Andrew is a troubled teen with an abusive dad and a mother dying of cancer. He starts videotaping his life story, but that doesn't help turn things around; it merely attracts more mockery and bullying. At a party, Andrew's cousin Matt and popular kid Steve ask Andrew to come record something they found in the woods. They find and tape a hole that makes strange sounds, and when they climb in, they find something blue, glowing, and seemingly not of human origin. They get nose bleeds and black out, and weeks later, they begin showing off on camera telekinetic abilities they've developed. They try going back to the hole in the ground, but they find it sealed up by government officials. Their powers grow, with Andrew's growing fastest, but when Andrew shoves a car off the freeway into a lake, Matt and Steve begin reeling back the closeness of their friendship to Andrew, which makes him all the more angry and closed off. He attacks his father one night, and he flies off into a storm. Steve tries to talk him down, but he ends up struck by lightning, dead. Matt can't find proof that Andrew played a role in Steve's death, but Andrew is burdened by responsibility. His mother's cancer gets worse, so he turns to a life of crime, robbing from convenience stores and feeling empowered. Following another attack from his father while at his mother's bedside, Andrew causes a giant explosion, sending him on a city-wide rampage, with only Matt strong enough to stop him.
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Best part of story, including ending:
It's a superhero story unlike any ever told, with teenagers acting in a realistic manner. It's also a very clever implementation of the found-footage style.
Best scene in story:
The first scene in which Andrew, Matt, and Steve learn to fly, Andrew is almost struck by a plane and passes out in mid-air. We follow him down, and it's a hair-raising drop.
Opinion about the main character:
Andrew, despite turning to the dark side, is troubled for genuine reasons. He was dealt a bad hand by life, and so we maintain hope that he will end up turning good by film's end.
