Film Review - Chronicle

Last night (25th January) I had the enviable pleasure of being amongst the first in the world to see Chronicle, at least the guy who introduced it said we would be among the first and I have no reason to not believe him.  He looked trustworthy. In the plush surroundings of the screening room at Framestore, Wells Street, myself and “the guy who sleeps on my couch a lot” Mike got a preview of what was one of my more anticipated films of the year.

The film kicks off with Andrew (Dane DeHaan) explaining to his alcoholic father that he has bought a camera and is going to film everything from now on, which neatly explains the “found footage” style that the whole thing is shot in. I won’t dwell too much on the plot, but essentially Andrew and his two pals Matt (Alex Russell) and Steven (Michael B. Jordan) are mysteriously imbued with super-powers and the movie explores how they develop those powers against the back drop of Andrews home life, in which he has to deal with a dying mother and an abusive father.

 As I said earlier, I had high hopes for this film and I have to say that those hopes were almost completely fulfilled, the film manages to switch from playful and funny to exceptionally dark and then back again, seamlessly. Scenes where the boys are trying their new found powers out in a car park are particularly amusing.  Director Josh Trank, who according to IMDB has previously worked on such TV series "The Kill Point" (never heard of it either), brought something of a unique spin on  the “found footage” style of film-making by using multiple sources, namely blogger and slight love interest Casey (Ashley Hinshaw), as well as CCTV footage. 

The acting from the three male leads was solid but never spectacular, but Andrew (Dane DeHaan) impressed in particular, as he deals with the trouble at home alongside flying through the sky with his buddies.  In a similar vain to Haywire, the acting is not what you come to see this film for, but it certainly in no way detracts from an enjoyable experience.

The main criticism I have is that the the major turning point in the plot is TOTALLY FUCKING REVEALED IN THE TRAILER, so if you have not seen the trailer and are excited for this film then absolutely avoid it. It’s not like there is a massive twist or anything, but I personally don’t like to know too much before going in and seeing a film. I guess it serves me right for watching the trailer in the first place but, whatever.

It was not until the credits rolled however that the real drama began, the gentleman from the beginning came in and told us that we would have to wait a while as we were going to be interviewed on camera about our thoughts on the film. Being naturally charming and at ease on camera, this didn’t both me, however Mike refused. I attempted to convince him that this would be fun but he wouldn’t have it. He was not alone in his anger at being forced to wait in the room while the interviews took place outside, with many people mumbling their frustrations, but Mike went so far as to actually leave via the back door to escape judging lenses of the camera crew. To celebrate Mike's camera shyness, here is a picture of him dressed as a "pirate hooker".  Enjoy.