What’s one of the biggest trends in blockbusters at the moment? If you said Superheroes, well done have a peanut. The superhero movie has really exploded in the last decade, though especially in the latter half.

The genre has evolved so much that we’ve had plenty of superhero comedies such as Kick-Ass and Super. But these are all fairly similar, and the genre may need a bit of a shake up. For that I give you Chronicle:

The film features a found-footage scenario however it seems to have toned down the motion and does not seem as unstable as say Cloverfield. Three annoying but fairly regular teenagers have acquired superpowers. Initially the film is presented as a comedy of sorts. This is refreshing as the antics that the trio get up to is in fact probably closer to a real-life reaction than almost immediately suiting up á la Spider-Man.

The trailer then shifts in tone and presents a darker look into what a person may do with such powers. From the trailer and general style presented it reminds me of Monsters (2010). The film has clearly been done on a limited $15 million budget and yet the effects still look pretty effective. They are just good enough that they probably won’t distract from the rest of the film too much.

The film is written by Max Landis (son of John Landis) and directed by newcomer Josh Trank at 20th Century Fox and seems to actually have something different to offer to the genre. Obviously we have seen in various super-villains what powers in the wrong hands are capable of. Chronicle however looks to be trying to show the transition into the ‘dark-side’. Whilst it is very possible it could turn out to be a massive dud I’m going to be optimistic and say this is one to keep your eye on.

Chronicle is due for release in February.

Want to write about the stuff you're passionate about and have your work read by an audience of over 10 million a month? Click here to become a contributor.

In this post: • • •