Sunday, February 19, 2012

Super Teen Angst

So on the recommendation of my brother, I went to see Chronicle this weekend.  Let me just say how unfortunate it is that this film has no advertising budget because it is really good.  [I think only saw one ad and I can't remember if that was on tv or in the theater.]  Anyway, Chronicle, through the artifice of  found footage, tells the story of three teen guys who encounter some unknown radioactive substance in the woods and soon discover they have super powers, namely telekinesis (the ability to move objects with their minds) and the ability to fly.  It's a superhero origin story, but without all the slick and tricked out gimmicks of comic book fodder.  Instead, these are ordinary teens who have ordinary problems and ordinary desires for their lives.  At first, having the super powers is just a fun way to pass the time.  Who wouldn't want to play football above the clouds?  But the movie also has a dark side.  Andrew, one of the three teens, has a lot of problems--his mother is dying, his father is an abusive alcoholic, and he is constantly picked on at school.  Seemingly very quiet, Andrew is actually  full of rage and has a healthy dose of narcissism (given his penchant to videotape everything), the stuff of which villains are made.  This film is a very smart and provocative alternative to typical superhero fare.  Go see it.

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