Movie Review: Chronicle

I got some movie tickets from work a while back (well, actually I got a Cinemark gift card that I didn't use on concessions because they're overpriced), so Nathan and I decided to go see a movie today. We've been eyeing Chronicle in particular since it looked intriguing and got decent reviews. I am going to try really hard not to give any spoilers so bear with me.

Chronicle is a hand cam style film about three high school kids who get telekinetic powers. Most of the movie is from the perspective of one of the teen's camcorder, and the movie follows them as they learn how to use their power and what madness ensues. On a deeper level, it is also about grief and dealing with an abusive parent.

As a whole, I felt like Chronicle was very realistic. The kinds of things the teens decide to do with their powers are about what you would expect from a popular senior class president, a normal but not super popular guy, and a screwed up loner: mostly small scale stuff, like playing tricks on people in a store or using their power to fly. The reactions of each character as the plot develops are believable as well, and it's pretty easy to understand and relate to their choices. The length is just about right as well (though the ending action sequence is a tad longer than it probably needed to be).

Ultimately, I liked this movie, but I probably won't see it more than once. It was a lot more depressing than I expected it to be, and while there was some resolution, it wasn't the kind that makes you go all warm and fuzzy inside. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more character growth from the main characters, but given that it was from the perspective of the teens, and there weren't really any adult mentors in the entire movie, I can understand the lack. That's partly why it was a depressing ending... realistic, but depressing. There were so many if only's - if only the loner kid had a mentor to look up to, if only his friends understood what he was going through, if only he trusted them more... you get the idea.

So yes. Worth watching once. As an added bonus, it will probably move to the dollar theaters soon (in a few months I'd guess) because there are only about 3 show times for it in regular theaters each day. And it's definitely worth seeing for a dollar if you're in the right mood.