Chronicle
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Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGcwSDNFcsU
If Carrie, Cloverfield (http://pennycan.createaforum.com/dvd's-blu-rays/cloverfield-(2008)/msg7085/#msg7085) and Misfits (http://pennycan.createaforum.com/tv/misfits-(season-1)/msg92/#msg92) had a baby, it would be Chronicle. You take a kid that is an outsider both in and out of high school, mix in the concept of found footage, chronicling a group of kids that are exposed to something that gives them Godlike powers and you have for the most part a interesting and fun movie. Up till a point. Each of the concepts done by themselves has been done better elsewhere, but together it does offer something a bit unique. The only negative I have with the movie is that the "found footage" angle is a bit long in tooth and tired. It's time to lay that to rest for a while. I will say that it was pretty clever to have Andrew turn around and use his new found powers to basically film himself and his friends, which got him out from behind the camera.
The main plot of the movie is basically a riff on Spider-Man's most famous quote: "With great power comes great responsibility". At first the kids are in their exploratory phase of just using their powers. But the plot is predictable so you absolutely know that eventually they will go public and that by the end one of them will use it for evil. Unfortunately, I also saw how the movie would end literally within the first half hour of the movie. So, there was no surprises in store for me. The one thing I guess you could call a surprise is that the source of their powers is never explained which knocks my rating down a half star. But then again, they can explore this more in depth for the sequel which is sure to come in the near future.
I'm a big fan of Michael B. Jordan from his time on Friday Night Lights (http://pennycan.createaforum.com/movies/friday-night-lights-(tba)/msg3249/#msg3249) and Parenthood (http://pennycan.createaforum.com/tv/parenthood-(season-3)/msg438/#msg438). I just wished that he got a much bigger role in this one. I can say that this is worth a Rent. It's not perfect, but it does have it's moments that engage you with what is happening on the screen.
Chronicle DVD Screencaps
Coming soon...