Posted 12:57 am Friday, February 10, 2012
‘Chronicle’ Tropes Expertly Exploited In ‘Found Footage’ Film
We may be at the point of oversaturation within the superhero/comic book genre of film, but when something like "Chronicle" comes along it forces one to rethink that assessment somewhat.
I don't know that anyone would have predicted that comic book adaptations would become the de facto, go-to source for summer blockbuster mayhem (just over a decade ago, comic book movies were little more than a curiosity and hardly what anyone would call good, by-and-large), now you can't turn your head in a multiplex without seeing at least three comic book movies either advertised or playing. The resulting costume and explosion fatigue means it's going to take some pretty special properties and stellar adaptations to make anything within the genre feel fresh again.
Or, what I'm truly hoping for is that we get more films in the vein of "Chronicle," which take the tropes of comic book movies and do their own interesting things with them.
There isn't a run of comics that served as the basis for this "found footage" film and you can't go out and buy the tie-in graphic novel. There are no costumes, no capes and no supervillains for our cadre of superpowered high school teenagers to combat during the thrilling climax. And yet writer Max Landis and director Josh Trank have crafted a film that is so steeped in comic book tropes and ideas that it feels more like a "comic book movie" than some actual comic book movies.
At the film's start we are introduced to Andrew (Dane DeHaan), a perpetually bullied high school senior who has taken to filming everything he does as a way to cope with his dying mother and alcoholic father. His only friend is his cousin, Matt (Alex Russell) who spouts quotes by philosophy authors he doesn't really understand during their rides to school. One night while out in the middle of nowhere as a warehouse rave goes on, Anderw, Matt and aspiring class president Steve discover a mysterious artifact inside a nearby sinkhole. It appears alien in origin, though no definitive details are ever revealed. Encountering this object gives each boy a helping of telekinetic powers.
What follows is something I've wanted many a movie to address, but none ever have. At least, not in this manner.
Something that's never felt satisfactorily examined (in films, at least) is the notion of what someone would actually do if granted with superhuman powers. In most films of this sort, the character either becomes a superhero or a supervillain. But what if you were suddenly granted with the ability to make objects float and move with nothing more than a thought? What if you could fly? What if this power made you borderline invincible? How would an average kid react? How would a kid who had been bullied and bossed around his whole life react?
As it turns out, they would mostly use it to float potato chips into their mouths, win school talent shows and play football at 30,000 feet. Well, for a while at least. Steve and Matt seem content to do fairly pedestrian things with their powers, but Andrew, having likely spent the last few years physically abused by his father and most of his childhood tormented by his schoolmates and desperate to help his dying mother inches ever closer to doing something a bit more...drastic with his abilities.
And that's probably the film's greatest accomplishment. Landis' script - which is obviously deeply rooted in comic book and Japanese anime trappings - always brings the events and setpieces of the story back to these characters. Everything is motivated by character with emotional payoffs that are just as strong as (if not necessarily stronger than) the action payoffs.
Trank's direction is outstanding on this front, too. When making a found footage movie, it's imperative that the actors deliver a certain level of verisimilitude in their performances. They have to act, but it can never seem like they're trying to not act like they're not acting. Trank's actors manage to toe the razor-thin line between natural and theatrical, but it works. What really counts, though, is the chemistry between the three boys. Their behavior and choices come across as natural and real.
Everything that happens in the script is motivated by character, so that Trank be able to nail these interactions was crucial and thankfully he did just that. It's some remarkably assured filmmaking overall, especially in the action sequences and brings to mind the same sort of low-budget confidence that Neill Blomkamp displayed with his stunning sci-fi debut "District 9" back in 2009.
My only lingering issue with the film is the puzzling decision to go the found footage route. The primary question that any found footage movie should answer the minute it begins is "Why is this being filmed?" "Chronicle" never fully justifies its existence in this style and you the concept is stretched to unbelievable proportions in the climax as we cut between iPads, cellphone cameras and even security cam footage. There doesn't seem to be any larger statement about the way teens go about recording even the most inane things in their lives and Trank doesn't seem interested in even treading that sort of ground so the found footage route ends up being rather pointless.
The schtick is never distracting, though, and if you can get beyond it the only other notable issue is the seams that start to show on some of the effects shot. However, given this was made on a shoestring budget of about $15 million, that's easily excused.
"Chronicle" is one of the most refreshing movies I've encountered in a while. It takes well-worn tropes and manages to make all of them feel fresh and exciting, all while never losing sight of the characters. Look for Josh Trank's career to skyrocket following this.
Grade: A
Stewart Smith is the Entertainment Editor for the
Tyler Morning Telegraph
