Saturday, March 10, 2012

Chronicle

I saw this movie nearly a month ago, and it has taken me this long to write about it.  I actually enjoyed almost all of it.  I think that the end was a little too big, but I loved many elements of it.

First, I really enjoyed that it seemed like exactly what seventeen-year-old boys would do if they suddenly found themselves with superpowers.  They push themselves, they have fun, they don't bother to try too hard to figure out what was causing it. 

In every scene, the stakes rose higher and higher, so I suppose the ending was really inevitable.  I just found it...overblown, perhaps.  The only real issues I remember having, both in watching the movie and in thinking about it later, occurred within the last half-hour of the movie.  I don't wish to go into too much depth for the sake of anyone who hasn't seen the movie yet, but while the narrative doesn't fall apart, its tonal shifts are pretty serious.

On a more positive note, I really enjoyed the found-footage aspect of the film.  For one thing, it mostly made sense (though the addition of the video-blogger girl seems pretty forced).  For another, it allowed for some truly gorgeous camera angles, which is generally unusual in this style of filmmaking.  The floating camera work was intriguing and engaging and really well-rendered. 

Overall, I recommend the film.  I enjoyed it well enough to overcome the problems I have with it.  I found the performances engaging and the special effects enjoyable without being overwhelming.

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