This is a film that really commits to the concept of making a movie out of character’s video diaries. 

So to that end it’s got the vibe of Cloverfield (2008) or Blair Witch (1999).  It makes it pretty cleanly to the end without any footage that isn’t shot on some observer or character’s hand-held device, which is interesting in and of itself.

But this is basically one of those superhero movies that exist beyond the collective Marvel-DC universes – you know, the place from which we’ve had such gold as Hancock (2008), Kick Ass (2010), Sky High (2005), Mystery Men (2009) and maybe The Crow (1994). 

Having said that, it’s all origin story, no hero.  Dane DeHaan is great as Andrew, the most powerful of the telekinetics, and the relationship between the three unlikely teen-friends is fraught with emotional turmoil.  We’re talking a film that takes all the darkness of a super-back-story and uses it as the story.

The climactic ending is really interesting because of how it’s shot, and it’s described pretty well as “this is what superhero fights would look like if they were filmed by distant bystanders… just really weird people smashing into buildings and stuff.”

J* gives it 3 stars.

<review written in 2018>