The new sci-fi drama Chronicle provides viewers with a fresh take on the “found footage” genre, leaving them satisfied with the change of pace.

Blending the over-the-shoulder, personal camera style with the always interesting superhero storyline provides an impressive outcome that fully encompasses the wonder of supernatural abilities.

Chronicle tells the story of Andrew (Dane DeHann, In Treatment), Matt (Alex Russell, Wasted on the Young) and Steve (Michael B. Jordan, Friday Night Lights), three boys who encounter a mysterious rock in the ground and are given supernatural abilities. The film focuses on the aftermath of this exposure and how the three of them continue to use and understand their new abilities. However, the real entertainment begins when chaos breaks loose amongst the characters.

What started out as simple pranks and fun discovery turns into something deadly as the boys begin to reveal their powers. This causes them to create a set of rules to abide by, but trouble arises when they begin to use their powers on their own terms.

The story is told through Andrew’s personal camera and countless others the three characters come across. While some dislike the idea of an over-the-shoulder production, it fits the script and the film’s high school setting. Every key aspect was caught on camera from the character’s perspective, allowing the audience to connect more with each character.

DeHann, Russell and Jordan, all fresh young actors, show that they are capable of great performances that really catch the audience’s attention. All the characters are easily relatable and very realistic in their performances, and it is easy to both cringe and laugh at the situations the teenagers face.

For the film’s $15 million dollar budget, the special effects are close to perfection. When objects are flying it’s crisp and realistic. They zoom through the sky so swiftly it almost looks possible in real life. This is a large step up from the choppy, fabricated look of low-budget films.

While both the found footage and superhero genres may seem exhausted at this point, Chronicle is a fresh look at each of these themes. The realism that the personal camera brings to the film leaves everyone yearning for the abilities that Andrew, Matt and Steve are given.

With characters that are easy to connect to and a story that is both fun and different, Chronicle is easily one of the best films of this year and one of the best “found footage” films of all time.