4/5
Chronicle is one of those films that I have been waiting to see since the trailer rolled around late last year. It seemed like something new and looked like a fun film. It also is a "found footage" film which is one of my favorite genres which made me even more excited.
Chronicle really impressed me. It is fun, has some really good characters and feels like an old 70's or 80's film and is something you never see now a days.
The film is about a group of teenagers who all got superpowers after going underground through a tunnel and finding a big ball of something filled with color and ice. I really do think this is one of the most interesting ideas I have seen in a film in a while. I think it really works well.
The one thing I was worried about was how the found footage was going to work here. Found footage only works for certain types of films. Here I don't think it had to be found footage for it to work but overall I thinks it works pretty well. The camera used for the found footage here is ridiculously big and no way would it be allowed at a high school like they it but that is just a minor flaw. By adding found footage, it makes the film feel more realistic and more real.
Another thing I was skeptical about was the superpowers of the teenagers and how that would work. From the trailers, not much is shown but in the end I was quite impressed how it was used. It is quite fun, original and actually can be pretty funny in some places. One of the main reasons why it works is because the teenagers in the film they are portrayed as kind of superheroes and at the same time they are not. They are typical teenagers who just have these powers and I really like the idea that they are superheroes even though they are just regular high school kids doing regular kid things. Another way it works is because the powers are quite original and something different.
The last reason why this film works is the actors and the characters. As a teenager and knowing of course a lot of things about them, I think the film really captures teenagers really well. The characters feel very realistic and it is very well acted. The characters really do feel as outcast and popular as they are portrayed.
The ending is also very effective. It keeps your head spinning and I think it sets itself up for an interesting sequel.
I can see how some could criticize some of the bad and cheesy special effects. There are also some unrealistic parts but that is just a minor criticism. In the end, Chronicle is a fun sc-fi film that is original and feels kind of vintage in a way. It is definitely a film you should see just to see something different and it is no doubt going to be visited by me in the near future.
