Movie Diva Review: 'Chronicle'

I did not want to see this movie. Really, I didn't. But the choices this week were slim and I had to see something, so I (grudgingly) decided to go with "Chronicle."

I am very glad I did.

Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan) is an angry teenager, and he has every right to be. He has a horrible life. His mother is dying, his dad is abusive, and he's a target for every bully at school. For some reason, he buys a video camera to record his sad day-to-day life. The movie is mainly shot through the lens of his camera.

Andrew, along with his cousin Matt (Alex Russell) and Steve Montgomery (Michael B. Jordan) go into the woods during a party and stumble upon a big hole in the ground. Because they're teenage boys, they feel they have to go down into the deep, dark, scary hole and explore. They find an alien mass, and soon discover it gave them telekinetic powers.

As the boys strengthen their powers, they become extremely close friends. But they also learn it's difficult to control yourself when you can do almost anything, and no one is able to stop you.

This is a great sci-fi thriller with impressive special effects. It's quick – fewer than 90 minutes – and moves at such an efficient pace that you don't have time to become bored, or tired of the "found footage" style.

I give "Chronicle" 3.5 out of 5 stars. It's rated PG-13.