American Akira . . . Just Kidding.

   I went with a few friends to see Chronicle last weekend because I have been hearing great things about it, and that is really the only thing out that I haven't seen yet or want to see. The big thing I want to tell people to not wait until DVD, Netflix, etc. to see this film. I understand that 10 bucks is quite steep, but there are scenes that are well worth seeing for the price (especially the flight ones).

    First I am going to talk about the basics of the movie. For those of you who don't know, this is the movie that stopped that potential train wreck of an American remake of the 80's anime, Akira (if you don't what Akira is, here is a link and below is a photo to help jog some memories). 

   Yay, right? I know. Now, after American Akira got canceled the movie Chronicle started to surface. I made fun of the movie because all it really seemed like was a replacement, but I was happily mistaken. Chronicle follows the same basic story of kids getting psychic powers and one of them going completely nuts, but it adds its own flair and fun to the pie. It is more of a relationship growth story between the characters than a telekinesis romp, which is refreshing to see for many reasons.

    One of my favorite parts of this movie was the filming-style. It was very MarbleHornets meets Paranormal Activity. How is this amazing? The fact that you get multiple, personal views on what is going on, and it humbles you as a watcher because you know nothing more than the characters do. Plus, you could feel the action unfold in the last 20 minutes or so – another reason why seeing it on the silver screen is a great idea. I had a friend disagree with me, though. He said that he didn't like the directing style, and if they were going to go all Blair Witch-y they should go all out. I threw the argument above at him, but I feel like this is just personal preference and he and I will never agree on this.Oh well!

    Onto something I didn't like about this movie: the fact that the kid who goes mental is abused and from a bad family background. It's not that I don't understand the logic that a kid who only knows pain will feel the need to dish it out, I do. But you know, people from well-to-do backgrounds can go crazy like that, too. After talking with a different friend last night I gained some more fuel for this argument. He explained how kids who know only pain may be more likely to try and do good with their powers because they how much it hurts, etc. Makes sense, right? Next he said that people who are raised in a good environment may go nuts in the way Andrew did because all they know is that comfortable life, and they want a new experience. Now, this is basically what he said; however, it was far more articulate.

    This movie is pretty much a must-see. I think is really gives example to how super power movies should be filmed, and how they should be played out. More focus on how the powers affect the users, and more focus on relationships.

   Here is a movie poster because pictures rock.