Chronicle (DVD) Review

Chronicle tells the story of three regular high school boys who stumble upon something that changes the course of their lives. As each of them grow in their newfound abilities, they must set boundaries and limits with the looming risk of losing control and possibly harming themselves or those around them. However, these limits are tested as each have their own trials to overcome, some easier than others.

For the picture the trailers and promotions displayed, Chronicle turned out to be surprisingly entertaining and well done. At the outset of the movie you get the feeling that this is just going to be another no-name flick with stereotypical characters (the stoner, the outcast and the popular guy who for some reason they end up hanging out with). That picture quickly changes as the movie wastes no time before jumping directly into character development and shattering any assumptions you made just moments ago.

The vast majority of the movie is spent building the characters and in effect there are times when the viewer is left wondering where the plot is (I even found myself checking how much time was left). But hold on and keep on trucking to be rewarded with a surprising twist at the end. Of the mistaken assumptions made about the movie, one was discounting the actors because of their lack of experience. All three of the leads blew their roles out of the water with Alex Russell doing an especially impressive job (Example: that nice solo towards the beginning). The characters were believable, difficult to do considering the farfetchedness of the story. The plot was very original in take. There were a lot of paths that the root, three kids obtaining enhanced abilities, might have taken.

It was pleasing to see the darker of these options where the lighter might have been easier to execute. The use of circumstantial cameras in this flick must be praised as it is an example of the method used effectively. The video was intentionally rough in areas, due to the aforementioned method, but also excessively shaky in some (Yes, we get that the character is holding the camera, but he does not suffer from Parkinson’s). The high quality of the audio was a dead giveaway that this was a professionally made film, at least to those who have worked with the medium. Poorer audio though, even in the case that good audio kills the illusion, should never be requested.

The DVD extras are lacking, the one failure of the whole package. The disc includes some small features like a look at the computer generated graphics in some scenes before they were fully implemented, and camera test footage. But after watching the entirety of the movie, watching camera tests is hardly entertaining. Trailers for other movies labeled “Sneak Peeks” are all that is available other than that. This is disappointing considering a “Making Of” feature about the unique camera work would have been appealing.

Overall the movie was above average: better than expected given the budget and the green cast. The camera work is the most interesting part of the movie and paves the way for future success in the genre as an example of pristine work.

Overall Ratings – Chronicle (DVD)

Entertainment:	7/10
Acting:	9/10
Originality:	8/10
Video:	6/10
Audio:	7/10
Extras:	4/10
OVERALL SCORE:	68%