2012 Viewing Journal #8

"Chronicle"

'Chronicle' has much going for it, enough to warrant a strong recommendation for me. The performances work, the story is clever, the effects are fabulous and the narrative arc is terrific. The narrative structure, however, is a clear mess. And it nearly sinks the movie.

As a 'found footage' film, it simply breaks under the rules of the genre. The filmmakers paint themselves into corners at several points, and even venture into pure stupidity to sneak a first person camera perspective into scenes. The rest of the pros ultimately unseat this one con, and 'Chronicle' ends up being a pretty cool little movie. I only hope the eventual sequel either drops the 'found footage' conceit or figures out how to strengthen the logic of their choices.