Have you ever imagined yourself with a special power? When I was a little boy, I used to dream I had the ability to fly, but only 6 feet off the ground. I did not know anyone who was that tall back then. In this movie, three high school friends discover they suddenly have superpowers. Within minutes of their realization, I was hooked into watching the guys as they goofed around with their new talent, just like typical high schoolers. What some refer to as the “found footage” movie genre, example being The Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield, it was put to good use here, creating a more stylish film. The audience is watching the movie, in a sense, through the lens of someone’s video camera. I was just glad the camera was steady in this case. As the friends Steve Montgomery, played by Michael B. Jordan (Hard Ball, Friday Night Lights-TV), Andrew Detmer, played by Dane DeHaan (The Front, The Layla Project) and Matt Garetty, played by Alex Russell (Almost Kings, Wasted on the Young) test their abilities, it does not take them long to explore just how far their power can be pushed. For me, this film played more like a documentary; that is how real the actors seemed to me as teenagers playing off of each other. In addition, the script was intelligent, without sinking into bland bantering, thanks to Max Landis (son of John Landis). I do not feel the trailer does justice to this movie; it really is more than a pseudo X-Men prequel type of movie.

2 3/4 stars