MY MOVIE WEEKwith Mike Shaw

Some time in the last 10 years, cinemas stopped showing trailers for lots of different films, and simply started rotating the same two or three over and over again. If you’ve been to the cinema in the last couple of months, you’ll have probably had to sit through trailers for This Means War, Man on a Ledge (possibly the stupidest movie title of all time), and the terrible new Orange advert featuring The Muppets more times than you care to remember.

What this does is make it easy to spot the hardened cinemagoers (they’re the ones who sigh audibly when they realise they are going to have to sit through a trailer for a film about a man on a ledge AGAIN); as well as the idiots (they’re the ones who laugh at the trailer for This Means War, even though nothing even close to humorous happens in it).

But the worst thing about this new practice, is how it means trailers for films without stupendous marketing budgets risk slipping through the net entirely – films like Chronicle, which came out last week to virtually no fanfare.

The casual moviegoer won’t have heard about Chronicle because it doesn’t have any big stars and it hasn’t been rammed down our throats every time we’ve been to the cinema for the last eight weeks. And that’s a huge shame, because people are going to miss out on seeing one of the best action films of the year.

From out of nowhere, this small film about three teenage boys who gain superpowers has crept up and it deserves your attention.

The film has a simple set-up that sees three teenage boys investigate a big hole in the woods and come back out again with telekinetic capabilities. However, as their abilities grow, they become more reckless. With great power comes great irresponsibility.

From being able to move Lego pieces with their mind, they quickly progress to being able to throw cars around and even fly.

Billed as a “found footage” film along the lines of Blair Witch or Cloverfield, the action is pieced together from footage shot by the youngsters themselves, keen to document their progression and the stunts they pull. There are also occasional quick-cuts from various other recording devices (CCTV, iPhones) which are incredibly effective and even during otherwise ridiculous scenes, lend a sense of reality. Yes, really.

The conceit works well for first time director Josh Trank who has been able to make this sort-of superhero film on a small budget but with studio support. It has the best of both worlds – an indie vibe but with an expensive polish.

He cleverly gets around the problem of having to have someone behind the camera at all times by quickly establishing that the boys can control the camera using their powers, meaning that any and all shots are possible. Smart thinking.

The trio have fun messing about with the powers, pranking housewives and terrifying children, but it inevitably goes to their heads, and after one of the trio abuses his abilities and causes a rift in the friendship, problems start to arise and the action increases as the story quickly builds.

Chronicle isn’t just all about the action though, it also boasts some excellent performances, not least from outsider Andrew (Dane DeHaan) who is the main protagonist and has more than a hint of Leonardo DiCaprio about both his features and his acting.

A boy with an abusive drunk dad and a bed-ridden mum hooked up to an oxygen tank, his story arc is the most gripping and believable of them all... once you factor out the flying and everything.

It’s not a perfect film by any means – the denouement is pretty much like any superhero film you’ve ever seen, and there are a couple of plot holes, but these problems are no bigger than those you’d encounter in any other film dealing with the same kind of subject matter.

A new spin on a familiar concept, Chronicle manages to feel both familiar and unique.

The movie is rated 12A.

For local screenings for Chronicle, click here.