Chronicle - worst movie of the year award

[DarthTom]

How was it supposed to play?? My only complaint was that the bullied kid didn't lose it sooner.

I dunno. Most super hero/super power films follow a strict formula. Person discovers he/she has super powers, the world/city/community in danger and they save the world.

Meh, ain't now big deal. Some folks liked it, and I didn't. It was just highly unusual for me to walk out of a movie.

 

[Brikar99]

How was it supposed to play?? My only complaint was that the bullied kid didn't lose it sooner.

I dunno. Most super hero/super power films follow a strict formula. Person discovers he/she has super powers, the world/city/community in danger and they save the world.

And if you'd bothered to watch the whole movie, it does follow that formula - for the secondary character. The main character is actually the villain of the piece.

 

[Daneel]

I guess I expected a more formula driven super-hero movie than the first 45 minutes of the movie had to offer.

You didn't like it because it wasn't a typical, formulaic superhero movie?

Myself, I quite enjoyed Chronicle. I thought it was an absorbing character study that revolved around the rise of a super-villain. As with all "found footage" films, I found it sometimes stretched credibility (there were a few moments where I found it a little hard to believe that they were still filming), but overall my complaints were minor. I highly recommend it.

 

[scnj]

How was it supposed to play?? My only complaint was that the bullied kid didn't lose it sooner.

I dunno. Most super hero/super power films follow a strict formula. Person discovers he/she has super powers, the world/city/community in danger and they save the world.

Meh, ain't now big deal. Some folks liked it, and I didn't. It was just highly unusual for me to walk out of a movie.

But why? I don't understand the idea of wanting to see something that you can predict the plot of beat for beat before watching.

 

[OmahaStar]

Tom, you need to make up your mind. Did you dislike it because it wasn't formula, or did you dislike it because it was formula? You said both. On the same page.

I loved this movie. It was the superhero origin film done right. It seems strange that someone would pay $22 to see a movie and walk out after just 45 minutes, then whine and bitch about how much it did/did not follow formula on the interwebs. What agenda are you pushing?

 

[RoJoHen]

What agenda are you pushing?

All of the agendas!

 

[JRoss]

I loved this film. I hadn't seen any commercials, only a poster for it. I read briefly about it and took the wife to see it.

There was a lot more swearing than I'd like to see, but otherwise fantastic. Through the use of a few different tricks, including the kids' powers to hold the camera and security footage, mobile cameras, etc. the story is told with fairly traditional camera work, despite being a "found footage" film.

Was the plot the most original? Not really. Did the pacing, acting and camera work deliver a fast-moving, thrilling work of cinema? Yes. This was the only film that I've ever seen that felt organic in its treatment of how a newly-empowered person would act. There was a real feeling of discovery.

And the climax. Good grief. This is film had it all. I love that it's set in one of my stomping grounds. Good to see a little mayhem somewhere that isn't Tokyo, LA or New York.

CHRISTOPHER: Go see it. Go see it now.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I'm trying to think back, but wasn't there some other movie where DarthTom was all, "This film didn't do what I expected, therefore I dislike it"? The real problem here is DarthTom bringing his baggage into the theater, rather than an open mind willing to experience something unexpected.

 

[Skellington]

Enjoyed it thoroughly. Found it to be a refreshingly new take on the superhero origin movie, and it did go to some interesting places as concerns the psychological effects of sudden empowerment on the three very distinct main characters. Also, it's a movie that knew better than to outstay its welcome. The 84 minutes felt like more, but in a good way; it's a very compact movie. The denouement was an entertaining surprise, too. Four out of five, I reckon.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I never once got the impression from the previews that this was going to be anything like a typical superhero movie.

Yeah, I got the impression they were going for subverting the genre in order to provide a twist for it.

 

[DarthTom]

I'm trying to think back, but wasn't there some other movie where DarthTom was all, "This film didn't do what I expected, therefore I dislike it"? The real problem here is DarthTom bringing his baggage into the theater, rather than an open mind willing to experience something unexpected.

Or, it's just a matter of personal opinion and taste. Some people utterly hate most sci-fi - I don't tell them they're bringing their 'baggage,' into their personal opinions.

 

[nightwind1]

I'm sorry you don't agree, but proclaiming it to be the worst movie of the year just because you didn't like the filming style is, in my opinion, ludicrous.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to express my opinion as fact. I guess teenager flicks have lost their appeal. Twilight was OK but this one just didn't work for me.

Well, THERE'S your problem. You thought Twilight was okay.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I'm trying to think back, but wasn't there some other movie where DarthTom was all, "This film didn't do what I expected, therefore I dislike it"? The real problem here is DarthTom bringing his baggage into the theater, rather than an open mind willing to experience something unexpected.

Or, it's just a matter of personal opinion and taste. Some people utterly hate most sci-fi - I don't tell them they're bringing their 'baggage,' into their personal opinions.

If someone says "I hate all x," then they are bringing their baggage to it.

Of course, someone who hates all x wouldn't be very bright to plunk down $22 for some more x.

 

[DarthTom]

If someone says "I hate all x," then they are bringing their baggage to it.

Of course, someone who hates all x wouldn't be very bright to plunk down $22 for some more x.

On the positive side the trailer for the film Battleship coming out this spring, makes the film look like it's going to be awesome.

 

[sojourner]

^Please tell me he didn't just type that.

 

[Balrog]

Twilight?! Battleship?!

Good Gawd! Your choices in movies makes me want to sprint to the theatre to see Chronicle.

 

[scnj]

I'm gonna see Battleship. I pay £15 a month for unlimited films, so I have nothing to lose. If it's bad, I'll leave. I'm reall only going for Liam Neeson.

 

[Sindatur]

Twilight?! Battleship?!

Good Gawd! Your choices in movies makes me want to sprint to the theatre to see Chronicle.

I have every faith that Battleship will be truly horrible, but, I gotta say, the Trailer I saw, they did a really good job making it look like a fun movie.

 

[RoJoHen]

I think Battleship will be on par with the last couple Transformers movies. I personally enjoy them, but I know a lot of people don't.

 

[Christopher]

Just got back from Chronicle, and it was pretty much fantastic. DarthTom, you really did yourself a disservice by not sticking around for the last 20-30 minutes, because their intensity and excitement more than make up for the more relaxed pace of the first half. There are some moments there of a type we've seen in action/superhero movies before, but that felt so much more intense here because of the documentary/near-first-person perspective really putting you in the moment. And to some extent it ultimately does become a hero/villain origin story, but it really takes the time to establish how and why these characters go from ordinary teens with banal concerns and limited imaginations to what they ultimately become.

More importantly, of course, the character drama is quite potent and effective. I don't understand how anyone could get the impression that this was meant to be an ordinary superhero film. I mean, it's an indie film for starters, not a studio blockbuster. It shouldn't be hard to figure out that it's taking a different approach to the concept. Essentially it's using the idea of superpowers (along with the idea of a verite/found-footage format) to tell a story about coming of age, the cycle of abuse, and the like. Maybe it's a metaphor for adolescence and maturity, how we discover new abilities and opportunities and have to figure out how to deal with them, with the difference between "heroes" and "villains" being whether we learn from our inevitable mistakes or just keep on making them and become trapped within them.