As a child, in varying degrees, we often reach a place in life where we ponder what it would be like to have superpowers. Or daydream about the possibility of being superhuman and able to withstand anything life throws our way. Would we throw out the rulebook and live our lives without fear of repercussions? Would we use our abilities for goodwill and to aid in helping our fellow man? Perhaps we would we selectively use it, subtly and without provocation?
Three teenage boys ponder these thoughts in Chronicle, an intriguing and notable feature film debut from director and co-screenwriter Josh Trank. Set in my stomping grounds of Seattle (but mostly shot in Seattle’s photogenic doppelganger of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), we initially find Chronicle opening up as another entry in the exhausted found footage genre of science-fiction and horror story filmmaking. To my surprise, Trank and lead screenwriter Max Landis find ways to overcome those trappings and deliver a unique and compelling story that transcends its initial stifling premise.
Tags: chronicle, Dane DeHaan, Found Footage, Josh Trank, Michael B. Jordan, Science Fiction, superhero movie
