Chronicle (2012)

Whilst attending a party, three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery underground. Soon, though, they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides.

Director:

Josh Trank

Writers:

Max Landis (screenplay), Max Landis (story),

Stars:

Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dane DeHaan	...	Andrew Detmer
Alex Russell	...	Matt Garetty
Michael B. Jordan	...	Steve Montgomery
Michael Kelly	...	Richard Detmer
Ashley Hinshaw	...	Casey Letter
Bo Petersen	...	Karen Detmer
Anna Wood	...	Monica
Rudi Malcolm	...	Wayne
Luke Tyler	...	Sean
Crystal-Donna Roberts	...	Samantha (as Crystal Donna Roberts)
Adrian Collins	...	Costly
Grant Powell	...	Howard
Armand Aucamp	...	Austin
Nicole Bailey	...	Cala
Lynita Crofford	...	Casey's Mom

Storyline

Andrew is a troubled but creative teen with a keen visual eye and a high-quality HD camera. He is introverted and socially awkward. Along with his friends, Matt and Steve, they make a discovery that leads them all to acquire powerful telekinetic abilities. They're now capable of, well, almost anything. But things take a dark turn.

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Plot Keywords:

high school | discovery | high school student | party | bullying | 

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Taglines:

Boys will be boys

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense action and violence, thematic material, some language, sexual content and teen drinking

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [mx]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 February 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Poder sin límites

Filming Locations:

Artscape Theater, D F Malan Street, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$22,004,098 (USA) (3 February 2012)

Gross:

$64,572,496 (USA) (1 June 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Davis Entertainment, Dune Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min 89 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film has no original score, only using sources such as radio and iPods to generate music.

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Goofs

Fifth Avenue, which travels southbound from the Space Needle, has the monorail above it, at the time, Seattle's only elevated train, which is not shown as Matt and his girlfriend are inside the car being manipulated by Andrew.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Andrew Detmer: [as Richard tries to enter his room] What do you want?
Richard Detmer: Why is this door locked, Andrew?

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits.

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Connections

References Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

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Soundtracks

"Flash Back"
Written by Yasutaka Nakata
Performed by capsule
Courtesy of Yamaha Music Publishing, Inc.
By arrangement with Fine Gold Music

User Reviews

A shot in the arm for superhero origins

Ever since the breakout success of 1999's The Blair Witch Project, the found footage film has become a subgenre in its own right. In a similar vein to Blair Witch, the Paranormal Activity series has found great financial success with their comparatively meagre budgets, and Cloverfield in 2008 proved that, even on a larger scale, the handycam aesthetic can deliver effective thrills when employed by filmmakers who have a solid understanding of the style. Josh Trank's Chronicle represents an evolution of the found footage genre, taking the character as cameraman conceit to interesting new places, and marking the director as a young talent worth monitoring.

Chronicle differs from predecessors like Cloverfield in the sense that this handycam footage isn't presented as 'found' per se, but rather is a stylistic and narrative choice which puts a refreshingly original spin on a well overdone story: the superhero origin. After encountering a strange, glowing object in a deep underground cave, high schoolers Andrew (Dane DeHaan), Matt (Alex Russell) and Steve (Michael B. Jordan) discover they have telekinetic powers which allow them to move objects with their mind. Matt considers the powers to be like a muscle, which can be strengthened through training, and after beginning small eventually the trio build superhuman strength and, to their delight, the ability to fly. The special effects betray a small budget at times, but the initial flying sequences are breathlessly entertaining, and the pure joy of the characters makes them more effective than most mega-budget blockbusters. These are meant to be regular kids, and although the story loses focus as the scale grows towards the climax, the early scenes are surprisingly genuine and affecting. But make no mistake, this is an origin story (one which doesn't necessarily beg for a sequel however), and Trank and his co-writer Max Landis (son of John Landis) use the visceral, in-your-face nature of the found footage to breathe life into a genre which has come dangerously close to wearing out its welcome in the past decade.

As is the case with almost all science-fiction, a lot more can be read into Chronicle than what is happening on the surface. Aside from the excitement of fighting and flying about, there is a very real human story at work, with a lot of teenage life's triumphs and tragedies. Trank and Landis clearly poured their own experiences into the film, with the three leads seeming like people from everyone's high school years. Added to this is a nice element of self-reflexivity as Andrew, an unpopular misfit, uses his camera to define himself, and how he sees the world. The old adage about writing what you know seems to ring true in the case of Chronicle, and seeing Andrew learn to move his camera in more dynamic ways thanks to his new found powers is perhaps the tiniest hint of autobiography from Trank. The film is filled with subtle aspects such as this which will probably be missed by most, but thankfully simply taking Chronicle at face value is a rewarding experience, proving that the superhero origin story is not dead, it just needs a good shake up from time to time.

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