2012
04FEB
Chronicle
I'm not a found-footage aficionado (not counting documentaries or something like Jackass, my last one was the first half of District 9), so when I saw the first ads for Chronicle, I was actually pretty excited to see it. Now that I have seen it, I can safely say that they took the premise and ran with it... but they didn't do much else.
It's unfortunate that they didn't do anything really groundbreaking or even interesting aside from the obvious. Troubled teenagers get telekinetic powers, which goes about as well as you'd expect. Maybe it's supposed to be an allegory for growing up and suddenly gaining new "power" when you turn 18. Maybe it's a warning about cocaine addiction. Maybe it's a reminder that teenagers are literally dangerous animals. Whatever the message (if any), it's predictable from start to end, which is a shame.
This is the rare movie where I liked the middle part the best. The beginning is by-the-numbers "it sure is hard being a middle class white teenager" stuff, and the ending sequence is basically something you have to swallow a truckload of suspension of disbelief in order to enjoy. The more upbeat parts are a lot of fun, though, and are well-acted - I was surprised by the yells and chatter from the main three, and how natural they sounded. It's a shame the CG is unbelievably bad at times, though. Some of it looks okay, but in many of the more complicated segments, there is a distinct "choppiness" to the framerate that pulled me out of the experience more than once. It was a nice idea to have 95% of the film shot from in-universe cameras - digital camcorders, surveillance cameras, police helicopters - and it's very effective in a few key moments, although a few others fell flat because of the quickness of events or the camera "cutting out" and then cutting in to the aftermath.
Rating: I wouldn't say it's a waste of a premise, but it's played so painfully straight that it's hard to recommend. As fantasy/wish-fulfillment, it's surprisingly grounded and mature, though.
It's unfortunate that they didn't do anything really groundbreaking or even interesting aside from the obvious. Troubled teenagers get telekinetic powers, which goes about as well as you'd expect. Maybe it's supposed to be an allegory for growing up and suddenly gaining new "power" when you turn 18. Maybe it's a warning about cocaine addiction. Maybe it's a reminder that teenagers are literally dangerous animals. Whatever the message (if any), it's predictable from start to end, which is a shame.
This is the rare movie where I liked the middle part the best. The beginning is by-the-numbers "it sure is hard being a middle class white teenager" stuff, and the ending sequence is basically something you have to swallow a truckload of suspension of disbelief in order to enjoy. The more upbeat parts are a lot of fun, though, and are well-acted - I was surprised by the yells and chatter from the main three, and how natural they sounded. It's a shame the CG is unbelievably bad at times, though. Some of it looks okay, but in many of the more complicated segments, there is a distinct "choppiness" to the framerate that pulled me out of the experience more than once. It was a nice idea to have 95% of the film shot from in-universe cameras - digital camcorders, surveillance cameras, police helicopters - and it's very effective in a few key moments, although a few others fell flat because of the quickness of events or the camera "cutting out" and then cutting in to the aftermath.
Rating: I wouldn't say it's a waste of a premise, but it's played so painfully straight that it's hard to recommend. As fantasy/wish-fulfillment, it's surprisingly grounded and mature, though.