Andrew Detmer

" I'm an Apex Predator." - Andrew to Matt during their final confrontation.

Andrew Detmer
Full Name:	Andrew Detmer
Aliases:	Apex Predator Drew
Age:	17
Status:	Deceased
Known Relatives:	Karen Detmer (Mother) † Richard Detmer (Father) Matt Garetty (Cousin)
Hobbies:	Filming his life with his camera, drawing, hanging out with Matt and Steve, fixing computers
Powers and Abilities:	Telekinesis Flight Superhuman Strength Weather Manipulation (implied) Telekinetic Blasts Force Field Generation Detecting
Appearences:	Chronicle

Andrew "Drew" Detmer is the main antagonist of the 2012 film Chronicle.

He served as the main protagonist for the first half of the film, until going down a darker path and looking out only for himself and his family for the second half of the film.

He was a high school senior who began videotaping his daily life. At home, he was emotionally and physically abused by his alcoholic father, who was bitter about a firefighting injury that forced him into retirement, and his mother was dying from cancer. At school Andrew was unpopular, friendless, and constantly bullied, but had two friends in the form of his cousin Matt Garetty and Steve Montgomery. All three discovered a strange crystalline structure in a cavern during a party in the wilderness, which imbued them all with special abilities. As they refined their powers through training, Andrew himself slowly became corrupted as his life declined.

He was portrayed by Dane DeHaan.

The Discovery

The only person to be considered his friend prior to the events of the film was his cousin Matt, who only seems to hang out with Andrew because of familial ties.

The story begins when Andrew purchases his first camera and begins documenting his daily life which includes his loneliness at school and the bullying he experiences there, as well as the verbal and physical abuse his father inflicts on him.

One day, Matt convinced him to go to a rave party at a barn called Haven Hills, where he is further bullied by an older man who sees Andrew filming the party and particularly a girl dancing on a table who happens to be the man's girlfriend.

After being threatened and spit on by the older man, Andrew resigns outside and sits alone by a tree sobbing when he's approached by Steve, the school's popular quarterback who is also running for class president. Steve tells him he's been hanging out with Matt during the party and the two of them had discovered something interesting in the woods nearby. He asks Andrew why he's crying and asks if Andrew would like to join him and Matt. Andrew agrees.

The three explore a mysterious hole in the ground that emits a strange noise. The three boys enter the hole with Andrew doubting that they'll make it and telling them that they probably shouldn't go in, but Steve jumps in without listening to Andrew, and Matt soon follows after, with Andrew reluctantly going after them. When he catches up they then encounter a large, blue, glowing, crystalline object. Andrew's camera starts to act erratically, presumably from magnetic interference in the proximity of the object. The trio observe odd behavior of the object including what appears to be its own gravitational pull (with beads of sweat floating from Steve towards the object) and subtle movement of the roots/tendrils attached to the object towards anybody that touches it. The object then turns a bright red, and from a distance it almost looks like a face. Andrew's camera breaks and shorts out, and based on the footage, the three of them are ejected from the cavern. It also appears that Andrew's first camera was lost in the event, as the trio later return to the hole in the ground only to find it has caved in and Steve comments that Andrew's camera was still in there.

A while later, the boys discover they have developed extraordinary powers from the events in the cavern and begin to exercise their abilities with progressively greater strength and agility. They throw around an old baseball and Andrew is the first to demonstrate any signs of powers by floating the baseball in the air. However, they experience nosebleeds whenever they over-exert themselves, with Matt hypothesizing that their abilities function similar to any muscular development: that it's possible to injure themselves if they take on more than they can handle before they're ready. They eventually find out that they have telekinesis, "the ability to move, lift, vibrate, spin, bend, break, or impact objects using nonphysical means".

The Fun Begins

While the trio explores the extent of their abilities, they bond closely with each other. After a series of committing a series of practical jokes on some store patrons, and moving a woman's car in a parking lot while she's shopping, Andrew later goes too far when he attempts to stop a car but ends up knocking a hostile driver off the road because he was tailgating the boys. This compels Matt to establish a set of rules, which limits their use of abilities, that they need to follow including: "no using it on living things, no using it when they're angry, and no longer using their abilities in public".

Some time later, Matt gets a text from Steve inviting him and Andrew to a random junkyard. When they arrive, Matt receives another text telling them to "look up". Where they see that Steve has gained the ability to fly and he teaches them how to do the same. Andrew learns it with ease, even taking some small rocks and debris up with him while on the other hand, Matt can't get off the ground, eventually picking up the ability after several tries and falling on his face. They set off high into the sky, playing football and trying different tricks. However, a passing passenger jet knocks Steve unconscious and he begins free-falling, but Andrew was able to save both Steve and his camera and land them safely on the ground. Matt crashes down a few minutes later. After the amazing new discovery, they all make a promise to go traveling around the world after graduation, with Andrew suggesting they go to Tibet first, since it's so peaceful and has a tranquil nature. Something that's juxtaposed to his chaotic and hostile life at home. Matt makes jokes about impressing the monks, but Steve agrees almost immediately.

