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в Chronicleв Review: A Superpowered Teenage Riot

2012-02-03 21:00
Chronicle is not a superhero movie. It is a film about three young guys who, after exposure to a mysterious energy source, develop strong telekinetic powers. More to the point, Chronicle is about how having that empowerment in common forges a strong friendship between them, and the ways they deal with the unexpected power surge. In the sort of telling which has become so familiar thanks to comic books and the TV shows and movies that follow them, those kids should quickly learn that their powers come with an obligation to help society. Then they foil some small-time crime and forge identities through which they can become virtuous examples of humanity, evolved. Thatв s not how Chronicle works. Iв m not sure these characters would know how to help humanity if they wanted to. There is nothing truly в realisticв in this film, but there is something intimately recognizable in the ways in which these guys deal with their new powers. Theyв re kids. They play around with pranks and fun. They realize they can fly, and talk about destination vacations for the telekinetically-enhanced. Then 8212; and this is what makes Chronicle stand out, and what really makes it worth seeing 8212; their powers become lenses that magnify their true natures, to destructive and tragic effect. Andrew (Dane DeHaan) is the quiet one. His terminally ill mother and domineering, abusive father haven 8217;t imparted many social skills, and he lives a life at the fringe of his high school society. The film opens with Andrewв s first use of a video camera, which he has seemingly purchased to record his fatherв s abusive tendencies. в Chronicle,в as it turns out, is a very literal title, as the entire film is в shotв by one of the characters, and primarily by Andrewв s camera. More on that in a moment. Matt (Alex Russell) is Andrew 8217;s slightly older cousin. Heв s concerned for the younger guy, and feels some obligation to mentor him. Steve (Michael B. Jordan) is the exact opposite of Andrew: charismatic and athletic, a young star in the making. Steve and Matt stumble across a hole in the ground from which a strange sound periodically emits; they recruit Andrew to film their discovery, and find themselves changed. Accepting that these three guys come together and go into the hole at all requires a certain flexible disbelief, but once their powers begin to manifest Chronicle serves up a minor symphony of super-powered antics. The unlikely trio is connected by an instant bond; they 8217;re no longer quite like anyone else. Call that a metaphor for the first stages of adulthood, or for the strange friendships that are born from lifeв s more unexpected moments. Both work to some extent. As conceived by director Josh Trank and screenwriter Max Landis, the action starts out just this side of Jackass, but ends up only a bit shy of Akira. As massively amplified power goes into play, the underpinning of the story is an unvarnished understanding of how boys work, and what a few normal ki...
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