It owes a great debt to the found-footage concept behind “The Blair Witch Project,” and probes the same sorts of philosophical notions about the burden of power that serve as the basis for the “X-Men” series. Yet, “Chronicle” still has enough energy and ingenuity to serve as thrilling entertainment all its own.

First-time feature director Josh Trank and writer Max Landis have come up with a clever way to tell a hand-held, point-of-view story without relying on the same headache-inducing shaky-cam techniques we so often must endure: The camera can levitate. Because the three teenagers who take turns operating it have acquired the power of telekinesis.

These are three recognizable high school types: nerdy loner Andrew (Dane DeHaan), popular athlete Steve (the charismatic Michael B. Jordan) and Matt (Alex Russell), Andrew’s scholarly cousin who falls somewhere in the middle. One night in the woods outside a party, they happen to come together to discover a glowing cosmic thing which fascinates them and also gives them the ability to move and manipulate things with their minds.

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