Blu-ray Review: CHRONICLE

Blu-ray Review: CHRONICLE

Josh Trank's found footage "superhero" flick hits DVD and Blu-ray this week. So if you missed it in theaters and were wondering if it was worth checking out, here's my take..

Review Opinion
By MarkCassidy - May 16, 2012 05:05 PM EST
Filed Under: Sci-Fi

Two of the biggest money-spinners in Hollywood today are the found footage and Superhero movies. So I guess it was only a matter of time before someone saw the sense in combining the two and making a packet. Luckily for us, that someone was Josh Trank. For while it might have been easy to be cynical, Chronicle delivers in pretty much every way.



If you have seen the trailers, you know the premise. Three high-school pals (a kind hearted jock, a sensitive but popular kid trying not to be a jock, and a bullied outcast) stumble upon a hole in the ground, and when they investigate are gifted with incredible powers that get stronger the more they use them. The movie is filmed "found footage" style, with Andrew (Dane DeHaan) given a plausible reason to begin to document his day to day life. He is joined by his cousin Matt (Alex Russell) and Steve (Michael B. Jordan), and together the trio have fun filming the various things any teenagers would do if they suddenly gained extraordinary abilities, until the troubled Andrew begins to take things down a darker path. Although you can probably guess where the story goes from there, I assure you the movie has a few surprises up its sleeve which I won't ruin.

The three leads are excellent here, completely convincing in every scene and inhabiting characters that could very easily have fallen foul of the usual high school movie cliches. The standout is DeHaan however, playing Andrew as a sympathetic yet increasingly dangerous anti-hero. It's easy to see why Warner Bros. were interested in him for the role of Tetsuo in their (currently on hold) live action Akira movie, as they are quite similar characters. Indeed a few elements of Chronicle are reminiscent of Akira. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's directly influenced by it, but fans of the Manga/Anime will know what I mean when they watch this. The action and special effects are top notch too, particularly for a relatively low budget production. One or two of the flying shots towards the end look a bit dodgy but nothing ever takes you out of the movie.

Any problems then? Well I found the last act to be a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand we do get an exciting, action packed finale full of incredible super-feats and explosions etc. On the other, the clever, engaging way Trank builds up the story and the friendships between the characters is somewhat done away with. At one point something happens that should be much more shocking than it is, and from then on things feel a bit rushed. Don't get me wrong, I loved the movie and was satisfied with the conclusion, I just couldn't help but wonder how much better it might have been had a bit more time been given to make certain turning points more believable. There is also a bit of cheating with the found footage style, with a minor female character and some security cameras etc picking up certain parts of the story. I mean who are we to assume edited the damn thing together?

Small quibbles though. Chronicle juggles a lot of elements brilliantly, and manages to be smart, funny, exciting and tragic without ever overdoing it or pandering to our emotions. I know he only has one movie under his belt, but the 27-year-old Trank seems like the antithesis of the Michael Bays of the industry to me, and if he does end up directing either the Fantastic Four reboot or the Venom movie, I'd say we are in for some more great CBMs.



The Director's Cut of the movie features some previously unseen footage that offer a deeper glimpse into the events that took place with the characters. The Blu-ray extras are as follows:

- Deleted Scene – Matt and Casey in the Kitchen
- Pre-Viz
- Camera Test
- Theatrical Trailer
- Chronicle Soundtrack Info


Not the most comprehensive bonus materials you will see on a home release, but still a worthy addition to any collection.









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retr0g0dfather
retr0g0dfather - 5/16/2012, 5:57 PM
This was a PHENOMENAL movie! I'm definitely buying the Bluray this week!
Rustyham
Rustyham - 5/16/2012, 6:00 PM
Is that seriously it for the extra features? How lame!
ClarkFarley2012
ClarkFarley2012 - 5/16/2012, 6:04 PM
Excellent movie. Hope they have a sequel.
marvel72
marvel72 - 5/16/2012, 6:07 PM
very good movie was my favorite of the year until a certain marvel film came out.

