I went into Chronicle with a lot of anticipation and was really excited to see it. I saw the first teaser trailer back in October or November and I was really intrigued. I also listed Chronicle as one of my most anticipated of 2012.
With that said, I found it to be mostly a big disappointment. I thought it was rushed, vague, and that it didn't reach the potential that it had going for it. I liked the characters and found that the only character that was really well developed, in comparison to the others, was Andrew (the one who starts using his powers for bad things).
Spoilers ahead. Beware.
The main thing I found so weird is how the three boys even got together. Andrew and Matt are cousins so that is how they know each other, but Steve just kind of pops in out of nowhere. They are all at a rave at an abandoned barn and Steve just happens to be with Matt who drags Andrew into finding out what was inside the hole in the ground. We also learn very quickly that the thing in the hole is what gives them their powers and nosebleeds. We never find out what it is or why it's there. You never see how they escaped the tunnel as the ground collapsed in on them just before the camera cuts out.
I also found it weird that Matt didn't know how bad Andrew's home life was. They were close cousins, ffs. Matt should have known that Andrew's mom was dying and that his dad was an abusive drunk. He acted so surprised when Andrew started going crazy and wanting to hurt people. The only one who had the right to be surprised was Steve.
And on top of all that Steve unexpectedly dies because of Andrew's temper. I hate to say this because I know how it sounds, but the movie didn't start getting interesting until Steve's death. That's when Andrew went mega crazy and the most stuff started happening. The use of multiple cameras (security cameras and home cameras) was really cool. I also did love the floating camera trick where Andrew used his powers to float the camera along with him so he and the other two boys could be seen at the same time. AND... the hospital scene where Andrew tries to kill his dad. I was in shock. That was the best scene in the whole movie. I am so happy that wasn't one of the scenes shown in the trailers and TV spots.
And I can't forget to mention that Andrew dies as well. Matt kills him by shooting a piece of a statue through his chest while he is attacking the whole city of Seattle. I found it odd that Matt was the only one of the three to live, but whatever. He had the most control and wasn't as strong as the others so I guess it works out. It ends with him saying he wants to find an answer and use his power to help people.
I feel like I'm just rambling on at this point. I don't know... Overall I wouldn't say it was bad but it wasn't anywhere near what I was expecting. The CGI was painfully average in some spots (specifically the baseball scene and the talent show scene), the flying scenes were ridiculous and over the top, the idea of them flying in general was retarded, and the pace was all off. Things happened way too fast with little to no explanation and it ended with the opening for a fucking sequel. Naturally.
I also don't like how just about every cool thing in the film was seen in the trailers and TV spots. The hospital scene I mentioned before and one other scene were about the only two things that you can't see in the trailers. Honestly, if you have seen both trailers, the online clips, and the TV spots for Chronicle you've practically seen the whole movie. You just wouldn't know that Andrew winds up in the hospital and that he and Steve die. That's about it.
It just wasn't what I expected and I'm kinda sad about that.
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