Film ditches horror for superhero storyline, inexperienced actors
Ever since “The Blair Witch Project,” the found-footage gimmick has been an increasingly popular style among the horror genre. We’ve seen it more recently in films like “Cloverfield” (2008) and “Paranormal Activity” (2007), but they all featured the same problem: rickety cameras that make it hard to see what is actually happening.
I was almost ready to give up on this gimmick after seeing “The Devil Inside,” but then along comes “Chronicle,” a movie that has actually brought hope to the idea of found-footage films.
“Chronicle” takes a different approach to found-footage, opting out of the horror aspect it is commonly associated with. It is a superhero film starring young actors — with no major motion picture credentials backing up their names, but very compelling performances.
As a superhero movie, “Chronicle” treats the origin story differently. There are no rich kids with high-tech gadgets (Batman), no aliens from outer space (Superman), no one with a special gene inside them (X-Men) and there’s no Uncle Ben (do I really need to say it?). These are just regular teenagers that are going through regular teenage troubles in a regular high school.
One of those teenagers, and the camera-operator in this movie, is nerdy, virginal and introverted Seattle teenager Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan). His life is far from happy thanks to his drunken, abusive father and his terminally ill mother, as well as bullies who torture him in school.
After finding an old camera, he decides to document all of the dismal aspects of his life, creating a barrier between himself and reality.
Andrew’s only friend appears to be his cool, smart cousin Matt (Alex Russell), who constantly references famous philosophers. Later on, he also befriends the most popular guy in school, Steve (Michael B. Jordan), the type of guy who excels at everything and is running for class president. Together, the three of them investigate a sinkhole that has been emitting a strange sound.
Inside the hole, they discover a strange, glowing crystalline object that exposes them to superpowers. After having their share of fun with these powers, the consequences eventually catch up with them and they decide to set some ground rules for their powers: never expose them in public and don’t use them with evil intent.
No spoilers here because this movie is worth sitting through — the entire 84 minutes — as we see these teenagers adjust to their powers. The story eventually gets darker as the movie continues to answer the question, “What would you do if you had superpowers?”
One major aspect that separates “Chronicle” from other found-footage films is how the film manages to provide explanations toward how the footage was taken. Most of the movie is shown through Andrew’s camera in more ways than one, most notably when he floats the camera around himself in multiple scenes. We also see the story through a lens belonging to pretty teenage blogger Casey (Ashley Hinshaw), the girl that Matt is swooning after.
There are also bits of surveillance footage that distract us from the narrative and take us out of the picture, but at least we know where the footage is coming from.
The effects for “Chronicle” are completely realistic. In the movie, the trio gains superpowers that include super durability, telekinetic abilities and, most noteworthy effect-wise, flight. The flight effects are extraordinary, using invisible wires to levitate the actors instead of relying on the animation effects from “Spiderman” (2002).
The cast is filled with many unfamiliar names, but that is actually a good thing. Because these young actors don’t carry big names in cinema, it adds to the pseudo-reality of the film as these three characters actually feel like teenagers that the audience can connect with, especially when we see them have a little fun with their powers.
“Chronicle” is the type of movie that shows a gimmick, if used correctly, can be more than a gimmick. With great effects, smart writing and compelling performances from a few newcomers, “Chronicle” may be considered the savior of found-footage films.