The defence The Auteur Devotee
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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Chronicle
Science Fiction · Drama · Thriller · 2012
Three high school students make an incredible discovery, leading to their developing uncanny powers beyond their understanding. As they learn to control their abilities and use them to their advantage, their lives start to spin out of control, and their darker sides begin to take over.
Movie details
Chronicle
“What are you capable of?”
2012 Science Fiction · Drama · Thriller 1h 24m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.9 / 10
Community rating
Three high school students make an incredible discovery, leading to their developing uncanny powers beyond their understanding. As they learn to control their abilities and use them to their advantage, their lives start to spin out of control, and their darker sides begin to take over.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Chronicle?
For the defence
The Auteur Devotee
“You watch the director, not the movie.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Disclosure Day
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A cybersecurity expert becomes a whistleblower after uncovering secrets about aliens, putting him on the run from a corporation. Meanwhile, a meteorologist experiencing strange phenomena joins forces with him to prove there's life beyond our understanding.
Coherence
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Four couples gather for dinner the night a mysterious and powerful comet passes overhead.
Enemy Mine
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A soldier from Earth crashlands on an alien world after sustaining battle damage. Eventually he encounters another survivor, but from the enemy species he was fighting; they band together to survive on this hostile world. In the end the human finds himself caring for his enemy in a completely unexpected way.
Midnight Special
Adventure · 2016
A father and son go on the run after the dad learns his child possesses special powers.
Project Almanac
Sci-fi · 2015
A group of teens discover secret plans of a time machine, and construct one. However, things start to get out of control.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Josh Trank
Written by
Max Landis · Josh Trank
Dane DeHaan
Andrew Detmer
Alex Russell
Matt Garetty
Michael B. Jordan
Steve Montgomery
Michael Kelly
Richard Detmer
Ashley Hinshaw
Casey Letter
Bo Petersen
Karen Detmer
Anna Wood
Monica
Court is in session
Put Chronicle on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.