Pitchforks: 2.5/5
Starring: Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan
“Chronicle” begins playfully, but quickly hops from fun and entertaining to overly dramatic and depressing. After a remarkable series of events, three teenage boys acquire superpowers that allow them to perform telekinesis.
Andrew, Matt and Steve are high school seniors who belong to different cliques. Andrew, a typical outcast, purchases a video camera and decides to record his everyday life. His cousin Matt, and Steve, the cliché popular student and class president nominee, come across a mysterious landmark and decide to venture into a hole in the middle of the forest. Here they have an encounter that alters their abilities and gives them telekinetic power.
Debating whether they should showcase their superhuman talents, the three boys are unsure of what to use their powers for. At first they use their newfound powers for laughs at other people’s expense, but they decide to never abuse their telekinesis.
Andrew’s social status and self-esteem improves with the sudden changes, but his life at home with a bedridden mother and abusive father only gets worse.
The plot takes an overly dramatic twist when the high schoolers exercise their powers. They realize their telekinetic abilities are like muscles of the body. The more they use them for heavier objects, the stronger they become. The ultimate question becomes whether or not the boys can control themselves emotionally before they cause physical harm to others.
The main characters are realistic in the sense that any high school student who gains telekinesis would act similarly. Minor pranks are pulled, and strangers are at the receiving end of their jokes, but “Chronicle” is very graphic and perhaps visually upsetting for some.
One particular plus of “Chronicle” is the perspective in which it is filmed. Aerial shots, shaky camera handling and other amateur views and angles add a unique and an interesting touch to the overall outlook of the film.
“Chronicle” definitely has its high and low aspects. The concept of the movie is intriguing, but the plot is disorganized. The visual effects are without a doubt extremely impressive, but the storyline fails to explain certain scientific and social aspects.
Without a tight plot to solidify the positive characteristics of the film, “Chronicle” cannot be considered an exceptionally well-made movie.
Reach the reporter at kmstark1@asu.edu
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