Fortunately 'Chronicle' delivers. It makes wise use of the nature of found-footage films. For instance, instead of sticking to one camera the filmmakers dare to cut to different viewpoints originating from many different devices. This way we get a good look at what's going on. Also, the logical problem of that one guy who keeps recording even though the world crumbles around him is avoided. We can thank writer Max Landis (son of the well-known filmmaker John Landis) and director Josh Trank for creating a smart and engaging supernatural thriller.
As with many films about otherworldy happenings we need good characters to connect with. These come in the forms of Matt, Steve and Andrew; three high-schoolers in their senior year. All three of them fit within the familiar stereotypes so often found in flicks about the teenage years. Steve's the popular jock character, Andrew's the socially awkward nerd and Matt's the Regular Joe everyone can identify with. Don't let this put you off, though. The three leads are sufficiently fleshed-out to make you care.
'Chronicle' starts out feeling like a docudrama about Andrew's troubled life. Through his old camera we meet his father, an abusive drunk, his deathly ill mother, his nephew Matt and the people who bully him at school. Later on he's asked by Steve to take his camera to record 'a strange thing in the woods'. They find a glowing orb which has burrowed it's way deep into the ground. After touching the thing they possess telekinetic powers; meaning they can move stuff around without using physical contact.
From here on out the film provides a plausible account of how a couple of teenagers would use these powers. At first they screw around, playing pranks on people. But as their powers grow so do their exploits. Predictably, someone ends up getting hurt. Andrew, the tortured youngster, grabs the opportunity to change his life for the better. But when life throws him yet another curveball by revealing the fleeting nature of social acceptance he's driven over the edge.
What follows is a brilliantly executed tragedy. Trank and Landis suck us in with a well-told story about human nature. One that we've seen countless times before but when well done can still be powerful. Much of its succes is rooted in the chemistry between the three young actors. Michael B. Jordan and Alex Russell give sympathetic performances as Steve and Matt. But Dane DeHaan, in particular, shines as the disturbed Andrew. In some scenes he reminded me of a young Leonardo DiCaprio. All in all, 'Chronicle' is a succes that should resonate with today's young audiences.
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