Chronicle (Film Review)

It's all fun and games until everybody gets hurt! This film is one of my all time favourites because it's like a vision of how I would maybe turn out with great power like this. It also shows a character that I've mentioned time and time again because of this connection that I feel from this characters life (though mine's not as bad).

But at last, I'm talking about a film where 3 teenagers gain telekinetic powers after discovering something in the woods during a party. Of course, they mess around and experiment for fun. However not all of them have it so easy. Not all heroes are super...

Chronicle is the story "found footage" shown through social outcast Andrew Detmar (played by Dane DeHaan ya know, the guy who played Harry Osborn in The Amazing Spider-Man 2) and his camera (along with various video recording devices) because he's recording his life now as an experiment. Andrew comes from a rough background what with his mother slowly dying of cancer and his abusive drunken father always hurting him. Plus suffering with little confidence and friends at school, not to mention the constant bullying (why does that sound familiar?) But he has his cousin, Matt Garetty (Alex Russell) and soon they become friends with popular school president candidate Steve Montgomery (Michael B. Jordan) in Seattle.

Anyway, during a party, all three venture into the woods to see this mysterious hole... Next thing you know, they all have acquired telekinetic powers? I want that!
What starts off as pranks and Jackass-esque stunts to the unsuspecting public, soon things become extreme and Andrew's emotions will soon consume him. Not everyone is cut out to be a good-guy...

I wanted to see this film back in 2012 but ended up waiting till it came on Sky Movies (I then bought the DVD after and showed it to Lewis). The plot looks simple and has a story (nothing too complicated) but has a few unanswered questions by the end. It shows real good character development and focuses on that to show how all three boys develop a friendship which is later tested by the end.
I liked the whole mystery behind it all and the fact that their power is like a muscle and how they get stronger but can't tear it otherwise they gush out a lot of blood through their noses (or as they like to call it a "face period").

There wasn't really any music for the film which is a surprise compared to your genuine film but I think it's the camera which really helps this film stand out to others. When I saw this, my first relation was Cloverfield (though that had a Giant Monster in it) and this film is just like that but dives into a more psychological area instead of a horror based genre.
It dives into a strong story about how a good and sad person becomes the villain which I don't want to sound like or become but I can't help but thing dark or negative thoughts because of not being able to remember or see the bright side to my life and accomplishments because I see more dark sometimes thanks to the overwhelming stress I seem to swim in all the time.

Every time I watch this film, I feel like I am looking at a persona of myself (like using Johari's Window or The Looking Glass Self which is what I studied in Communication & Culture at college).
I see "myself" on how I feel right now with my short temper, dark past, issues and my contradicting will and fear to fight back after everything that's ever happened to me especially thanks to my confidence, connection with women and school life which is what his is like.
To see all this again makes me feel pain and anger because I feel what Andrew is going through right now (though I am actually okay compared to most days). As I have grown older since back then, it shows how I would personally have acted if I was back in school at my age, strength and confidence this very second which would actually be bad as it would shift me into the bad-guy (there is a difference to his school life and mine besides the powers).
I really feel for him to see such little happiness in his high school life and how all that shifted and distorted his views throughout the film (I even felt the same when watching Carrie though I think she did the right thing to the bullies. Oh and the Anime film Akira is sorta the same). I wish I could have been there to comfort him, but the actor did a hell of a job to play this and to have had it all filmed from a first person perspective and sometimes by himself (I think).

I've mentioned several times but mostly during one of my first posts on AsperJosh about how he represents something. It's kinda hypocritical of me to say all of this when things get good and then bad again consistently throughout life. But to be honest, I still can't let go of somethings such as my past and school life (I'm still writing that up atm).
I feel that Andrew (man, I sound like I'm obsessed or fan-boying over him) represents my views on how I wish I could have been better during my school life because I took so much crap (nothing physical luckily), had no social skills, was an outcast and I had no back bone. I know that we can't Travel Back In Time to change things for the better! And that these picture examples represent the truth (I'll use them in my school post, too). It's just so hard to accept things so easily because I see no "Justice" and I think I've yet to find my "inner peace" from accepting things and moving forward...

There is an important scene in the film where Andrew gives his thoughts on getting stronger and gives a distinct and powerful message about The Apex Predator (the strongest animal at the top of the Food Chain) and he feels humans are it and he feels he's becoming it and explains "You do not feel guilty when you squash a fly... and I think that means something. I just think that really means something". Well, I'm not on that level! But I do feel that I am not afraid once the adrenaline kicks in to not defend myself now but not enough to get myself arrested or worse because I do know the laws and rules and I follow them. But it depends on who provokes me...

Another important scene is the confrontation moment between Andrew and his selfish, drunk and abusive father Richard. Andrew does something that I sometimes wish I could do to those who have done me wrong. I could never do that to my own father, but because I never got that "one-shot" back at bullies, I guess I feel like I lost or something. Yet I need to understand from the pictures and from other people's advice especially Robert Brault's advice "Life becomes easier when you learn to accept an apology that you never got!" I think I'll look into that more in my school life post.

The telekinetic power has always been my dream power, it's a defence mechanism which resembles The Force (even Jean Grey has it in X-Men, look how that turned out) and everything the boys say is true about it being a muscle and stuff. Even in that Lucy film, she used it with little ease but she was becoming unstable and I feel that her power would be too much for me to handle, control and sustain.
I've mentioned several times about how I would maybe have turned out like Andrew himself, but I try not to wish I would. Besides all my issues, I actually wish I had this power for another special reason (besides lifting up everything when hovering around the house), to help me escape from my stress and worries. I would use the ability to lift myself off the ground  in order to make myself feel limitless and free so that I can retreat to secluded locations such as flower fields, forests or wide open spaces so that I can take a minute to calm down/ vent out my anger as well as play my ambient music peacefully and perfectly. Ha, I guess I do copy Andrew's intention to fly somewhere nice after all to find peace... And to travel the world, of course!
The video shows how simple and clear how they made it happen but even I want to live that even if all this is fiction and logically impossible, I can't help but dream to be in the clouds and look down on my problems and restrictions from a more glorious view...

By the end after all the collateral damage in the city and the climax ending which sadly was the only option. It all turns out sentimental by the end but leaves us with lots of questions and hope for a sequel... If there will ever be one. I've been keeping up with news online about scripts/ ideas (look at the fan comment, I think it's gold) and production work for a sequel but everyone keeps arguing and debating over it all so don't get you're hopes up too easily as this may take a while or not at all, sadly.

This is different to your usual superhero film because it shows how easily corrupt people are and that not everyone can come from humble backgrounds. I believe a well deserved congratulations is in order to Max Landis and Josh Trank for this low budget superhero drama which surprisingly grossed ten times it's budget at the box office! Though who knows what could be developed.

Before I go, I don't want anyone to worry or feel annoyed about me having to rant or compare myself to such a dark character. We all have our dark days and I seem to remember mine more than the good times though as you can see on here and I know for sure, that I have made accomplishments and have come out on top to the old me from 6 years ago and each day get better and better. This post and more to come just help me vent out my rage since there is no punching bag at the gym to take it out on, so I write up my thoughts on here for attention and to help me become a better person by confessing what's been in me for a long time!
Anyway, I hope you give this film a shot, you won't be disappointed!