A surprisingly simple and genuine take on the tired superhero genre!

Three American high school boys discover they have the power of telekinesis; the ability to move objects with the power of the mind, after finding a mysterious object underground.
I was wary at first glance. Yet more shaky-cam “found footage” and a plot all too similar to a season seven X-Files episode by the name Rush. But with lots of rave reviews, I had to take a look.
Overall, I was pretty impressed! While it doesn’t make any genre defining changes, I was pleasantly surprised at how viable and original it was. Here is an original superhero origin story that feels genuine and doesn’t succumb to clichéd writing (I’m looking at you Hancock) Chronicle knows what it is, and does it well.
The first half of the movie we see the three boys toying with their powers like any boy probably would (I know I would…) and proves really good fun to watch. The later scenes become increasingly angry and eye-widening in scope.

The whole “shaky-cam” is actually executed really, really well, and puts most of these sorts of films to shame. While yes you can still argue “Why are they still filming this?” at times, when the boys master their powers on the camera itself the cinematography opens up into epic grandeur. It certainly beats the snot out of Cloverfield, not to mention the boys themselves are much more interesting than any of the cardboard cut-outs in that film!

It felt like a decent origin story of any classic superheroes, and the developing moralities when someone small is given impossible powers. Simple, but very effective.