Chronicle

The last thing the world needs is another superhero origin story or "found footage" flick. Whether it's the moronic con job of The Last Exorcism or the ho-hum spectacle of Green Lantern, these genres are starting to move past their expiration date. In defiance of that claim, however, is Josh Trank's Chronicle, which shamelessly and somewhat successfully indulges in both conceits. Like a clever mash-up of Cloverfield, Heroes and Carrie, his debut manages to engage and, more amazingly, surprise. Not only does Trank have a real affinity for his characters, his instincts are pretty edgy, capturing the alienation, class rage and instability of teenage emotions.

Right from the beginning, Chronicle makes its nihilistic intentions clear, as teenage Andrew (Dane DeHaan) locks his bedroom door and shouts to his violently drunken father that, "I'm filming everything now." Which, of course, he does. Obsessively. And who could blame him? The camera becomes a way for him to disconnect from the harsh realities of his life — his mother is dying, dad is unemployed and seething with anger, bullies pick on him, and his sole personal relationship is with his awkwardly intellectual cousin, Matt (Alex Russell). It's a plausible (if self-conscious) conceit for Chronicle's hand-held approach, and it allows Trank to more effectively wield his $15 million budget.

Convinced to attend a rave with Matt, Andrew is enlisted to video something strange in the forest outside. The school's most popular kid, Steve (Michael B. Jordan), has discovered a hole in the ground, and when the three teens crawl in to investigate they find a glowing ... something or another. Their noses start to bleed, the camera frizzes out, and the kids panic before the screen goes black. When we see them next, they are experimenting with newfound telekinetic powers. This sets up Chronicle's cautionary tale about the power acquired but not earned, and its inevitable abuse.

At first, Max (son of John) Landis' script plods along, charting the none-too-imaginative attempts of Andrew, Matt and Steve to harness their supernatural abilities. From manipulating Legos to skipping stones to concocting lame pranks, their stunts seem too lackadaisical to be taken seriously. You can't help but feel like teenage boys would be doing more, pushing things further. (Haven't these guys ever watched Jackass?) The movie finally takes off, well, when the boys take off. As it turns out, telekinesis can be used to fly. Trank not only captures the giddy sense of freedom the trio encounters as they leave the ground, but he stages a wondrous and terrifying game of football amid the clouds. It's a bravura bit of directing that rivals any depiction of super-heroic flight put to film.

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