little shaky, but it never goes into overdrive like most of the reality crap, and you can easily tell what’s going on. Furthermore, some of the filmmakers’ choices are rather neat, particularly during the finale, where chaos unfolds, but we really don’t miss a moment of how it’s unfolding. Good stuff.
Of course, you need to have the right cast in order to make the performances shine. Dane DeHaan does a solid job as Andrew, a kid torn between doing what he’s always wanted to do and fighting the elements that are so vehemently against him. Alex Russell is every bit as good as Matt, who wants to help Andrew but demands understanding when it comes to the powers that are in play. The rest of the cast is good as well, though these two are the main ones on the stage. No matter – they put on a pretty powerful show. There are times the CG effects can be slightly cheesy, but never to the point that you think the studio did TOO much into making the superheroes look, well, super. Chronicle has the kind of convincing approach and execution to be a fresh new take in the genre, one that up-and-coming comic book writers may be able to learn a lot from. By the same token, casual viewers will enjoy it as well, as it features plenty of character, angst, conflict and resolution to make it feel more complete than most reality-based films out there. Give it a go.
OVERALL: SEE IT
