Fat Dude Digs Flicks

CHRONICLE (2012) - A Review

(Directed by Josh Trank; Written by Max Landis)

It seems like the hip place to begin in reviewing CHRONICLE on the internet is to discuss the history and success and failures of the “found film” genre. Since I have never made the serious claim to be hip, I might as well alter that norm. I’ll reference the genre eventually, but why start there?

CHRONICLE is a testament to a new time. We are a wired culture. We are in constant possession of some kind of recording device, be it a smartphone, a laptop, or your ordinary, run of the mill, digital camera. The options we have to record the world around us are seemingly endless.  The featured character, Andrew, purchases an old video camera as the film begins, as a means to record his world. His mother is - literally - on her deathbed and his father is out of work, living off of insurance from a work-related accident. The camera also provides protection from the possibility of abuse at the hands of his alcoholic father. The abuse of Andrew doesn’t stop at home. Driven to school by his cousin, Matthew, he is mocked and bullied from the moment he enters the building, one can assume for motives other than bringing his new camera to school. Andrew is a character aching for some kind of change in his life.constant possession of some kind of recording device, be it a smartphone, a laptop, or your ordinary, run of the mill, digital camera. The options we have to record the world around us are seemingly endless.

Matthew asks Andrew to accompany him to a party, but to leave the camera behind. Much to Andrew’s chagrin, he refuses, and records all of the happenings at the party. After spending a little too much time recording another teen’s girlfriend, bullying forces Andrew to retreat outside alone. Steve, friend to Matthew and seemingly the most popular kid at school, finds Andrew crying and asks for his help. Off in the woods, Matthew and Steve found a crater with an odd hum emanating from it and hope that Andrew will help document their discovery. They venture deeper into the crater only to discover a blue glowing light. As Steve begins to touch the source of the light, it fades to a red glow before the camera drops to the ground and an odd crackle of mixed sounds is recorded.

Cut to some time later, the three teens are in a backyard showing off to the camera. Their time in the canyon exposed them to something, giving them the ability to control the speed and motion of thrown objects with their minds. Later on, through some online investigation, the teens discover this to be telekinesis. It acts like a muscle; as they exercise it, their power grows stronger. Like any teen would with a power of this magnitude, they use it for selfish childish purposes at first: teasing children, pranking adults, and blowing up skirts of attractive female students. In time, they find that they are capable of so much more. Through the discovery of their powers, the teens must choose their paths. Will they use their gifts for the greater good, or for vengeance against a world that never treated them fairly?

In the grand scheme of things, what we are dealing with here is a kind of superhero origin story. The tone of the film is a solid combination of the unfairly maligned UNBREAKABLE, and last year’s surprise smash X-MEN FIRST CLASS, but told using the “found-footage” genre. Andrew’s camera is the tool for most of the narrative. Things unfold from his perspective. However, a love interest is introduced for Matthew with no real alternative purpose than to provide a second camera and a second viewpoint. As the third act rolls around and things start to pick up, security cameras, news footage, and even iPhones help create the climax of the film.

Much like other films from this “found-footage” genre, the narrative can be limited and, at times, somewhat slow. It is clever that Andrew uses his power on the camera, causing it to float around so all three teens can be in the frame at once. It prevents the stagnancy of everyone looking at him as things unfold. It also cuts down on camera-shake with help prevent much of the dizzying effect films like THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and CLOVERFIELD were criticized for. Don’t let that make it seem like CHRONICLE is not without its dizzying moments. One of the film’s highlights comes from a sequence that can be a bit dizzying. It is also the most believable and exciting flight scene since the original Superman film. As previously mentioned, though, the film is primarily told from the point of view of Andrew’s camera. While the film does do a nice job of giving these characters different dimensions, most of our time is spent with Andrew, creating a definite want to know more about the lives of Matthew and Steve.

The film casts relative unknown actors as the teenagers. Andrew is played by Dane DeHaan, heretofore known mostly for his work on the HBO dramas “In Treatment” and “True Blood.” Alex Russell plays Matthew, and Michael B. Jordan of “Friday Night Lights” fame (GO VINCE HOWARD!!!) and the recent release RED TAILS, plays Steve. The three actors have just the right chemistry together and capture that essence needed to pull off their respective archetype characters. As the characters reveal their intentions, the actors have enough strength and talent to resist going too far, though one can see a shade of Anakin Skywalker turning to the dark side in the antagonist’s performance.

This is a nice debut feature from Josh Trank. His hand is assured and he gets confident performances from young actors. He maximizes his decision to use this device to tell his story. Max Landis, son of (in most circles) legendary writer/director John Landis, has created an exciting script. It does captures the current state of being a teenager while not alienating an adult viewing audience. The influence of comic books lays a nice foundation and is built upon with engaging dialogue, rich characters, and a pretty quick, solid plot.

An enjoyable film, but by no means perfect, CHRONICLE suffers from poor CGI in some odd places. The flight sequence is spellbinding for the most part, especially when the characters and camera are in motion together. As characters hover, it looks a little silly and reflects the lower budget of the production. But even these moments are more acceptable than how rendered many of the controlled objects look. From rocks to playing cards, these items look, in some cases, as if they were clipped from magazines and crudely animated over the film. Because everything else is so engaging, it is excusable overall, but definitely takes the audience out of the film, albeit briefly.

This time of the year is often called a place where movies go to die. You’ll see low-budget comedies starring second tier casts, high-concept action thrillers, or horror sequels released to go up against award-nominated films trying to get some kind of box office. It is nice when one film bucks convention and lands with something other than a thud. CHRONICLE may not be the best film that is currently in theaters, but with it’s short runtime, engaging characters, and exciting plot, it is one worth seeing.

*** and a half (out of five)