Davis Entertainment
Josh Trank’s scientific thriller “Chronicle” is an action pact thriller that takes place in a suburban Seattle, Washington. Three high school friends Andrew Detmer, Matt Garetty, and Steve Montgomery attend a high school party and they leave early only to stumble upon an abandon cave in which they all receive telekinesis like powers and have the whole lives turn around.
Chronicle focuses on the three main characters Andrew, played by Dan DeHaan, Matt, played by Alex Russell and Steve Montgomery, played by Michael B. Jordan, who get this telekinesis like powers and learn to take advantage of life. Before, these three lived different lives, Steve was running for Student Class President, is fairly popular, while Andrew and Matt are on the bottom of the popularity chart. Andrew, when he is not with Matt and Steve is forced to take care of his ailing mom who later passes away and is beat up by his abusive father. Matt is a carefree teen not worrying about life for a second.
They all meet up at a party and as Steve and Matt get drunk they stumble upon a small underground cave and Steve goes looking for Andrew who is filming a documentary in his own shoes. As Steve and Andrew come back they decide to go in the cave to look inside and end up with these telekinesis powers. Now at times this movie seemed to be another version of “Jackass” except without Johnny Knoxville and company. They experiment with their powers by throwing baseballs at one another and going up in the sky and free fall, until one time when Steve ends up getting hit by an airplane. As the movie progresses, they are driving along a highway when out of nowhere a car decides to sit on Matt’s rear end and they use their powers to make him ram off the road and nearly kill him. At that point they realize that they must use their powers only when necessary.
One day when Andrew gets home, his dad yells at him that he used his money to buy a worthless camera. His father beats him up so bad that he starts getting these suicidal thoughts and he ends up accidentally killing Steve who wanted to help him. When that happens Andrew ends up in a Seattle area hospital. Once Matt hears that the whole Seattle area is under evacuation, he decides to drive up and sees what is happening, only to find out that it is under evacuation because of Andrew’s powers caused the hospital to explode partially.
This movie did have a slow start, and at times it lacked to keep the audiences attention, since it was a senior year of high school, which I’m sure we all remembered, we had our ups and downs in senior year, but never had special powers. For the money spent in this movie, I guessed it was alright. Had this movie had at least had a little more action other than the final half hour of the movie it would have been better, but since it was only filled with anywhere of 15-30 minutes if action. It was a worthless view. The way they tried to portray stunts made for “Jackass” instead of what normal high school seniors do. The setting itself, which sets upon a suburban suburb outside a big city without the hectic commute to get to a city. The whole movie should have taken place in the middle of nowhere rather that bothers a bother a big suburb.
If I had to rate “Chronicle” I would have to give it a star because a movie with a title that raises a question really had nothing to do with the film and the part that the action did not pick up until basically the end of the movie. Highly unwatchable!!!!