THE AVENGERS! :D
Fabster360
Fabster360 - 5/16/2012, 6:11 PM
Just bought this on Tuesday. Excellent film, one of my favorites for sure. I was a bit disappointed with the special features though. A "Making-of" featurette would've been nice.
gaikinger
gaikinger - 5/16/2012, 6:17 PM
This was a great film. I would'nt analyze the found footage aspect of the film as it seemed more like a conveyance than anything else in that we could only view this world from the perspective of devices that had a big brothery eeryness about it. Closest thing so far to capturing the tension of Akira in the real world.
Bark4Soul
Bark4Soul - 5/16/2012, 6:50 PM
Yeah it was def a cool flick but like the reviewer said, towards the end you start getting cell phone cams, traffic cams, stop light cams recording it, but it's not live...I remember asking this as I watched it only because the first 3/4 does a good job with that style of filming
UrbanTreez
UrbanTreez - 5/16/2012, 7:30 PM
Terrific movie that I never saw coming.
I respect the gripes w/alt cameras used to tell the story later in the movie, but all in all, a clever film that most of all, respected us, and the characters as well...
jascurio
jascurio - 5/16/2012, 8:07 PM
just watched this movie today it was freaking nuts.
mctrinket
mctrinket - 5/16/2012, 8:14 PM
Yeah it felt like a total Akira reimagining to me. Not a bad flick; not as good as some would have you believe. Enjoyable.
TheShakeBake
TheShakeBake - 5/16/2012, 8:30 PM
Very good movie but only thing i didn't get is why is the movie called Chronicle?!?!? That's my only problem lol
GUNSMITH
GUNSMITH - 5/16/2012, 8:41 PM
YEAH NO "MAKING OF FEATURETTES"..BUT A GOOD MOVIE
QuietStorm
QuietStorm - 5/16/2012, 8:50 PM
My ol lady brought this home for us today. I'll fill ya in on how good the features are later.
supernaturalfreak
supernaturalfreak - 5/16/2012, 8:52 PM
i LOVED chronicle, so i got the directors cut blurry dvd digital copy combo, but of course, as a way to sell blu rays (since no one [frick]ing cares if this dvd is HD, just like no one cares if its in 3d) they made it so the lost footage is only on the blu ray, SERIOUSLY?! i bought that version for that reason, yes, it is my fault for not noticing on the back that it was only on the blue ray, but it is total BS that i have to own a blu ray to enjoy extra content of a truly amazing film
QuietStorm
QuietStorm - 5/16/2012, 8:57 PM
It also has a bonus copy u can upload to your VUDU account and store it on your game system, tv or laptop.
Jib7z
Jib7z - 5/16/2012, 9:48 PM
It's seriously a beautiful movie, and although I agree that the other cameras were kind of a cheat, it kind of makes sense to me. Considering that at the conclusion of the movie (save for the final scene), the police would have a full investigation over it. In my mind, it was the police that edited it all together...but maybe I'm just stretching a bit.
Ceejay
Ceejay - 5/16/2012, 11:17 PM
It's NOT a superhero movie, its a movie about teens who acquire abilities. If this is a superhero movie then so is Lawnmower Man, Carrie and any film where a person acquires any level of extra sensory perception!
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 5/17/2012, 2:38 AM
Guess you missed the inverted comas around the word there Ceejay?
Ceejay
Ceejay - 5/17/2012, 4:41 AM
No Ror, didn't miss that nor the next paragraph that states combining the two genres of Superhero and Found Footage!

Found footage it is, Superhero it isn't, Supernatural it is!
BlueHawaiiSurfer
BlueHawaiiSurfer - 5/17/2012, 6:19 AM
Glad to hear the good reviews, about to go pick it up, thanks!
ralfinader
ralfinader - 5/22/2012, 7:53 AM
Was not sure about this one, but my God it was a great movie. Well paced and scripted. Easily superior to alot of the big studio attempts at super powered individuals (looking at you First Class...you over-rated pile of shit). This was a small scale Akira, and is definately going in my collection. Actually watched Akira again afterwards.
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