So I thought that since Chronicle and The Woman in Black came out the same weekend, I would do a "Vs. Review" of them together. Plus, I’ve gotten behind with the blog and have a lot to post in the upcoming days (reviews, 2011 Top Ten, & Academy Award Predictions), so this helps save time!
Chronicle is a low-budget film with unknown actors counting on word of mouth and an Eventful campaign to generate interest, much like the similar "Demand It" program for the original Paranormal Activity. Conversely, The Woman in Black boasts a bigger budget and big name stars, particularly in the post-Harry Potter teen heartthrob Daniel Radcliff, so frankly, it has more to prove.
The special effects in both films are believable for the extraordinary events they display. The Woman in Black was well-rewarded for the money they put into Visual FX, while Chronicle’s use of the much-disparaged handheld “shaky-cam” allowed the filmmakers to get away with more than they could have afforded in a more traditional format.
Chronicle is a low-budget film with unknown actors counting on word of mouth and an Eventful campaign to generate interest, much like the similar "Demand It" program for the original Paranormal Activity. Conversely, The Woman in Black boasts a bigger budget and big name stars, particularly in the post-Harry Potter teen heartthrob Daniel Radcliff, so frankly, it has more to prove.
The special effects in both films are believable for the extraordinary events they display. The Woman in Black was well-rewarded for the money they put into Visual FX, while Chronicle’s use of the much-disparaged handheld “shaky-cam” allowed the filmmakers to get away with more than they could have afforded in a more traditional format.
Speaking of the “found footage” style of filmmaking, I had some friends who got to see an advanced screening and said it gave them a headache. But then again, they were sitting in the third row about ten feet away from the screen. I personally thought Chronicle did a decent job of balancing the edge the style gives, while not making the audience nauseous. This is achieved in part through the ingenious decision to have Dane DeHaan’s character, the camera-loving Andrew, learn how to easily levitate the camera around the room, giving some evenness to the shaky-cam. (Ironically enough, Dane DeHaan and Daniel Radcliff will share the screen in 2013's Kill Your Darlings, along with shooting star, Elizabeth Olsen.)
And it is DeHaan who steals the show in Chronicle, despite being off-screen for a majority of the movie since he's mostly holding the camera. His downward spiral into darkness is believable and captures real, picked-on teen angst in way that is dramatic, avoiding what could have been an annoying character arch. In The Woman in Black, it is the haunted house that steals the show. It fills every minute of its screen-time with mysterious bumps and bangs, ominous rocking furniture, and creepy automated toys. In fact, the house takes almost all attention away from Daniel Radcliff, leaving him with nothing more to do than to squint into the darkness, searching for the source of the strange sounds (maybe you should have remembered your glasses, Harry!).
Which brings us to the major comparison between the two movies: the plot. Specifically, the plots ability to engage and entertain the audience. The Woman in Black has a decent premise, but one which is never fleshed out and resorts to stereotypical, played out horror movie clichés. It has its moments, but overall feels like so many other haunted house films we have seen. It offers nothing new to the genre and nothing original to the audience. Chronicle, on the other hand, is a different case altogether. Allow me to let a reviewer from my favorite movie-news website, Comingsoon.net, explain:
“To me, the amazing thing about Chronicle is the fact that it’s not doing anything new, but it’s doing it all in a way that feels new. Unbreakable gave us a reality based look at people developing superpowers. The same goes with the early episodes of Heroes. Kick-Ass gave us teenagers trying to become superheroes and the real results of what might happen if they attempted that. And, of course, you have the classic story of the picked-on kid becoming the hero in Spider-Man. Chronicle takes all of that and wraps it in the ‘found footage’ format of Cloverfield. The end result is a great comic book movie that never had a comic book.” – Scott Chitwood
Finally, side characters in Chronicle such as Alex Russell (Bait), Michael B. Jordan (Red Tails), and Michael Kelly (The Adjustment Bureau) do decently, while the cast of The Woman in Black, more trained actors like Ciaran Hinds (The Debt) and Roger Allam (V for Vendetta), are more exceptional, as expected. Also, both films have conclusion problems. By the end of The Woman in Black, we simply don’t care about the twist ending, which was actually rather surprising. Chronicle also tires by the end for two main reasons: (1) The climactic battle switches back and forth between a number of handheld devices, finally falling into the shaky cam migraine trap the film had avoided up until that point. (2) The name “Andrew” is shouted legitimately 3,000 times during the Final Act. So annoying. Chronicle is the reason I will never name my son Andrew and may in fact hate all people named Andrew for the rest of my life.
