Screen_Blitz Normally when it comes to the found-footage genre, the first concept that comes to mind is a horror tale centered on characters fighting against paranormal entities or demon incarnates. Director Josh Trank offers something unprecedented in the category, a story that answers the question of what would do you have if you were a high school teenager with superpowers. It is a story, caught on documentary- style footage, following the bonding and friendship of three friends put to the test when they are acquired with an uncanny gift that goes beyond what their imaginations. And for those nervous about the found- footage genre's common filthy habits of contorting the action with eye-straining shaky cam, fear no more as Josh Trank makes a generous effort on reducing this gimmick to a minimum. But that's much of the surprise compared to the gripping narrative heft that writer Max Landis manages to pack in this 83 minutes science-fiction thriller. This film, set in Seattle, follows 17-year old Andrew Detmer (played by Dane DeHaan), a lonely young man struggling with an unpleasant home life perpetrated by his alcoholic father (played by Michael Kelly) who slaps him around like garbage and his mother who is bed-ridden and dying of cancer. If that is not enough, he is also forced to deal with bullies at school and has no one to turn to but his cousin Matt (played by Alex Russell). During a night of partying and dancing, he, Matt, and popular fellow student Steve (played by Michael B. Jordan) sneak into some deserted where they are plunged into a dark hole inhabited by a mysterious crystal. Before they know, they are granted with eerie telekinetic powers. The story then follows their adventures as they explore their powers which soon turns into the nightmare when Andrew develops a dark side and becomes using his powers for sinister purposes. Some may argue that this is a superhero origin story as it follows the journey of three teens gaining superpowers. However, it is hard to considered this for the superhero genre based on its approach. That is not to say this film doesn't inhabit a few components of a superhero flick. There is a supervillain, but the villain lies not among the characters but within the psychological nature of the lead character Andrew as he progressively transforms from an innocent kid to an emotionally disturbed youngster with anger and frustration consuming him from inside out. The emotional nature of the young man is established by scenes showcasing the harrowing relationship with his abusive father The film maturely handles this concept in a way that not only allows for some steady character development, but opens the door to an tightly gripping climax towards the end where Andrew struggles to come to terms of his slowly deteriorating innocence. This is greatly pulled off by a sufficient, if slightly jarring tonal shift from the first half following the lives of the three characters as they toy with their new powers in goofy activities like flying around the city and pulling silly pranks at a toy store, to the second half revolving around Andrew's emotional transformation. However, partial credit should go to Dane DeHaan who puts on a stellar performance, channeling the psychological disturbance and emotional fortitude of his character. And kudos to Josh Trank for effectively capturing the action, particularly the final sequence in downtown Seattle, without resorting too far into the common gimmicks of smearing the action with redundant shaky cam and frenetic editing.Chronicle is an exhilarating incarnation of the found-footage genre filled with fun, energy, and gripping spectacle. Of course, the film is no gamechanger for found-footage flicks, a category of films that have gained notoriety for their creative bankruptcy and the unfavorable cinematography that has hindered the experience of many movies in that crowd. Nonetheless, it is a nice little treat of both teens and adults. So step onboard!

Matt Melchert Every now and then, a movie comes along with unknown actors and a low budget, but then turns out to be far better than you'd ever believe. This is such a movie. The acting is first rate, the plot intriguing, and the characters develop well as the plot unfolds. There are even some mind-blowing special effects that are quite well done.It's about three teenagers who discover they have developed superpowers. The three have distinct personalities, and handle their new abilities in different ways. The story moves from teenage awkwardness to wonder, then spirals tragically out of control, with some spectacular CGI along the way.The acting by the three leads is very natural and convincing. Andrew's father on the other hand was truly monstrous; so bad some may find it strains credulity. Unfortunately though, there are real people like that out there; if you find the father's character unbelievable just thank your lucky stars.I'll give this movie 9/10 because it exceeded expectations so spectacularly. So...why is this movie not more well known?

Phoebe So many movies consist of a band of unlikely people who are brought together by something intense - it's also common nowadays for films to be about teenagers acquiring powers. However, Chronicle is a new twist on the cliché. The way of filming is already the first obvious twist as it is shot in "found footage" style. The added fact that the camera is supposedly moved by the boys mind is even more interesting. Not only did the cinematography bring a fresh take on such a common basic story, the actual plot in it's entirety really added a boost of something new. I can't say too much as I don't want to spoil the movie, but I would highly recommend this movie to somebody who's interested in "found footage" style of films and films that defy the clichés.

Dylan Gallagher I confess that I am a pretty big fan of found footage films, and if the screenplay is really good, the movie can be absolutely epic! I really wanted to love this movie because it had so much potential, but it didn't quite get there for me. The idea of a large underground, glowing, foreign object that has the ability to give people telekinesis while being within a certain vicinity of it is an interesting and intriguing concept, but the story-line was very 2 dimensional. It was heavily based on the lives and actions of 3 protagonist teenagers whom possessed telekinetic abilities after contact, and the film never veered back to this object underground. We learned absolutely nothing about this object whatsoever. We don't know if anybody else discovered this object or if it ended up in government possession; we just don't know. Toward the end of the movie it felt like just another revenge/betrayal film as one of the teenagers turned on everybody and ended up feeling all too cliché for my liking. The special effects weren't horrendous, but they weren't amazing. In saying that though, you can't expect pure greatness with only a 12 million dollar budget. I do praise the film for its ability to accumulate 126.6 million USD in the box office off of only 10 million USD. I think a reboot of this movie with an altered story-line and a higher budget could be phenomenal. Bring in depth and sense of intrigue with better characters, an extremely enjoyable cast and limited cliché moments and you have yourself a stupendous film. I personally feel that IMDb's rating of 7.1/10 is a little overrated for what, I feel, the film is as a whole, but I have a bad habit of looking too far into a movie; I always wait for and want the moments that truly blow me away so I'm okay with being picky. All in all, it is an OKAY movie that you should watch once just for the sake of it. Everybody's preference in movies varies, but it's good to hire for a one time watch (to me).Mediocre. Not for me. 5/10