After all most 2 years of production, 20th Century Fox finally released their newest super hero thriller movie, Chronicle, directed by Josh Trank. Besides a few minor flaws, “Chronicle” is all around stellar film and definitely worth the price of an admission ticket.
The movie sports an almost unknown cast that stars three young, talented actors. Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan, and Alex Russell star as three high school boys whose late night, drunken escapades end up in the three of them accidentally gaining super-human powers.Andrew (DeHaan), a teenager attending high school somewhere in Seattle, has grown up his whole life as an outcast. At home, his life is plagued with the pain of a dying mother and an abusive father, and at school he is a nobody with only has video camera to keep him company. His only real connection to any sort of social life is his cousin Matt (Russell).
One night after some convincing, Andrew escorts Matt to a rave in an abandoned barn in the middle of the woods. A few too many beers and some bad judgment lead the two boys and Matt’s good friend Steven (Jordan) to go off exploring in the nearby forest.
After realizing all the potential the new power gives the three boys, they start using their telekinetic talents for mischief and personal gain. Their shenanigans start off as simply scaring people with levitating objects, however, they soon expand to much more serious and illegal behaviors. It is not until Andrew starts using his powers for dark purposes, does the movie really develop.
“Chronicle” was full of surprises. Not only is it an action-packed super hero origin story, it is also a powerful coming of age story. Any high school boy who dreamed of being a super hero as a child will find a sort of nostalgic love for “Chronicle”. Any sci-fi or super hero aficionado will be captivated by the truly majestic special effects of the film.
However that is not the only reason to go see this spectacle of a movie. Right from the beginning, “Chronicle” is a fast paced thriller that combines aspects from all of the greatest super hero movies. Also, “Chronicle” presents a few surprisingly deep messages that involve teenagers dealing with abusive, alcoholic parents and also coping with dying families members. “Chronicle” deals with several of the issues that a teenage boy in high school will have to overcome - including conformity and peer pressure.
Shot in a similar style of J.J. Abrams’ “Cloverfield,” almost all of “Chronicle” is supposed to be portrayed through the main character Andrew’s video camera. For this reason, anyone he gets motion sickness easily might want to stay away from Chronicle.
But besides that, Chronicle is near perfect and a whirl-whined of a film. Going to see Chronicle is a good way to escape from the limits of the real world and spending 83 minutes imagining all the endless possibilities that come with being an actual Demi-God.
3 stars (out of 4), pg-13, showing at the Palladium 12 in down town Birmingham
