CHRONICLE (Rated PG-13)

The essential account of “Chronicle” is how a trio of high school seniors acquires superpowers and then goes about the business of handling the moral complications.

In some respects, this story, as written by Max Landis (son of director John Landis), parallels in elemental ways the strangely unique powers of those kids in the recent “X-Men” films.

The fundamental difference between “Chronicle” and “X-Men” is that the kids in the former are not accustomed to their sudden newfound abilities and could desperately use the tutelage of Professor Xavier.

“Chronicle” also has a similarity with “Cloverfield” and “The Blair Witch Project,” where the hand-held camera, at times a bit jittery, records the action.

Andrew (Dane DeHaan), the least mature of the group, is also the most insecure. He uses a hand-held camera to record his life, initially for the purpose of documenting the abuse he suffers at the hands of his mean-spirited alcoholic father.

Andrew’s only friend is his cousin Matt (Alex Russell), a brainy dude with a penchant for quoting Plato and other philosophers. Matt constantly makes efforts to bring Andrew out of his self-imposed bubble.

The cool cat in the trio is easygoing Steve (Michael B. Jordan), a popular and charismatic athlete who’s running for class president, the likely front runner for any school election.

Normally, these three guys probably wouldn’t hang together, but fate draws them to a strange subterranean passageway where they encounter a glowing crystalline object.

Soon thereafter, they discover uncanny telekinetic powers to move small objects, from building a tower of Legos without the use of hands to stopping a baseball in midair.

With Andrew invariably taping their experiments, the guys elevate their innovative skill to a series of amiable pranks, as if they were filming their tricks for an episode of “Candid Camera.”

Boys being boys, it’s amusing when they remotely set off a leaf-blower to lift the skirts of cute cheerleaders or bewilder a grocery shopper by moving her car to a different spot in the parking lot.

As the sensible, levelheaded sort, Matt wisely attempts to convince his pals that their talent for moving objects carries a moral responsibility to not do harm to others.

At first, caution is exercised, but the desire to impress classmates becomes too overwhelming. Having never been popular, Andrew finds validation in a school talent show with impressive card tricks and juggling.

But the endeavor to honor a conscientious moral code becomes increasingly difficult when they are able to levitate themselves and fly through the clouds like Superman.

Distressed by his troubled home life, where his dying mother is hooked up to an oxygen tube, Andrew is more susceptible to the dark side of his supernatural gifts. His anger at the world is palpable and fierce.

Naturally, Andrew’s first instinct is to strike back at his abusive dad and to confront the vicious neighborhood bullies with a bit of comeuppance.

Then, the tone of “Chronicle” shifts to a darker, sinister place when it begins to chronicle, through Andrew’s ever-present camera, a mindset out of control.

From using his mind to crush cars and rob gas stations, Andrew graduates to full-on rage against society in general. An attack on the Seattle Space Needle fits into the pattern of destructive behavior.

“Chronicle” moves inexorably from the genial practical jokes to a climactic showdown in downtown Seattle that looks like a particularly nasty and violent alien invasion.

In the end, this science-fiction thriller is a cautionary tale about the corrupting influence of absolute power, but it’s got a lot of impressive destructive action to make the moral lesson attractive to thrill seekers.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

This column has plugged the great old TV series on many occasions, including “Mannix,” the action-packed detective drama starring Mike Connors.

“Mannix: The Sixth Season,” including all the high-speed car chases, flying bullets and fistfights, vividly demonstrates the show’s on-going appeal.

Connors’ streetwise Joe Mannix, a hard-boiled and gritty private eye, defies all the rules and protocols as he fights crime on the streets of Los Angeles.

Gail Fisher, as Mannix’s faithful secretary Peggy Fair, plays a more involved role in many of her boss’ cases than ever before. In one episode, she goes undercover as a hooker.

“Mannix” is one of the iconic TV series from the late Sixties and early Seventies. “The Sixth Season” is well worth having in one’s DVD collection of great detective dramas.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.