To quote an unrelated little film called Spiderman; “With great power, comes great responsibility.” In the new film Chronicle, which was released in American theaters on February 3rd, three high school students come into a strange kind of power, and have to learn to control it. But just as in any tale of the tragic downfall of a hero, one of the boys starts to abuse his newfound power, and brings down the world around him – literally.

The film is shown in a found-footage type of filming, as it starts with the main character Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan), a high school teenager who has bought a new video camera to start recording his experiences (as well as to document the abuse his father projects on him). When Andrew’s cousin Matt, a relatively well-known kid at school, invites him to a rave to give him exposure to new friends and more popular activities, Andrew decides to bring along his video camera. When he realizes he doesn’t really fit in, he sits outside with his video camera. This is where Andrew is approached by Steve (Michael B. Jordan), a star quarterback, and running president for the high school. Steve tells Andrew that he and Matt have found a strange sinkhole, and want to get their findings on film. Curiosity leads the three boys to crawl down the sinkhole, where they discover a strange, glowing crystal, which is never explained in the film, but does nothing but draw blood out of the boys’ noses, and attracts it to the crystals themselves.

The footage cuts out, and comes back, showing it is now weeks later, and Andrew has a new camera. While filming, the boys are showing that they know exert telekinetic abilities (in which, they can move objects with merely the force of their minds), and are testing them out by moving small objects; however, they find that when they over-exert their powers, they are stricken with nosebleeds. All is going well, and none of them really have a desire to use their power for more; that is, until they are on the road. While Steve is driving, a car happens to be behind his, and Andrew takes it upon himself to use his powers to move it; when he ends up pushing the car into a lake and nearly killing someone, the group realizes just how dangerous this power can be (and the audience sees the beginning of Andrew’s demise). They decide to set rules, stating they cannot use it on any living thing. The guys learn they can use their powers to fly, but they learn how to control it.

All seems to be going well, until, at a party, Andrew is embarrassed by a popular girl, and his anger starts to get the best of him, even when his own cousin and friend Steve try to console him. The rest of the movie basically follows the downfall of Andrew; where everything around him seems to be taking a toll on his anger control. He starts to refer to himself as the “apex predator”, when he realizes he has the most power in the group, and is most willing to use an excessive amount of it. Andrew soon estranges himself from the two others, and slowly but surely starts using his powers on various objects, people, and eventually, everything around him. The movie ends with a twisting, even eerie kind of shock, that leaves the viewer in disbelief, and even a bit of fear.

With the film’s opening weekend landing on the same weekend of the Super Bowl, the projected earnings of the movie were fairly low. However, to the surprise of many, as of February 9, 2012, the film had grossed $26,637,058 in North America and Canada, and $12,800,000 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $39,437,058. The film has gotten mostly positive reviews. With the only downfall being the possible motion sickness one might endure from the constant movement of the camera, the funny, action-filled, slightly dark Chronicle is sure to be a contender in the box office; as long as you don’t take the misleading previews as a reference.