Ultimately, both Chronicle and The Woman in Black are genre films. The difference is that while Chronicle is a film that doesn’t play by genre rules and breathes a new kind of life into the superhero film, The Woman in Black is a total slave to its genre, never developing enough individuality to stand apart from any other similar film.
The Final Word (Chronicle): Wait to rent it.
The Final World (The Woman in Black): Don’t bother.
And it is DeHaan who steals the show in Chronicle, despite being off-screen for a majority of the movie since he's mostly holding the camera. His downward spiral into darkness is believable and captures real, picked-on teen angst in way that is dramatic, avoiding what could have been an annoying character arch. In The Woman in Black, it is the haunted house that steals the show. It fills every minute of its screen-time with mysterious bumps and bangs, ominous rocking furniture, and creepy automated toys. In fact, the house takes almost all attention away from Daniel Radcliff, leaving him with nothing more to do than to squint into the darkness, searching for the source of the strange sounds (maybe you should have remembered your glasses, Harry!).
Which brings us to the major comparison between the two movies: the plot. Specifically, the plots ability to engage and entertain the audience. The Woman in Black has a decent premise, but one which is never fleshed out and resorts to stereotypical, played out horror movie clichés. It has its moments, but overall feels like so many other haunted house films we have seen. It offers nothing new to the genre and nothing original to the audience. Chronicle, on the other hand, is a different case altogether. Allow me to let a reviewer from my favorite movie-news website, Comingsoon.net, explain:
“To me, the amazing thing about Chronicle is the fact that it’s not doing anything new, but it’s doing it all in a way that feels new. Unbreakable gave us a reality based look at people developing superpowers. The same goes with the early episodes of Heroes. Kick-Ass gave us teenagers trying to become superheroes and the real results of what might happen if they attempted that. And, of course, you have the classic story of the picked-on kid becoming the hero in Spider-Man. Chronicle takes all of that and wraps it in the ‘found footage’ format of Cloverfield. The end result is a great comic book movie that never had a comic book.” – Scott Chitwood
Finally, side characters in Chronicle such as Alex Russell (Bait), Michael B. Jordan (Red Tails), and Michael Kelly (The Adjustment Bureau) do decently, while the cast of The Woman in Black, more trained actors like Ciaran Hinds (The Debt) and Roger Allam (V for Vendetta), are more exceptional, as expected. Also, both films have conclusion problems. By the end of The Woman in Black, we simply don’t care about the twist ending, which was actually rather surprising. Chronicle also tires by the end for two main reasons: (1) The climactic battle switches back and forth between a number of handheld devices, finally falling into the shaky cam migraine trap the film had avoided up until that point. (2) The name “Andrew” is shouted legitimately 3,000 times during the Final Act. So annoying. Chronicle is the reason I will never name my son Andrew and may in fact hate all people named Andrew for the rest of my life.
Ultimately, both Chronicle and The Woman in Black are genre films. The difference is that while Chronicle is a film that doesn’t play by genre rules and breathes a new kind of life into the superhero film, The Woman in Black is a total slave to its genre, never developing enough individuality to stand apart from any other similar film.
The Final Word (Chronicle): Wait to rent it.
The Final World (The Woman in Black): Don’t bother.
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