Chronicle
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: February 3, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
24
Mixed:
6
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleAmy BiancolliFeb 10, 2012
If the characters weren't so well drawn, if the effects weren't so convincing, and if the upshot weren't so ghastly, the moral component wouldn't carry any weight. But Trank tells his tale with an emotional and visual crispness that gives the superhero genre its best crack at naturalism so far. Read full review
91
Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanFeb 10, 2012
The most original and excitingly executed wow-factor-meets-handheld-video feature since "Blair Witch" itself. It's also a movie that rebuilds the power of special effects from the ground up. Read full review
88
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaFeb 10, 2012
Chronicle is full of smart writing that isn't too smart. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertFeb 10, 2012
John Trank's Chronicle grows into an uncommonly entertaining movie that involves elements of a superhero origin story, a science-fic­tion fantasy and a drama about a disturbed teenager. Read full review
83
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallFeb 10, 2012
Chronicle is so clever about the absurd, and so much fun to watch, that I'm almost disappointed the ending doesn't leave room for a sequel. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubScott TobiasFeb 10, 2012
Chronicle becomes what "Hancock" wanted to be - a dark superhero story with firm footing in the everyday. Perhaps now the found-footage gimmick has been fully exploited; let us never speak of it again. Read full review
80
Time OutKeith UhlichFeb 10, 2012
First-time director Josh Trank, working from a taut script by Max "Son of John" Landis, indulges in some wild, witty spectacle, but he's equally adept with the tale's grimmer elements, especially when the introverted Andrew unleashes his inner Magneto and uses the city of Seattle as his tear-it-apart emotional playground. Read full review
80
EmpireMark DinningFeb 10, 2012
A stunning superhero/sci-fi that has appeared out of nowhere to demand your immediate attention. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyFeb 10, 2012
This mind-and-fork-bending sci-fi saga comes from the freaky imaginations of director Josh Trank and screenwriter Max Landis, who've packed their feature debut with smartness. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenFeb 10, 2012
Chronicle may go over the top with its climax, but for such a giddy film, it's remarkably down to earth. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia PuigFeb 10, 2012
Bolstered by the natural performances of a trio of little-known actors, the very watchable Chronicle keeps us captive throughout. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter TraversFeb 10, 2012
Despite a gimmicky premise, Chronicle fuels its action with characters you can laugh with, understand and even take to heart. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliFeb 10, 2012
The cast is comprised of unfamiliar faces, which enhances the pseudo-reality of the milieu. The principals - Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, and Michael B. Jordan - are professional actors with credits (many on television) to their names. But they are not "known" stars and that allows them to be accepted with ease into these roles. Read full review
75
MovielineMichelle OrangeFeb 10, 2012
By the time he's putting the entire metro area on notice -- having thrashed his father and all the local bullies -- Andrew has no camera and the metaphor has run away with the story entirely. The crazy thing is it almost works. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeFeb 10, 2012
Unlike other mock documentaries, which unconvincingly pass themselves off as real, Chronicle cleverly embraces the format as shorthand for a new kind of naturalism, inviting audiences to suspend disbelief and join in the fantasy of being able to do anything with their minds. Read full review
70
Village VoiceAaron HillisFeb 10, 2012
Chronicle, with its found-footage storytelling and superpowered teens, at least playfully transcends its "Cloverfield meets Heroes" pitch. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyFeb 10, 2012
A clever twist on superpowers and hand-held filmmaking that stumbles before the ending. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla DargisFeb 10, 2012
Mr. DeHaan, whose vulnerability and physical awkwardness here can evoke the young Leonardo DiCaprio in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," is invaluable. Mr. Russell and Mr. Jordan are as likable as their characters, but it's Mr. DeHaan who pulls you uneasily in. Read full review
70
The New YorkerDavid DenbyFeb 10, 2012
Chronicle becomes a cautionary tale: power corrupts. Yes, and digital power corrupts absolutely. Andrew's sense of decency disappears, and so does the filmmakers' sense of humor. [13 & 20 Feb. 2012, p. 120]
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriFeb 10, 2012
Indeed, to even call Josh Trank's film a superhero movie seems wrong: Rather, it's about what the average teenage boy might actually do with superpowers - and there is very little heroism or villainy on display here. Chronicle's very lack of scope is its strength. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderBen SachsFeb 10, 2012
As pulp sci-fi this Fox release is pretty good, but it's also commendable for its sensitive depiction of adolescent behavior: even the bullying scenes avoid the caricature of most studio films. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzFeb 10, 2012
Chronicle plays like an extended episode of "The X-Files" might; DeHaan in particular comes off like one of the series' more-memorable characters. That's a compliment. It isn't a great movie, but one could imagine -- and hope -- that it becomes a cult favorite, outlasting other films of its ilk. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldConnie OgleFeb 10, 2012
Unfortunately, the film's climactic finale grows repetitive and goes on a little too long; once you've seen bodies flying and crashing through buildings once, you've seen it plenty. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy BurrFeb 10, 2012
Chronicle will never be mistaken for an artistic breakthrough, but it has a solid gimmick and pieces of it are brilliant. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierFeb 10, 2012
Chronicle is an energetic hodgepodge that tweaks familiar conventions just enough to seem fresh. Forget the X-Men - these are iHeroes. Read full review
50
Washington PostMark JenkinsFeb 10, 2012
A few more bucks (or a little more thought) for the script would have been a better investment than faking Seattle. The characters are introduced so quickly, and their personalities are so thin, that what happens to them has little weight. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenFeb 10, 2012
It's odd, how these high-concept films, knowing that the central gimmick has a way of wearing out its welcome, are all so short – a mere 84 minutes in this case. Why odd? Because short always ends up feeling so damn long. This is no exception. Quick to start and painfully slow to finish, Chronicle is the same old chronicle. Read full review
50
TimeRichard CorlissFeb 10, 2012
Simultaneously diverting and annoying. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineAndrew SchenkerFeb 10, 2012
Offers up little more than a tired morality play about the dangers of power, rehashing stale insights about the narcissism of the documentary impulse. Read full review
50
Boxoffice MagazineVadim RizovFeb 10, 2012
A messy if initially intriguing take on sci-fi-underpinned high school angst for the vlogging age, Chronicle eventually grows repetitive and stale. Read full review
38
New York PostKyle SmithFeb 10, 2012
With great power comes the responsibility to make a decent movie, but the mysterious force running through Chronicle is the power to supersuck. Read full review
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