When Chronicle first hit theaters back in February, it was hailed as an exceedingly fresh and original take on a potentially difficult film to make successfully. From the actual execution of the film, to the marketing strategy that took advantage of social media and the internet age to make the film a $100 million success. That being said, it’s interesting to see whether the home video release of Chronicle can live up to the example the theatrical release set.

The short answer? Yes and no. Back in February, I wrote: “Thanks to clever direction, surprisingly solid effects and very snappy, slimmed-down storytelling, Chronicle is a very solid and wildly entertaining morality tale of how dangerous power truly is.” The important thing is this holds up on a second (and third) viewing, in fact it works even better. The holes in the storytelling seemingly have closed up a bit, and the “found footage” style definitely flows better on repeat viewings, making for a really terrific film.

The transfer onto Blu-ray looks and sounds superb. The visuals look crisp and the color palette works even better than it did in theaters. The sound, in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, is perfectly balanced, giving the film a very cinematic feel in the comfort of your own home.

Where the film runs into trouble is in the additional features. Like the actual film, the special features on Chronicle are extremely stripped-down, only this time it’s not in a good way. With no commentary, interviews, or behind-the-scenes looks at the filming and production of the film, the features here are really disappointing.

There is a short sequence of camera tests, which essentially show tricks from the film in a less-produced setting with non-actors, as well as a look at the “pre-viz” of some of the special effects sequences from the final act, in a very rough animated, 3D look that isn’t all that interesting to watch for more than ten seconds.

The central feature here is the so-called “director’s cut” of the film, which runs a total of five minutes longer than the theatrical release, mostly featuring extended scenes that don’t add much of anything to the story. There is one interesting moment featuring Andrew Detmer in a field that appears rather symbolic, but doesn’t flow well with the pace of the film, so I can see why it was cut.

The bottom line is the film looks and sounds fantastic. Chronicle improves on repeat viewings, which will be sure to please fans of the film, but lackluster supporting material makes it a hard release to explore outside of the actual 84-minute runtime.

Chronicle is currently available on Blu-ray and DVD.

SKIP/RENT/BUY: RENT IT