I suspect that, whether they would admit or not, most people over the age of, say, twelve, are sick of superhero movies. There have been too many over the last fifteen years, and way too many of them have been bad. (That doesn’t mean we’re all not looking forward to The Avengers). When I was young and pretended to have super powers, the fun wasn’t pretending to be some costumed superhero faced with very specific situations (and villains); the joy was discovering these incredible powers, learning to harness them and then running wild with them (in imagination, of course; I confess to having no actual super powers, then or now).

Chronicle, to its great credit, develops this conceit above and beyond any of my lurid childhood dreams. Three very mature high schoolers (Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan) have a close encounter with some strange underground thing and before they know it, are learning how to move things, and later, themselves, through the power of their thoughts. This is the absolute essence of the super power mystique and the film shines as its protagonists gradually discover how to manipulate matter in ways that high schoolers would naturally lean toward. (Though thank goodness that they resist sexcapades such as those that filled the inept Zapped! and its sequel way back in the early ’80s).

The angst that fills Chronicle revolves around Andrew (DeHaan), whose home life is both horrible and pitiable. While the other guys believe the old adage that “with great power comes great responsibility,” Andrew is less picky about how to use his newfound skills. And since he is seriously socially underdeveloped, it is easy to see where the story is headed. When Andrew does finally go ballistic, it is heavy duty, and quite astonishingly effective. I’m not always a big fan of CGI effects, but the process really seems to work here; kudos to the computer people, the editor and the cinematographer who make the unbelievable seamless and real.

The film’s gimmick is the title. Everything is chronicled, mostly by Andrew’s camcorder, but also on other peoples’ and security cameras. This is done, I think, to tap into the zeitgeist of how people view the world today, yet it also creates a very private connection between the audience and the characters whose lives unspool on camera. The technique is cloying and annoyed me at times, yet I cannot deny its ultimate effectiveness, especially when Andrew loses control at the climax.

When I was a kid having super powers seemed like the coolest thing in the world. Chronicle starts with that feeling and then smartly, sensibly demonstrates the dangers that such power would bring, and the consequences. Josh Trank’s movie is a gem that doesn’t try to do too much, and achieves a great deal. It is thoughtful, provocative entertainment.  ✰ ✰ ✰ ½.  15 Feb. 2012.