How Supervillains are Born in Chronicles

Reviewing the film "Chronicle" from 20th Century Fox starring Dane Dehaan, Alex Russell and directed by Josh Trank.

Ever wanted to see an upclose POV birth and downfall of a super powered villain? Well read on if you'd like to find out the connection between a misunderstood villain and a troubled teen?


The new movie from Fox details or chronicles the life of painfully shy Andrew Detmer who, when the film starts is tormented by his abusive father. His life generally sucks as he has problems at home and he gets bullied by the kids at school and even the neighborhood jerks.His only support comes from his best friend and cousin Matt as well as an old camera that he uses to record his daily life.

His life changes completely when he joins up with Matt and his friend Steve (played by the slickly named Michael B. Jordan) explore a hole in the ground that leads to a secret...

I'd like to spoil where their powers come from but I guess that wouldn't be fair right? So let's just say that they managed to find something that's related to Superman.

Viewer be warned, the movie follows the tradition of found tapes footages in the same vein as "Blairwitch Project" and "Cloverfield" so you really should come prepared. The good thing about the quality of this film is the fact that it does not have too much shaky scenes and if those "shakes" do appear, its really placed there to add more depth, realism and drama for the film. This holds true especially for the third act of the film where Andrew and Matt come to blows after Andrew's emotional breakdown.


While the storytelling approach for Chronicle might not automatically entice you, the film is gripping and holds you at the edge of your seat until the very last. In fact, during the press screening for the film, people were anticipating or waiting for additional scenes.

So why the bizarre title you might ask? Well simply put this is how the film struck me. Rather than focusing on how a young kid becoming a super hero after gaining super powers, this focuses more on what will happen when you put near godlike telekinetic powers at the hands of a frail young man, with a lot of emotional issues with no outlet and no moral compass.



Throughout the movie we see how Andrew is getting the bum rap and the short end of the stick which also makes him snap towards the end unleashing telekinetic fury like no other.

The visual effects for the movie were stunning as we get to see the POV of what its like to play in the skies as well as the fun that people could get if we all were telekinetic.

There are quite a few blips that snagged my radar for this movie. Obviously, it was short and kinda gave this "bitin" feel. Also there was also the issue of some cuts in the film. I could've sworn they shown a sexy girl covering her lady parts which was obviously absent in the final cut previewed.

Storywise, Matt was kind of a puss and I really think they gave too much power for Andrew which defeats the whole "The hero is an equal to the villain" premise.

Watch Chronicles if you want to go and get a completely different take on the superhero genre. If you're also looking for a thinking man's superhero movie, this is the shiznit as its got all the elements that you'll be needing or requiring.

Verdict: 8/10

Chronicle is out now in Cinemas around Manila; special thanks to 20th Century Fox