In the midst of all the fanfare for comic book movies, with The Avengers raking in the big bucks and The Dark Knight Rises just slowly coming closer to reality, Chronicle for me was the surprise superhero movie of the year. A film that captured the struggle and essence of the classic hero complex, from learning to explore the beginnings of their power to the eventual battle to control the hold the power has on them. Chronicle was the origin story that comic book movies want to show, but sadly seem to miss the mark, either because their lore is established in another medium or it is truncated to suit a particular need or market. I would go as far as to say that Chronicle is one of the top movies of 2012.
I won’t bore you with the details of the story of the film, but it follows the typical origins or template for familiar origin stories. Kids find some unknown object, kids get powers, they do what kids do and then there is a split between doing good or bad with their powers. While the template of the story is fairly rudimentary, it is the exploration of the characters and tragedy that follows that makes Chronicle a compelling superhero movie. It really captures that wonder that we had when we were young and reading comic books and wanting to have super powers. What would we do with these powers once we got them? Can we control them? Would we do good or evil? It’s the sort of film that takes those ideas that all of us had at one point or another and centers the movie around that notion. The engaging, young characters become that avatar for us to experience and understand what this sort of unlimited power can do to us. It mixes scenes of the teens clowning around and doing what teens do with their powers by pranking people, but then shows the seriousness of the powers when it begins to corrupt. They don’t truly know the extent of the powers, so each new use and encounter only brings the story closer to the climax.
I won’t spoil the movie for you, but the story is one of a tragic nature and heartbreaking when you look at the context of what happens. Getting released in February might not have been the best thing for this movie, but it did fare very well at the box office. While I deplore the use of shaky cam, this managed to at least seem a bit more plausible since teens record everything, even in the youtube era we live in. But the use of the shaky cam is also probably the reason why the film got made in the first place since it is an easy sell to studios. All that aside, if you are a fan of the super hero genre, this is a must see film. The truest of origin stories for comic book type movies, but not in the traditional hero sense. What you get is an exploration of coming to terms with powers and what defines the person who has them. Do the power corrupt the mind or make them virtuous? Is it the environment or the person that defines the use of the gifts? Chronicle explores and develops these questions and themes better than most comic book movies.
Below is an excerpt and link to my original review if you are interested in reading and check out Chronicle when it’s released this week.
Chronicle is one of the best “superhero” movies around. It’s an honest story that reinforces the notion of what I would use my powers for, mainly to dick around. While the action is fast paced, the story is tense and the acting is superb from such a young cast, the movie is complete package. A well-defined origin story and a tragic hero’s journey, Chronicle aims to deliver an original film on a budget that is laughable by most superhero movie standards. That is a testament to what a unique concept, smart casting and a strong story can do for a film. click here to read more
