•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   
•    EYEWITNESS   

Sometimes a gimmick works. In the case of “Chronicle,” a movie about three teenagers who acquire superpowers, that gimmick is the “found film” style that drives the film.

This faux-documentary aesthetic has made its way into various Hollywood blockbusters since its first example, “The Blair Witch Project,” became an unexpected success in 1999.

Thankfully, “Chronicle” never overuses the genre’s shaky handheld camera style that sometimes makes it a visually nauseating experience akin to an after-meal roller-coaster ride.

Instead, the film enhances the realism of the explosive phenomena transpiring on the screen without cinematic overkill. It helps add realism and believability to the idea of three teenagers acquiring telekinetic abilities and then being overtaken by their new powers.

Of course, it also helps that Max Landis’s screenplay includes grounded writing that only rarely strays into overwrought teen-flick cliches. It’s astounding that at the tender age of 26, Landis, along with director Josh Trank, manages to avoid succumbing to the many pitfalls of both teen and superhero films.

But that doesn’t mean “Chronicle” never engages at a visceral level. When the boys — camera-wielding outsider Andrew (Dane DeHaan), his contented cousin Matt (Alex Russell) and popular jock Steve (Michael B. Jordan) — start using their powers, they are presented in such a jocularly juvenile manner that the impact feels that much more real and explosive.

A member of the superhero X-Men tearing down a sizeable building looks and feels just like another mind-numbing CGI fest, but in “Chronicle” freezing a baseball thrown at someone’s face becomes a spectacle and moving a car from one parking spot to another is a real event. When the boys begin to fly, their jet-like speed as they cruise through the clouds feels like a discernible blast.

There is, of course, the obligatory dramatic turn, in which one of the friends begins to lose sight of the potentially devastating impact of this new power. The story unfolds patiently, with little dependence on dramatics, giving the switch to a darker tone in the latter half a lot more weight.

Andrew, whose life is collapsing amid the chaos of a mother with cancer and an alcoholic father, becomes the driving character. The film doesn’t shy away from gloom, as it evolves into an effects-filled study of a teen’s tortured psyche.

What “Chronicle” ends up being is a terrifying display of every parents’ nightmare: Just imagine if every ounce of teenage turmoil and chagrin were physically expressible.

The detours of high-school politics and romance feel like a natural addition that never take away from the focus of the story. And the clever tricks applied to prevent the monotony of a single camera view throughout the whole movie include letting in perspectives from other characters’ cameras, including numerous CCTVs and mobile phones.

The three actors do a good job of authentically portraying confused youngsters given a surprise gift. The cinematic style doesn’t allow much room for breathtaking performances, but Russell, Jordan and especially DeHaan manage to avoid being annoying while keeping their child-like quality intact.

The biggest bump with “Chronicle” might be its unsubtle pilfering of “Akira,” the highly influential and much-adored 1988 anime film (and manga comic) that featured a similar take on telekinetic powers in the hands of teenagers.

The most obvious reference comes in the form of DeHaan’s character, who closely resembles the “Akira” character Tetsuo and his misdirected fury at the world and his mentors.

A few scenes, including a car-crushing scene and the finale, are direct reconstructions of scenes from “Akira.” This is not something the filmmakers, in particular Trank, have denied. Trank has admitted being a longtime fan and that the anime was indeed a major influence. Still, there’s a fine line between homage and rip-off, and “Chronicle” only just manages not to become a full-on rewrite.

“Chronicle” is surprising in almost every aspect. It shows that there are still new angles to be taken with both the teen and superhero genres. And, of course, you won’t likely come out of the theater complaining of seasickness like you did after “Cloverfield.”

And that’s always a good thing.

Chronicle
Directed by Josh Trank
Starring Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Kelly
120 minutes
English with Indonesian subtitles