Found-footage films find a new champion in "Chronicle"

   Just when you thought found-footage movies lost their ingenuity, director Josh Trank and writer Max Landis give us a diverting treat. Unlike its predecessors, "Chronicle" doesn't require you bring your own barf bag. Trank managed to creatively bypass the usual shaky-cam cinematography of found-footage films. Sometimes you're so immersed in this mind-bender that you forget the movie's gimmick.

   From the first scene of the film, we can tell that life pretty much sucks for Andrew (Dane DeHaan). He's a teenage high school outcast with a dying mother and an abusive, alcoholic father. His cousin Matt (Alex Russell) is about the only friend he has besides the camera he carries around. The camera only adds to his isolation. 

   At a club party, Matt runs into the attractive Casey (Ashley Hinshaw), the counterbalance to the testosterone of the movie. She also carries a camera for her video blog. This is where the movie becomes unlike "Blair Witch Project" and "Cloverfield." The idea of "Chronicle" is that all shots come from a diegetic camera. Whether it be Casey's camera, Andrew's camera or a surveillance camera, we see through the world of the characters. 

   The big hole in the ground outside of the club intrigues Matt and Steve (Michael B. Jordan), a good-looking, charming candidate for class president. They lead the timid Andrew into the hole and down the oh-so-scary corridor. What lies beneath gives them the power they refer to as telekinesis. Unlike many comic book standards, the movie doesn't spend time on the exposition of its science fiction.

   The guys do what normal high school kids would do with superpowers: entertain themselves. Pranks. Shows. Competitions. Floating cameras. Football games in the sky. Watching them childishly play around with their powers is like watching a bunch of viral YouTube videos – it's captivatingly funny.

   The first half of the film is cheerful. It then takes a drastic turn as Andrew's dark anger shows itself. As they get stronger, moral centers are tested, and powers turn brutally destructive. It's too late to be responsible about it. The story presents an age-old quandary: if you had great powers, would you do good or evil?

   I can't give any more spoilers to this movie. You have to see it for yourself. The ending goes above and beyond – a little too much. Yet the compelling and formidable jaunt is certainly worth the ride. Actors DeHaan, Russell and Jordan all surpass expectations. Their believable acting and Landis' script presents a genuineness unfamiliar to action/science-fiction films. Director Josh Trank boasts a unique inventiveness by squeezing every possibility out of this movie: mirror angles, black screen with silence, falling cameras, dissimilar camera qualities. The cinematic concept that some feel is overused was portrayed fashionably in "Chronicle." 

   "Chronicle" starts off as a high school comedy and turns into a dark, character-based, riveting drama. The film's turn is a little much, but it makes for some refreshing surprises. Yes, found-footage films have been restored. I hope it lasts.