Chronicle **½ (PG-13)

Mark Glass | Feb 2, 2012, 2:14 p.m.

Chronicle

An interesting idea is a fine, if not essential, starting point for a movie. But once you establish a premise, you need a clear vision of where to let it run, and how your cast and cameras can carry out the plan to satisfactory advantage. Three teenage guys from Seattle (a loner nerd with a drunk dad and dying mom; a self-styled intellectual; and a cool popular dude) wander into the woods and find a mysterious hole. They hop in. They find some eerie formations and lights.

Cut to some time later, back in one’s home. The lights gave them telekinetic powers that seem to increase with practice and usage. Apart from a side-effect of nosebleeds, the boys enjoy their new toys, doing their best to keep their abilities a secret.

The film’s style begins with the nerd, who is using his new mini-cam to film everyone and everything, earning him more abuse than deference. That sets up our vantage point for a herky-jerky view of all that happens. At the risk of divulging too much, the old “power corrupts” adage becomes extremely prescient, especially once boys with baggage develop superhero-level abilities. The Blair Witch visuals yield to extremely fanciful actions, as the film devolves from speculative fiction to acid-trip action. The result is a film that’s intriguing until it runs amok. (2/3/12)