Chronicle : Movie Review


Doing for superhero films what 2008's "Cloverfield" did for monster and alien-invasion pics, "Chronicle" needs only a thrifty reported $12-million price tag to achieve a dizzyingly massive scope, legitimately escalating thrills, and an overall creative and thematic resourcefulness that films with four to ten times the budget will undeniably be envious of. Discovering its many pleasures, with each new scene deliciously upping the ante, is one of 2012's most unexpected moviegoing surprises thus far. With little buzz behind it, first-time director Josh Trank has managed to fly under the radar as he prepped, shot and edited a work of pop art that has seemingly come out of nowhere to wake audiences from their complacent doldrums. While respecting the rules of classic comic book tales about super-powered heroes and foes, Trank and screenwriter Max Landis have simultaneously gathered the nerve to both rewrite and reinvent them—and, for that matter, found-footage films—in awe-inspiring ways. It is not hyperbole to suggest that 2008's "The Dark Knight" now has a companion as the best of the best in its subgenre.

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Author : Dustin Putman