Chronicle (2012)

Josh Trank will be remembered from this movie and Fant4stic. This is his first feature and Fant4stic could be his last. Fant4stic was disaster but people who had seen Chronicle said it was good. After seeing it I can understand why people like Chronicle. And I can see why having Josh Trank directing big budget superhero movie might sound good idea. But that movie shouldn't have been Fantastic Four movie.

Chronicle is found footage movie. It doesn't have too much shaky camera. Most of the footage is from protagonist's camera. Some footage comes for other sources but it is always camera which would shoot these events in real life. I am not sure if found footage is correct term because no-one would get all this footage. It is the style where all footage look like characters shot them or it came from security cameras.

Protagonist is guy who is abused at home and school. He starts to shoot video of everything in his life. One night his cousin and cousin's friend find mysterious hole in the ground. They want him to shoot it. They went into hole and gained superpowers. Three become best friends when they learn to use their powers. Chronicle likes to play with audience's expectations of superhero movies. It pretend to go into regular superhero movie way until it starts to miss some expected beats or twist them little bit.

I don't want to spoil the twist. It is twist if you expect regular superhero movie. Movie is slowly going there all the time. It is a twist if you expected something else. It sets the movie apart of other superhero movies. First hour didn't work for me that well. It is build up without much payoff. Last half hour work thanks to all the build up of first hour. Found footage gimmick hurt first hour and some of last half hour.

Things making Chronicle good movie are the things which made Fant4stic bad Fantastic Four movie. Fant4stic had other problems too. It was wrong source material for Josh Trank. His style works on darker stories. Fantastic Four should be bright positive adventure. I hope Trank can make more movies which suit better for his strengths. Chronicle is good movie but I expect he could do better with right story.