Monday, February 27, 2012

Movie Review: Chronicle



Ever wonder why comic book writers seem to insist on waiting until a character has cleared puberty to give them powers? Clark Kent never got sick, but typically the flying, strength, and whatnot waited until he was in high school to manifest. Peter Parker was in high school when he got the spider bite. X-Men all tend to be in high school when their mutant gene activates. It give them a certain level of maturity, but... well, you remember high school. After being assigned yet another russian novel to read and summarize in 10 pages, three major tests coming up, that girl you'd spent the last two months working up the nerve to ask out rejected you and then told all her friends, someone keyed your already crap car, after barely being allowed to pick your own clothes for most of your life you're now being pressured to pick a college that they insist will determine the whole course of your life... with all that and the usual hormone driven traumas, if you had super strength how would you have dealt with that bully trying to stuff you in a locker? When someone decides to toss you naked, across the gym shower because you're using "his" spot? Heck, when your tire goes flat miles from a phone on a rainy evening? Poorly, I expect.

Clark Kent and Peter Parker had loving parents. They were raised right. One of the three characters in "Chronicle" wasn't. His mother is dying of cancer. His father is a disabled fireman who drinks way too much and is abusive. Our movie starts with him getting a video camera to film his dad hitting him and to put a barrier between him and the world. Then he, his cousin, and a junior politician are granted telekinetic powers.

It's fun at first, sure. Making things move. Making things float. Making YOURSELF fly! Before long you're asking yourself "What Would Professor X Do?" But after a bad day there's some jerk in a truck with a gun rack and a confederate flag tailgating your car with his brights on. You only meant to give him a scare, but your powers are still new and you really expected that guard rail to be stronger than that. Shit. You can't help but think "Do, or do not. There is no try." as you try to lift that poor redneck excuse for an X-wing out of the river.

Accidents happen, sure. But, worse than that, what do you do when there's not enough money to pay for your mom's pain medication? Uncle Ben was shot. Jonathan Kent had a heart attack. Both nice quick ends. Cancer... cancer makes you wonder why the pharmacy doesn't carry cyanide tablets. How do you get $700+ buck for pain meds when dad drinks all his disability insurance away? Not by being a hero.

I liked this movie. When it came out a few weeks back I had to hunt down a trailer for it because I'd never heard of it before. And I was expecting a "power corrupts" message as all three kids slowly unleashed their dark side. Instead only one went bad and for reasons that had nothing to do with his powers.

I will be getting this movie on DVD. And I encourage anyone who is tired of seeing yet another superhero reboot or an adaptation of a 70 year old comic book character to go see it.

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