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Chronicle

February 2nd 2012 04:09
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Despite following the now less than novel ground rules established by found footage predecessors like The Blair Witch Project (1999), Cloverfield (2008), the Paranormal Activity franchise and others, Josh Tranks Chronicle has a genuine freshness to it, though a paucity of compelling ideas to keep us thoroughly transfixed.


Thoughtfully condensed to a compact 80 minutes by an omniscient editor, the films sole perspective is that of lonely teenage outsider Andrew (Dane DeHaan). How fortunate then to be armed with a new video camera he's using to obsessively record daily events when hes seized from a party by cousin Matt (Alex Russell) and his friend Steve (Michael B. Jordan) to document a strange occurrence in the nearby woods. A hole in the ground is dutifully followed to an apparent alien life force which, when they draw curiously closer, afflicts the trio with telekinetic powers. Initially they use these new abilities for light-hearted, mostly, juvenile pranks, before their awkward dynamic is disturbed by resentments which threaten to combust.

Though the performances are solid, the characterisations in Chronicle (2012) are predictably thin: the nerdy loner, the jock and the All-American good guy have all outlived their welcome. A wait for interesting subversions of these stereotypes will be a long one. Screenwriter Max Landis (son of John) attempts to weave a domestic violence subplot into the mix - mainly as a pretext for Andrews perpetual usage of the video camera - but it feels contrived from the get-go.


Dont bother contesting the illogic of how the trios activity remains invisible or unreported to all for so long. The film thrives on scant notions of exploring freedom and luxury of a supernaturally enhanced imagination. In that regard it widens the boundaries of experience allowing the young men to jet skywards and frolic amongst the clouds as their powers increase. But the responsibility that comes with these powers is eventually abused, to nobodys great surprise. Did anyone not foresee an overblown variation of Revenge of the Nerds (1984) on the cards? Another obvious parallel is Andrew Flemings underrated The Craft (1996) in which a coven of teen witches try to cope with the erratic predilections of its fiercest personality once her expanding influence goes to her head.

For many the destructive fifteen minute finale and showdown will be more than adequate compensation for the films obvious flaws. The effects are a little wonky but to be fair, it makes for a highly entertaining spectacle. Theres a genuine awe intermingled with the orgiastic kinetic flaying of Andrews revenge. Chronicle didnt necessarily need saving but this impressive set-piece will be a sequence long remembered.









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3 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Mountain Fog

February 3rd 2012 09:45
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Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
Dave,

didn't read your review, as have not seen it yet. By the way, who is the distributor?

cheers

fog

Comment by Nonymous

February 3rd 2012 21:06
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Philosophy Blog
Footage looks very different to Blair Witch, Paranormal Activity, et al. Could be 35mm, based on depth of field and dynamic range! Also doesn't look handheld -- tripod, crane or steadicam, surely.

Does this detract from it?

The bits of the ending sequence shown in the trailer look spectacular.

Script, dialogue, acting, etc look crap.

Comment by David O'Connell

February 4th 2012 06:07
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Screen Fanatic
This is a Fox studios film fog.

Yeah Nonymous, the acting is solid but the dialogue is generally pretty bad or downright lame at times. But the spectacular last 15 minutes definitely cancels a lot of that out. The camera is very steady which is attributable to a neat device which sees Andrew often controlling it via very smooth telekinetic control!

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