I want to talk about Chronicle, because
I finally got around to watching it, and I really enjoyed it, and
contrary to my last couple of reviews I do actually like talking
about things I enjoy. But first, I want to talk about whether I
should be talking about Chronicle, here.
For those who don't know, Chronicle is
about three teenagers who find a thing in a cave that grants them
telekinetic powers. My first instinct was to classify it as action
sci-fi. And I'm not alone in that; the Lovely Madam Meagan did the
same after we watched it, and the first seven words in its Wikipedia
entry are "Chronicle is a 2012 science fiction film'. But then
I stopped and tried to think about why Chronicle is a science fiction
film, and I realized I couldn't come up with a single thing. The
thing the boys encounter isn't obviously technological. Their
abilities are as likely the result of some bizarre natural radiation
producing a mutation. Or, heck, magic. The thing is never studied,
at least not by the boys, and their abilities are never explained as
being some previously-untapped ability all humans possess. There are
no aliens, no lasers or force-fields, no super soldiers, no robots or
battle armour. Nothing in this film is particularly science
fiction-y. Frankly, it's more fantasy than anything else, albeit a
rather dark sort. But because it doesn't involve wizards or vampires
or werewolves, nobody seems to think of it that way.
Science fiction, it seems, now
constitutes anything fantastical that isn't explicitly magical or
supernatural. Which is weird, because it means the genre picks up
things like Chronicle and Hancock, good films that don't actually
have anything to do with where they wind up. Are superhero movies
just science fiction by default, now?
Still, if we're going to wind up with
movies arbitrarily crammed into the science fiction genre, it's nice
when they're as good as Chronicle. The movie follows three high
school boys, Andrew, Matt and Steve. Andrew is the son of an abusive
father and a dying mother, and his purchase of a hilariously
oversized portable camera starts the film. Dragged out to a party by
his cousin Matt, Andrew is spotted by Steve, the school's resident
cool kid who, surprisingly, is just a really nice guy. Rather than
bullying or insulting Andrew, Steve actually wants a favour; can
Andrew come record this amazing thing he and Matt have found with his
omnipresent camera? The thing, frankly, defies description, and not
just because whatever energy it's putting out is interfering with the
camera. It looks star-shaped, some form of glowing crystal
half-obscured by rock, and demonstrates some rather impressively
strange properties. From their exposure to it the boys discover
they've gained telekinesis, a power that's roughly equal for all of
them but finds expression in ways particular to each of the three's
temperaments. And unfortunately, but not unsurprisingly, the
temperament of a bullied outcast with an alcoholic and abusive father
and a slowly and painfully dying mother is perhaps not the best one
to entrust with powerful telekinetic abilities.
Chronicle is, first and foremost, a
character piece. For all its mysterious power sources and
superhero-style antics, the movie is really about Andrew and Matt.
Steve is a decidedly minor character, though he gets some good
moments, and the movie certainly wouldn't play out the same without
him. The movie's driving conflict, in the absence of supervillains
or monsters, is the struggle between Andrew and Matt, between an
abused and bullied kid who suddenly finds himself with more power
than anyone else, and a smug and pretentious but ultimately
level-headed kid who understands that they need rules and boundaries.
Matt is afraid of them doing something terrible, by accident or on
purpose; Andrew is tired of having the terrible things in life happen
only to him. Competing outlooks based on radically different
upbringings set the cousins on a collision course that is as obvious
and inevitable as it is believable and tragic.
The acting is solid, probably made
easier by the fact that there are only really a handful of characters
in the film. The handheld style of the movie helps with viewer
perception of the actors' presentations, as well; the semi-intimate
feel of the well-executed affectation draws the viewer in. It's a
nice touch, and it more than the lack of costumes and wise old uncles
really sets this film apart from the superhero genre. Not enough to
escape being reflexively labelled science fiction, of course, but
still. There are some weak elements, particularly a romance subplot
for Matt that just sort of peters out, but on the whole the focus is
kept tight, on the increasing friction between responsible Matt and
predatory Andrew.
Whether you like superhero movies or
not, Chronicle is definitely worth a look. And it's done well enough
that it's got a sequel in the works, something I'm looking forward
to. Perhaps this time I'll even manage to make it to the theatres
before it closes up its run!
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