I love a good movie, though ones that are typically popular are the big blockbusters with high budgets, great CG, and completely unrealistic stories that let us escape from our daily lives. I do enjoy them and they’re fun to get lost in, but sometimes I crave something that is a little more… real? It’s not that I’m looking for a totally realistic movie, but you have to admit that sometimes the way people react or the way scenarios come together in movies are pretty far fetched.
For example, recently I watched both The Martian and Interstellar, two space, sci-fi movies. I loved The Martian as it focused on the science and what could potentially happen if someone was stranded on Mars. Yes, it wasn’t totally accurate, but it also wasn’t too crazy. Interstellar, on the hand, went into total drama and crazy land at the end. It fell so far into the deep end that I couldn’t enjoy it.
So if you’re like me, who wants something different from the typical blockbuster movies, I have a few recommends.
If you like super hero movies… try Chronicle
Sure, there’s nothing realistic about super powers, but what has always bugged me is how people in movies react to them. Would an average person immediately don a costume and become a vigilante? Is that what people would really do?
Chronicle (trailer) was a refreshing change and focuses around three high school students who gain telekinetic powers after discovering an unknown object. And well, they act as teenagers do and first use their powers to prank people. Though they keep it a secret, they continue to use their powers and slowly become stronger. Over time, the power is abused and things go horribly wrong.
It’s also interesting that Chronicle is filmed in a way that makes it look like found footage. Most of the movie is from the view point of a camcorder that one of the characters uses to document everything. This can be annoying in some films, but it ends up working well since they can use their telekinesis to hold the camera and keep it steady.
