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Chronicle (2012)

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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.

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(screenplay), (story) | 1 more credit »
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1,337 ( 98)
2 wins & 6 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Bo Petersen ...
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Rudi Malcolm ...
Luke Tyler ...
Crystal-Donna Roberts ...
Samantha (as Crystal Donna Roberts)
Adrian Collins ...
Costly
...
Howard
...
Austin
Nicole Bailey ...
Cala
Lynita Crofford ...
Casey's Mom
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Storyline

The shy, lonely and outcast teenager Andrew Detmer is bullied and has no friends at high-school and lives with his abusive and alcoholic father Richard Detmer and his terminally ill mother Karen. Andrew buys a camera to film his everyday life. His cousin Matt Garetty drives him to school and invites Andrew to go to a party at night. telekinetic abilities and Andrew becomes the most powerful. But he easily loses his temper and becomes dangerous while Matt tries to control him. When his mother needs a medicine and Andrew does not have enough money to buy it, his darker side overcomes and he becomes a menace. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Not all heroes are super. See more »

Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense action and violence, thematic material, some language, sexual content and teen drinking | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

3 February 2012 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Chronicle - Wozu bist du fähig?  »

Filming Locations:

 »

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

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

(director's cut)

Sound Mix:

| |

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally was meant to be a hard R or NC-17 rated film, but it was feared that it would lose audience. See more »

Goofs

The police cars shown do not accurately represent real Seattle Police Department vehicles. See more »

Quotes

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

Crazy Credits

During the second half of the closing credits, sound effects can be heard in the background. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Man of Steel (2013) See more »

Soundtracks

Prelude Op.28 No.7
Written by Frédéric Chopin
Courtesy of FirstCom Music
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Despite it's short length, I really enjoyed Chronicle.
12 February 2012 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

Throughout the years, audiences have been treated to origin stories such as those based on superheroes. With the recent success of the Batman, X-Men, Spider-Man films; and also worth mentioning "Thor" "X-Men:First Class", and "Captain America", it's not hard to see why they click with audiences. With "Chronicle", the superhero origin story is given a fresh new spin.

Directed by Joe Trank, "Chronicle" tells the story of three friends who gain superpowers from a mysterious tunnel discovered in a remote part of a suburban town. Strangely, these teens don't seem frightened or confused about their new found power. Think about how frightened and confused Bruce Banner was when he first transformed into the Hulk. But whereas Hulk was bombarded with gamma rays, "Chronicle" takes a swipe at a fairly plausible Dues Ex Machina plot device that has yet to be explained in possible future installments.

It's true that some may find fault with it's vignette-style story telling in the vein of "Cloverfield". But unlike "Cloverfield" which was a good film in it's own right but had a little too much "shaky-cam" effect, the technique is surprisingly easy to follow. That along with the well-written script and performances, made "Chronicle" all the more enjoyable and engrossing. Maybe in the future, film-makers should take notice from this film in order to make a superb product. Not only that, they even managed to achieve believable special effects on a low budget along with the script. That's really impressive that they achieved to reach fans of superhero comics and films as well as the general audience; very unique.

But I really wished it was longer. With such an intriguing premise even more better than Hayden Christensen's stinker of a superhero origin story "Jumper". "Jumper" was such a disappointment. It wasn't even fully developed on it's potential and sadly was utterly wasted. Thankfully, "Chronicle" delivers on everything that film didn't and more. The climax(which I will not spoil) is one of sheer awesomeness. Emotionally charged with a nice dash of good vs evil, done in an unconventional way. The length of the film bummed me out, but from the looks of things, I can see this film grow into something really special.


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