A trio of teenagers are blessed
with telekinetic powers after coming in contact with a strange glowing object. Each handles their new-found abilities in
different ways. Matt’s (Alex Russell) inner superhero is
slowly awakened. Already brimming with
confidence and swagger, Steve (Michael B. Jordan) takes it all in stride. The overly timid Andrew (Dane Dehaan) gradually comes out
of his shell, but years of being bullied at school and at home have given him a
pronounced dark side. He obsessively
documents his entire life on video, and manages to capture the trio’s super-powered experiments and misadventures in great detail. With each use, their powers grow exponentially. In Andrew’s case, that metamorphosis has
tragic results.
Chronicle is yet another entry in the moribund “found footage”
genre. Multiplexes have recently been
blitzed with a gaggle of such films, which usually fit neatly into the horror
category. Chronicle marries the “found footage” approach to the world of superheroes. The resulting film treads some very familiar
ground, but ultimately proves much bolder than any number of similarly themed
projects.
Perhaps director Josh Trank and
cowriter Max Landis thought the “found footage” gimmick would be a good way to
distinguish the moderately budgeted Chronicle
in a marketplace already swarming with superheroes. That choice proves to be a blessing and a
curse. The conceit feels increasingly forced
as the film progresses. As Andrew’s
character arc approaches its logical conclusion, it seems ever more unlikely
that he would feel the need to document his every waking moment. One can easily understand the allure of this
technique. It allows for easy exposition,
and plays perfectly into the audiences voyeuristic fantasies. Such benefits notwithstanding, the decision
to shoot the entire movie in this way is a glaring misjudgment in an otherwise
airtight film.
The one place where the found
footage conceit proves most beneficial is in the apocalyptic events that take
place during the closing act. It allows
the ensuing mayhem to be seen from something of a first person perspective,
increasing the tension exponentially.
The viewer is plunked right in the middle of the action and thus
disoriented. This is perhaps one of the
best and most necessary uses of shaky cam ever attempted. It reduces the viewer to the position of
spectator as super-powered beings decimate a major city.
Chronicle provides the audience with three very sympathetic and
likeable characters. The dramatic scenes
in most found footage movies are often a chore to watch. In the Paranormal Activity films, they act as
filler, padding out the running time between jump scares. Chronicle, on the other hand, is populated
with living breathing characters. Trank
and Landis appear to have taken a page from the Stan Lee handbook, observing how
ordinary people react to extraordinary circumstances. Each character represents one of the many
personality types found in the microcosm of high school, but they are allowed
to be more than the sum of their parts.
One of Chronicle’s many charms is how simply and easily it goes about its
business. It offers just enough
exposition before moving on to the next moment or event, never dwelling on
anything a nanosecond longer than it has to.
There are pretty much no major set-pieces save for the final act, but
the film manages to be exciting and engrossing regardless. The characters are allowed to have fun with
their powers in scenes that would likely feel meandering in lesser hands. Here, they play as character development and
story progression.
Dane Dehaan provides the film’s
broken heart. He’s more than the
proverbial 90lbs weakling presented in most superhero stories. His home life has rendered him ineffectual. His inability to assert himself in any way
makes him a powder keg of pent up rage.
Even as he descends into madness and megalomania, he remains
sympathetic. Matt and Steve are a bit
less flamboyant, though each goes through a somewhat more subtle evolution than
Andrew. The events that they experience
together bring them closer, and give each of them insight into each other. The actors make these sometimes manipulative
machinations feel genuine and organic.
Chronicle takes two ideas that
would seem to be diametrically opposed, meshes them together, and comes up with
something that feels familiar yet fresh.
Those who are seasoned in such stories will know exactly where the plot
is going, but the film manages to make even the most cliched developments feel
new and exciting. Chronicle is an unexpectedly stunning and tragic take on the
superhero genre.
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