Chronicle

Overview

Imagine for a moment if Peter Parker hadn't been such a nice kid. Imagine if that shy orphan teenager, ignored by girls and bullied by guys, suddenly found himself possessed of spider-like abilities but instead of deciding to help mankind he chose to exact revenge upon all who'd spurned him. Put another way, what if Peter Parker had found his uncle's shotgun instead of the ability to cast a web and then some dumb jock had thrown one too many milkshakes into his face?

Chronicle, by first-time director Josh Trank, shows us how things might have turned out. It tells the story of three teenagers suddenly gifted telekinetic powers following their chance encounter with a mysterious subterranean glowing crystal (you know, a tale as old as time). The whole affair is conveniently captured on film thanks to the decision by Andrew (Dane DeHaan) to begin chronicling (wink) his entire life, thereby placing this film as the latest entry in the burgeoning 'found footage' genre (think Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity and Cloverfield).

While at first Chronicle may seem like just another superhero origins story, it quickly becomes something much more thanks to the angry and troubled loner twist. Abused by his drunken father and ignored or bullied by his classmates, the newfound superpower ironically offers Andrew normalcy until — as his cousin ominously portends — hubris ultimately takes hold and vengeance begins to trump acceptance. From that moment on there's an eerie Akira-meets-Columbine feel to the whole thing; an unsettling yet familiar study of what can happen when angry, troubled youths find themselves in possession of something devastating and lethal.