Chronicle is a movie that fits into the "found footage" genre which includes other movies like Paranormal Activity, Cloverfield, and The Blair Witch Project. The entire film is seen through the eyes of a teenager and his video camera. This movie is about three teenagers who find a mysterious underground object that appears to be a meteor or some kind of extra terrestrial object. After coming into contact with it, they soon develop powers of telekinesis that get stronger with time.
They go from being able to levitate legos and small items to be able to raise their own bodies and eventually fly. As their powers increase, so does the pressure put on the lead character, who happens to be an unhappy introvert. A series of embarrassments, bullying, abuse, and stress push him over the edge and his dark side comes out as he uses his power for revenge and goes out of control.
I liked this movie for a couple reasons. First it was nice to see relatively unknown actors and made it feel more like actual video footage than it would have been if it starred Daniel Radcliffe. I did think some of the excuses to be recording all the time and certain camera angles were pushing it, but I don't have any ideas on how that could have been done better.
Chronicle taught me some other lessons. First of all, if I am ever given this power, I will not waste it on a school assembly talent show. Second, it is better to be a philosophical dude who has studied the great minds and thinkers of civilization, than an unadapted cypher when you inherit superpowers.
This movie has some cool special effects despite having a very low budget feel to it. It also has a depressing feel to the movie, but I liked the twist it had for the overused superhero movies that have been so popular. I give it 7.7 stars.
