Chronicle

*** out of ****

Directed by: Josh Trank

Starring: Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan, Alex Russell, Michael Kelly and Ashley Hinshaw

Running time: 84 minutes

Just when you thought that the found footage genre and tales of average Joes turning into superheroes could not salvage a scrap of original material anymore comes an innovative merge of both trends.

The sharply titled Chronicle begins as a filmed account of the life of Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan), a shy high-school senior who eats lunch by himself and is pummelled outside of homeroom. His alcoholic father (Michael Kelly) continues the bruising at home, while Andrew’s mother shrivels up from an unknown illness. The teen buys a camera to record the abuse and beat-downs.

But when Andrew, his obnoxious cousin Matt (Alex Russell) and cocky quarterback Steve (Friday Night Lights’ Michael B. Jordan) find a glowing, crystalline vessel in a hole in the ground outside a rave, they are transferred superhuman abilities.

Andrew’s camera records him and his pals exploring newfound powers of flight and telekinesis. Since our protagonist can move the camera with his mind, first-time director Josh Trank creatively works around the genre’s handheld limitations by letting the camera float in midair.

Their powers of invincibility are up for debate, though, as these teens are resistant to air pressure changes and can be flung into metal buildings without much injury.

The seniors, untouched by the heavy moral fortitudes of other young superheroes in the Peter Parker canon, decide to have fun with their abilities. They play pranks on wide-eyed shoppers and try to impress cute girls. However, they abuse their powers at great lengths and to poor means.

Chronicle’s screenplay and original story come from Max Landis, son of director John of Blues Brothers and Animal House fame. Not only does Landis’s dialogue capture the casual cadence of teenage conversation, but his story revolves around a compelling protagonist.

DeHaan, with a grave face and perturbed demeanor, hooks you in, walking a fine line between sweetly vulnerable and maniacally dangerous. Andrew is flawed and miserable, with an intriguing emotional arc, and his decision-making is often frustratingly irrational. His unpredictable impulses make Andrew identifiable even when his heroic armour is hard to spot.

This is an atypical superhero film, as the monster comes from within the protagonist and not from a heavily costumed, world-domination-seeking entity in the outside world. These superteens are mischievous, and in Andrew’s case, disturbed.

At moments, though, Chronicle's found-footage gimmick becomes contrived. If each scene relies on the untampered naturalism of raw footage, why are there frequent jump cuts? Regardless, Trank has a sharp eye, and utilizes the most of a $12 million budget with grand visual effects work, especially in a thrilling battle-in-downtown-Seattle finale.

Anchored by a strong young cast, Chronicle is not just a dazzling mould of science-fiction, found footage and high school drama, but also a compelling glimpse into teenage social behaviour.