Directed by: Josh Trank
Written by: Max Landis
Starring: Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, and Michael B. Jordan
Boy, did this flick come out of nowhere (at least to me, the average movie-goer). Three high-schoolers find a mysterious object in a field and discover it gave them superpowers. Sounds simple right?
Incredibly, it’s superhero film that’s been released in the past two years comes off quite complex of a piece. Chronicle is really, I think, a result of Max Landis’ being able to produce the scripts he wants produced. And maybe that’s because his dad is John Landis (the famous one), or maybe it’s because studios really want to produce his shit, but the point is, I’m glad this got out there.
I was hyped up at the beginning solely because of a small viral campaign to get awareness about this movie—apart from the whole “oh, not another one” reaction, there was a decent enough reason to get hyped. It didn’t seem to be dictated by big budget studio overheads and it seemed like a different take on something that’s been repeatedly done in recent cinematic history.
The problem with superhero flicks is that they’ve become so concentrated in numbers and so relentless in releases that audiences, globally, are becoming tired of them. Sure you have some gems like X-Men: First Class and to an extent Captain America: First Avenger, but Marvel’s been pushing their ‘cinema-verse’ initiative with probably billions of marketing and advertising dollars, and there’s a fear in my head that it’s gonna get stale before it even gets tasty.
So what adds flavour to a threatened genre? Interesting movies. And I’m also glad this isn’t affiliated with a set publisher or property, because that automatically turns people off, especially when someone utters the word ‘DC’ and it doesn’t involve anything dark, knight-like or with bats. It’s an original concept—and my God, that is so rare these days.
Okay, well not completely original, this is a strikingly similar film to the Japanese animated Akira from 1988—which was and still is an amazing science fiction film, anime or otherwise. Max Landis, I’m guessing, loves that movie, and probably Josh Trank too. These guys look young, so I’m gonna say that they’re not tainted by the life-sucking powers of Hollywood industry yet. So be lucky for that.
But enough with presumptions, apart from uniqueness or difference, this film offers a lot more in terms of cinematic quality.
I found it to be two big things that really drove the core of this movie: the aesthetic, and the characters. I’m pretty sure that without one or the other working together so closely, this film would have fallen short on its intentions and not been as good as it was.
Andrew, Matt, and Steve are the central characters, and their the ones who get the superpowers, and they’re the ones that form the close friendship because of it. There’s a deliberate pacing to how they grow to know each other and discover the extent of their abilities, and with that comes the second element of the naturalistic cinematography and the ‘found-footage’ style that this movie pushes. And pushes it well.
That pacing plays off the distinct look of the movie—it’s unconventional because this movie wants to set itself up as an unrecognizable plot progression; in other words, something not constructed. This heavy investment in crafting a naturalistic look was key in making an enjoyable experience.
The way I see it, to pull off ‘found-footage’ successfully, it either has to imitate reality as closely as possibly (like with The Blair Witch Project) did, or tie it very closely to the actual narrative. Chronicle did the latter, it did it very cleverly.
This is an interesting movie because firstly, it’s different, and secondly—at least for me—we’re completely in the dark regarding what it’s really about during the opening credits. That helps it a lot. We’re thrown into the life of Andrew, the real core of the movie, as a deeply troubled teen and is literally seeing the world through his lens.
I love the constant thematic value of cameras and video taping that Chronicle presents—again, engraining the aesthetic into a deeper meaning helps audiences get past the gimmick of ‘found-footage’ and present it with purpose.
So back to character—these three guys have obvious chemistry. From interviews about the film, they said they were to live together for three weeks prior to filming to know each other inside and out. Jordan boasts with charisma, Russell puts forth a 
layered, nuanced performance where his character is visibly struggling and teetering between emotional states, and DeHaan plays the obvious troubled teen, and does it convincingly.
It’s actually pretty terrifying when things go that certain way. More than anything, this movie gets down to the core question that we all have when we’re talking about superpowers: What would you do with them?
Chronicle plays with that question with some progressive answers—it shows that it’s not what you would do with your powers, it’s how you would use them. What makes a villain and a hero? How does one deal with power? Where does responsibility lie when you’re in such deep shit as these three guys end up?
Who’s fault is it when someone snaps?
Those were the questions running through my mind during the movie, and after the movie especially. That’s when you know it made you think, and you can tell its a good movie from that.
It’s an honest, unpretentious presentation of a genre that’s been raped by big budgets and extreme corporate measures. It’s a step back to say “Wait a minute, there’s another way to go about this” and I’m glad Max Landis and Josh Trank hooked up for this idea and made it mostly independent. It wouldn’t have had the depth it does without it.
A thinking man’s superhero flick, who would have thought?
Look for it in your local show listings—if you’re a fan of sci-fi, superheroes, or something that’s not like what’s usually out there in cinemas today, this is your money’s worth.
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