The film is told documentary style with the most dorky among them, Andrew (Dane DeHaan), as the videographer who records everything. His mom is dying, his dad is a drunkard who beats him up and he also gets mauled by bullies in school. You’d think he’s the main character but there’s a twist in the story that will surprise you. His only friend is Matt (Alex Russell), his cousin who tells him to be more sociable. Matt has another friend, Steve (Michael B. Jordan), a popular jock who’s an achiever in and out of the classroom.
As a result of their life-changing encounter inside the hole, they acquire telekinetic powers like what Sissy Spacek had as “Carrie” in 1976. Andrew quickly becomes the most adept in harnessing his powers. They start using their skills by having fun while playing tricks on unsuspecting people. Soon, they learn how to fly. After Andrew causes an accident on a driver who’s following them, Matt sets up rules to make sure they don’t harm people. But Andrew’s sad and dark experiences cause him to think otherwise. He likens himself to a lion who’s the king of the jungle. Unfortunately for him, he has no Uncle Ben who’d tell him that “with great power comes great responsibilities”. In his case, power does corrupt.
The movie is the debut of Director Josh Trank. His docu style of presenting the narrative is not new since it’s been used before, mainly in horror flicks like “Blair Witch Project” and the “Paranormal Activity” series. This is the first time it’s used in a superhero flick like this and although it looks more like an artifice at the start, it helps get us directly into the action and fosters a sense of intimacy with the characters. It does have its limitations, which is why they have introduced a female character who’s also fascinated with the camera and, in the breathtaking spectacular climax, other video cameras are used as a source of forwarding the narrative.
The cast is composed of unknowns, neophytes mostly seen on TV, giving the proceedings an air of reality. The film is also somewhat of a coming-of-age story, with the teens dealing with their psychic powers instead of raging hormones. It poses the question: what if superpowers fall into the wrong hands, like a guy with plenty of emotional hang-ups in the case of Andrew. Made with a small budget of only $15 million, the movie became a sleeper hit as number one in the U.S. box office charts last weekend so we won’t be surprised if it’d would have a sequel.
