Chronicle


Michael B. Jordan and Dane DeHaan in "Chronicle"

The other day I finally caught the latest foray into the first-person shot genre, Chronicle.  The film stars Dane DeHaan (TV’s In Treatment), Alex Russell, and Michael B. Jordan (TV’s Friday Night Lights, TV’s The Wire).  It was directed by debut film director Josh Trank.

The film follows Andrew (DeHaan) who begins to film the everyday events of his life.  One night at a barn party his cousin Matt (Russell) and the popular Steve (Jordan) find a hole in an open field which they enter after hearing sounds coming from it.  They find an odd crystal structure below and they all begin freaking out once Steve’s nose begins bleeding after touching the structure.  The scene cuts to a later day where we discover the group has superpowers.  As the film goes on they begin exploring their new talents making them stronger but also realizing how their new powers can have a negative use.

Chronicle is fantastic.  I have begun not watching as many trailers and TV spots as I used to say a couple years ago, so I did not have much of an idea about this film outside of the fact that it was first-person and the teens gained superpowers.  The film though flows very well and makes itself its own original film outside of all the superpower films there are today.  It does not spend too much time going over how they got their powers and then going on to add predictable tragedy as the film goes on.  It just lets loose and has fun with it all.  One of my favorite scenes in particular is the scene where the group use their powers for the first time in public.  It is very carefree but at the same time a very enjoyable way to approach the story.  The turning point in the film is done quite well and I’m glad that it did not end up being another person with similar abilities going against the main trio.  The short runtime also helps the film from avoiding dragging or dull moments.

The film only cost $12 million to make and just like another first-person shot film, Cloverfield which cost $25 million, the effects are a good bit better than it’s more expensive predecessors.  Scenes with the group learning to fly, especially, I thought were very realistic and looked better than some other films that try to add in flying effects.  The film is filled with a lot of shock moments and sometimes having effects that go in a quick snap end up failing or looking bad.  Not with Chronicle however and these shock moments worked well.  I also appreciated how the film did not rely on just Andrew’s first person approach the whole time.  There are also security cameras and filming from other witnesses that still use the first-person point of view that make the whole experience more effective.

The actors, for pretty much being no names in the film field, are fantastic here.  Out of all the actors, Jordan shines the most.  The fact that he does so well and is such an enjoyable actor throughout makes me hate what eventual turn is taken with his character.  Even though I may not have enjoyed it, it was needed for the film.  DeHaan handles the varying emotions quite well and even though Russell is the least used of the three characters, he still has shining moments.

The film’s ending is fairly effective and opens it up for a potential sequel which may very well happen given the large percentage of profit the film is getting (currently around $41.5 million or close to 3.5X its budget).  I believe if a sequel were to occur, it would take us more into the origins of how the guys got their powers and if there are others with similar powers.  It would also be nice if they kept to the first-person perspective of it all.

Chronicle is definitely something that should be checked out.  It gives hope to how you can still make a fantastic film even if you have lesser-known actors, a smaller budget, and take a risk.  I can very well see this film being a Top 10 film when the end of 2012 comes around.  It is just that much fun and one of the best surprises I have come about in a while.

Chronicle

Director: Josh Trank

Starring: Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan

Rating: PG-13 for intense action and violence, thematic material, some language, sexual content and teen drinking

Runtime: 84 minutes

Current U.S. Box Office: $53,303,036

****

(ratings on a 4-star scale)

Category : Reviews
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