Chronicle is the "Batman Begins" of found footage films. It was an amazing portrait following the rise and fall of a young man granted super abilities by some "mysterious" sphere. The fact that it is presented in the same way Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity lends it the gritty reality that the gloss of a traditional production would only take away from the tone.
A lot works very well, although it takes a very long time to arrive at the incredibly riveting final act. We see the movie through Andrew's eyes and we are beat over the head with the typical everyday things that would drive a quiet teenager to go on a destruction filled flight over Seattle. He's bullied at school, his drunk father beats him around and his loving mother is sick and close to death. His only "friends" are his cousin Matt and the cool kid from school Steve, both of whom also gain the powers.
To be honest I got bored, and this movie is only 89 minutes long. It's all so heavy handed and Andrew's final break is such a big change for the character your mind is kind of swimming through the last sequence, but what a sequence. I have not been so involved with what was happening in a movie in a long time, and I really didn't know how they were going to have everything play out. The ending made the movie very recommendable and I really hope to see a sequel that explores this world further.
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