" There's nothing stopping us "

Chronicle

Three young friends stumble across a suspicious hole in the ground and subsequently venture down the tunnel until they find a meteorite like substance. After their discovery they acquire new 'powers' such as telekinesis which they use as a source of amusement. As the trio experiment with their new found abilities they start to test the limits of what they are capable of. The trio soon discover that their powers can result in dangerous consequences both for themselves and others around them.

This is a smart independent film from first time director Josh Trank that has gained an impressive degree of popularity. The idea of an ordinary person acquiring superpowers was first explored brilliantly in Kick-Ass and the concept is refreshing after the recent onslaught of blockbuster superhero movies. Chronicle takes a darker approach exploring the relationships within the trio as they come to grips with their new found found freedom and power.  As friendships are tested their abilities prove harder to control leading to tragic, irreversible actions.

The film may not have any well known stars but the three friends; Andrew (Dane DeHaan), Matt (Alex Russel) and Steve (Michale B. Jordan) are all played by promising young actors. More notably Alex Russel starred in the underrated film Wasted On the Young, a gripping film that explores family loyalties and revenge. Whilst Michale B. Jordan has appeared in two highly regarded TV shows; The Wire and Friday Night Lights as well as a string of recent movies. All three actors have excellent chemistry together and provide strong performances. Andrew is the focus for the film as he is the one who documents or 'chronicles' the events. Fortunately Trank takes time to develop the characters especially Andrew, the audience is made aware of Andrew's tragic home life and his social isolation at school, leading to a degree of sympathy and understanding for the decisions he makes. Trank cleverly depicts the changing perception Andrew has of himself and those around him as the movie progresses and the ongoing struggle he lives with not to give into temptation.

The camera is as much a character in the film as the three boys. Early on in the movie Trank committed to the found footage effect where the movie was told mainly through Andrew's camera and to his credit the effect was continued throughout the movie. Often movies start with a character telling the story with a personal camera but abandon the effect half way through due to the difficulty of scenes such as panning over a city to see the destruction left by an alien. The audience is simply meant to accept the change but in Chronicle Trank very cleverly allows the whole movie to be told through the 'perspective' of the camera through some simple yet effective explanations such as the use of security cameras. The camera acts as part of Andrew's personality, almost dictating the mood and tempo of the film, the end result is a very sharp and realistic  looking film, not shaky or unclear which is common when trying to achieve the hand-held effect.

Chronicle doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not. There are minimal explosions and chaos, instead Trank chooses to display realistic visual effects none better than the scenes where the boys experiment with flying. I didn't expect the effects to be so effective due to the low budget, but they have been cleverly included into the film and not overdone. Even the dramatic climax has been done with care and consideration with most of the dramatic effect coming from different camera perspectives and locations.

Chronicle is a simple idea, however every good idea needs to be executed well and that is Chronicle's greatest success, Trank has managed to create an authentic and exciting film that explores the intriguing relationship between three friends. The film touches on the familiar day dream that many people have if only I could... Whether its moving an object with your mind or simply flying above the clouds, Chronicle shows what happens when those day dreams become a reality.