I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this film. Excellent directing, screenplay, cinematography and editing. Casting and performances were perfect, especially Dane DeHaan, who's screen presence is incredible in this film. The simplistic teen-target audience I understand, but I would've liked this to be a bit more mature. Still, a nice little gem and a well deserved 8/10 from me.

Chronicle is a found footage film although by the end of the film you might be wondering who was taking the footage by that point.

The film was co-written by Max Landis (son of John Landis) It follows three Seattle high school students. Andrew (Dane DeHaan) is socially awkward, bullied and always armed with a camcorder, his cousin Matt (Alex Russell) and more popular Steve (Michael B Jordan.)

The trio form a bond after gaining telekinetic abilities from an unknown rock. They first use their abilities for mischief and personal gain. They realise that they need to form rules as to how to use their powers but Andrew whose powers are strongest becomes increasingly unstable.

The film has elements of the film Carrie as the geek turns on the people who are oppressing him including his father. The film begins with the superhero origins scenario as the group realise that with great powers come great responsibility which is subverted by Andrew whose inner demons are coming out in the open. However you see it all coming as the trio begin to conflict with each other leading to an epic super battle at the end.

You then realise that the film has nothing much to offer and went through all the normal plot points in a predictable fashion.

I'll admit to having a soft spot for found footage horror films and shot-on-camcorder outings; I find them inventive and a breath of fresh air when compared to the latest x million budget Hollywood blockbuster. There's something raw and down to earth about making movies on a seeming shoestring, something that gets back to the heart of what filmmaking is all about in the first place.

I'd seen the trailer for CHRONICLE and I'll admit that it impressed me, intriguing it with its potential storyline of ordinary American teenagers discovering extraordinary powers. In essence, this takes the same type of ideas as many of the superhero films floating around cinema screens at the moment and presents them in a far more realistic way, showing the effect of ultimate power on ordinary minds.

The film that follows is something of a mixed story. It starts out realistic but soon goes into some pretty offbeat places before it finishes up being precisely the type of OTT piece of spectacle that I was hoping it wouldn't turn out to be; when they drop the whole shot-on-camera look in favour of a cinematic style, the impact is lessened. The biggest problem, though, is the entire lack of a sympathetic character. The lead in particular is a whiny, maladjusted youth who I couldn't stand, and his supposed friends are little better.

There are still reasons to watch, not least the unorthodox approach to the material and some quite spectacular special effects work, but the film never reaches the heights it had the potential to reach. There's just way too much of the larking about/look at me stuff when it should have stuck with the serious, more realistic angle.