Superpower delight

In most superhero origin stories, the characters get superpowers, spend a minute or two reveling in them, then are promptly distracted by the plot for the rest of the film. In “Chronicle,” when three high-schoolers get superpowers from a mysterious object in the ground, they do what any real person would.

They experiment with their new abilities, delighting in the fact that they actually have them. For about 40 minutes. It’s an indulgence that is essentially a triple dose of the best part of any superhero movie, and it’s wonderfully satisfying.

A conflict presents itself eventually, but rather than rushing itself, it grows organically from the events of the movie. In addition to the wonderful pacing, the way the movie is shot also works well.

The film is presented as “found footage,” a series of tapes filmed by the main character himself, but it’s not distracting like it was in “Cloverfield.”

“Chronicle” will have you gleefully sharing the pure joy of having superpowers, even as the characters deal with the sobering consequences.