As far as Januarys go, this was a decent one for movies — "The Grey," "Haywire" and "The Innkeepers" have all been solid, but now that February's here, I can report that I've seen the first film of 2012 that hasn't just tickled my nerd fancy, it has held it down and relentlessly assaulted me with an armory of movie feathers. (That sentence makes sense, I swear it.)
(And the film I'm talking about is "Chronicle.")
Unbeknownst to the studio security folks, I was able to sneak in a camera to this latest found footage feature with an eye toward recording my candid reaction to the candid recordings on the screen. NextMovie's legal advisor, the law offices of Don B. Ajerk, has since confiscated the tape (which is annoying, because I also had last night's episode of "Rupaul's Drag Race" on there) but luckily, I took some notes.
Here, then, are the (SPOILERY) observations that convinced this fanboy that "Chronicle" is the coolest thing in a theater so far this year.
The main character is tragically relatable.
This poor kid, Andrew. He has no friends, no social graces, his father is a drunk and his mother is deathly sick. He's gonna get superpowers and save everyone and everything, I hope. That's what I would do.
The main character is not the same old movie teenager.
Dude brings a video camera to school and doesn't leer at the cheerleading squad til midday? Maybe this kid isn't as predictable as I thought.
The supporting characters are fleshed out.
His popular cousin Matt is name-dropping Arthur Schopenhauer, Karl Jung and Plato. You know what that means? This guy must have watched that "Monty Python" routine about the world's great philosophers.
The production techniques are pretty impressive.
Hey, that's a neat trick! I've been kinda sick of these found footage movies – most of all because they look like crap. But in this, they work in the destruction of the cheap camera to motivate them going out and buying something that looks really good. The fact that now everything is professionally lit and the audio is level almost goes by unnoticed.
Who doesn't love glowing orbs with supernatural properties?
Oh, and they had to get a new camera because the first one got destroyed by a WEIRD HOLLOW BLUE GLOWY THINGAMABOB FROM OUTER SPACE. And if we know anything about thingamabobs from outer space it's that they hate the paparazzi.
Comic book fans will lose their s**t.
Andrew, Matt and his friend Steve now have simple telekinetic powers. These first exploratory scenes ought to set the minds of any comic book/sci-fi/fantasy fan reeling. The fact that the kids are purposely streaming cheesy sci-fi movie music on an iPhone as they construct a LEGO Space Needle with their thoughts speaks to the added layer of wit found in this film.
Good snacks.
The telekinetic powers are growing. Andrew makes Z-axis arcs with the camera and keeps everyone in focus. More importantly, Steve can eat Pringles without lifting a finger. I would be a 700 lb superhero if I had this ability.
It's a twist!
After a great sequence involving freaking out people at the mall and - finally – the upskirt moment we've all been waiting for (don't get too excited – "Chronicle" is no "Zapped") we get hit in the face with a second act twist. And I'll admit I didn't see it coming. You see, Andrew is being a little bit of a jerk. He can fly and crush cars, but he can't save his mother or sober up his dad. His emotions are getting out of control and... waitaminute... this isn't a movie about a superhero. It's a movie about a SUPERVILLAIN!
Awesome nerd references.
I'll be damned if I lay out further plot points, even with spoiler warnings, but mega-nerds may also like to know that there's a character that wears a Nostromo T-Shirt (and "Chronicle" is a Fox property, which means this isn't an "Alien" reference, it's a "Prometheus" reference!), there's a cute spin on the Lois Lane-helicopter gag, a veiled reference to R'as al-Ghul and psychic activity causes nosebleeds like in every early '80s paranormal picture. Also, we should be happy to live in a world where something as bizarre as the Space Needle actually exists.
I had an absolute blast at "Chronicle." Yeah, there are a few things that aren't explained, but the last movie like this that DID try to explain everything was "Super 8," and look where that got us. I've gotta say, mini-HD cameras are the superior format.
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