Film Review: ‘Chronicle’

Due to my knee being a bit tender after it’s recent surgery, I scored the night off work this evening. So what do you do on a Friday night if you can’t go clubbing? Grab a housemate and go to the cinemas. The film of choice for this evening’s adventure was Chronicle. A few months back I saw the trailer and since then I have been dying to see the flick, and I can proudly say, I wasn’t disappointed.

 The film follows three teenagers after they gain superpowers. Set in the city Seattle, the film starts out with Andrew (Dane DeHaan), establishing the fact that he’s recording everything that is going on in his life with his video camera. Now this is before anything happens regarding superpowers. Leading up to the life changing event, the viewer sees some of the challenges he goes through in his life with bullying, as well as some pretty damn unfortunate living situations at home, including a mother dying of cancer and a violent father.

When he and two other guys (Michael B. Jordan and Alex Russell) venture down a hole and discover something they can’t quite understand, they soon learn that they are able to move things with their mind and as a result, and soon form an incredible bond between the three. As they continue to learn what their capable of, their superpowers get stronger. Now keep in mind, these guys are just teenagers, so as the old saying goes boys will be boys, even with superpowers. This comes with it’s fair share of humorous pranks at the local shopping mall. It isn’t too long before their powers get so strong that they’re able to fly and move large objects such as cars with their minds. With such great power comes great responsibility and these guys push it to the limit.

There is a dark side to having this kind of power and the film definitely explores that raising questions such as who makes the rules and who enforces them? I won’t deny the fact if I shared their powers I’d have my fair share of fun with them and that’s what this film shows. The film also brings up an interesting thought. If you push someone hard enough, you can never be quite sure what their capable of, and in this idea you can’t help but find yourself wondering to what lengths would you go.

Soon their actions are faced with devastating consequences and I don’t want to ruin it for you. But the film is a pretty realistic interpretation what might happen if a few teenage friend’s obtained powers beyond their wildest dreams. Walking home with my housemate we found ourselves discussing the very possibilities of what could happen if we found ourselves in their situations, and I’m sure we aren’t the only ones who after watching the film would be thinking the same thing.

In my opinion this is probably the best found footage film since The Blair Witch Project, while taking it a whole step further into Sci-Fi superhero genre. The themes are universal and I honestly believe there is not one person who could relate with the three main characters in some way or another. There’s not many great films on at the cinemas at the moment, but this however is a must see film that I’m sure most people will enjoy. So get of your butts and go see it!!!

Check out a trailer for the film below.

If you had superpowers what would you be capable of?