Andrew with Steve drinking smoothies at the top of a building

Steve, wanting to help his new friend, encourages Andrew to enter The Talent Show, saying that he's "got talent" and tells him that he should try to get out and meet some people. Andrew amazes his peers by disguising his powers as a magic routine for which he receives a lot of praise. That night, Andrew, Matt, and Steve go to an afterparty, where the now-popular Andrew is the center of attention. He plays a game of beer pong and uses his powers to once again impress his classmates by landing all the balls in the cups. Later that evening, Andrew is approached by an old classmate named Monica, who takes him upstairs to "get to know him". While the two are in an upstairs room, Steve comes up with Andrew's camera, which he took from Matt, to congratulate him, only to see a disgusted Monica rushing out of the bedroom with vomit on her clothing. Steve tries to console an angry and embarrassed Andrew but is told to leave the room and "get out".

Rise Of The Apex Predator

Following the events of the party, Andrew feels embarrassed by what happened at the party and grows increasingly hostile towards those who have hurt him before. Eventually, his father discovers the camera Andrew has been using in his room one day, still recording Andrew's empty room. He accuses Andrew of being selfish and spending what little money they have which his dad claims is for school and medical bills. Andrew angrily retorts that he goes to public school and his father doesn't pay for that. Andrew uses his own money to buy things as well, such as his camera and food at the diner with Steve and Matt. Andrew accidentally calls Richard an idiot, causing Richard to stop in his rant. Angered by Andrew's response, his dad turns over the table between them and punches Andrew in the face, enraging Andrew and pushing him to fight back using his telekinesis to augment his physical strength. Andrew easily overpowers his dad, telling him that he could crush him, and then throws him across the room.

Shocked with the loss of control, Andrew flies away into the clouds above Seattle, most likely to calm himself down after the fight. Able to sense that he was in trouble, Steve sets out to find him, where he finds Andrew flying in the middle of a thunder storm. Steve tries to calm him down, but Andrew warns him to stay away, Steve doesn't leave out of concern for him. Andrew's temper increases and suddenly Steve gets struck by lightning and is instantly killed. The camera immediately turns to black.

At Steve's funeral, Matt confronts Andrew about Steve's death, and how suspicious the circumstances were, which Andrew denies. He later goes to Steve's grave, blaming himself for his death and asking for forgiveness. With the death of the only friend who cared about him, and the humiliation he endured at the party becoming public knowledge at school, the once-again unpopular Andrew becomes deeply embittered and begins to abuse his powers, dismembering a spider and later ripping the teeth out from his bully, Wayne.

Andrew examining the wisdom teeth that he telekinetically pulled out of the Wayne's mouth

Andrew goes to a junkyard, talking only to his camera about what he has been reading about natural selection and predators and prey. He compares his powers to an Apex Predator, which is an animal or being on top of the food chain or above everyone else in rank. He thinks that because of his powers, he can finally rise above his bullies and his problems and become something bigger and better. He says it "really means something" to him before displaying his powers by crushing an empty car. When his mother's condition deteriorates, Andrew, using Richard's firefighting suit as a disguise, attempts to pay for her medicine through robbing people. After robbing a store, its owner attempts to shoot Andrew, only for the latter to use his powers to throw away the gun. It discharges in the direction of a gas tank, resulting in an explosion that kills the store owner and severely injures Andrew.

Andrew brutally attacking a local pedestrian from his neighborhood for money

Andrew after reviewing the amount of money he had stolen

Later at the hospital, on his bedside, his enraged father informs an unconscious Andrew that his mother has died, blaming him for it entirely. Andrew is barely awake and is nearly comatose while Richard berates him and tells him everything he did to try to help was his fault. When Richard is about to strike him, Andrew suddenly awakens, glares at him, and blows out the outer wall of the hospital room. Meanwhile, at a birthday party with his girlfriend, Matt suffers an intense nosebleed and goes after Andrew, realizing that he is in trouble. When he arrives, and sees Andrew floating outside the hospital building, holding his dad by the leg, dropping him a few moments later, Matt launched into the air and catches him. Enraged by the fact that a man who has done nothing but harm was saved by the person who tried to constantly limit him, Andrew proceeds to wreak havoc across the city as he heads towards The Space Needle. Matt goes after him and tries to stop him, causing even more damage in the process, but Andrew now considering himself an "Apex Predator",

Andrew realizing that he is now an "Apex Predator"

won't listen and causes more mayhem, dragging Matt into an intense battle throughout the city.

The Final Battle

Matt kills Andrew

The Final Battle ensues, with Andrew and Matt crashing through buildings, the police soon get involved, however Andrew is able to shake them off easily using his powers. At one point, Andrew, wounded from the earlier explosion and exhausted from the fight, stumbles onto a rooftop and vomits, staggering around and attempting to rest. Matt then comes in and swoops him of the roof, crashing into another building and out into the middle of a square. Matt tries to stop Andrew, but the policemen fire at them, wounding Matt by putting a bullet through his hand, which only makes Andrew more enraged. Matt pleads Andrew to stop, but Andrew is unreachable, screaming in pain and rage as he blindly destroys everything around him. In an attempt to stop the seeming danger from spreading, Matt notices a statue behind Andrew wielding a spear, and launches the spear from the statue, right into Andrew's back and out through his chest, killing him instantly. Matt falls to the ground, tired and relieved. The police surround him but he gets up and flies away, leaving behind his girlfriend, family, and Andrew's body. Matt then goes to Tibet with Andrew's camera and talks to his dead cousin through the camera and tells him he'll try to use his powers for good and find out what happened to the three of them that night in the hole. Matt positions the camera so it can have a good view of the temples from the mountain he was on, apologizing to Andrew about killing him as well as telling him how much he loved him before flying away, leaving Andrew's camera behind so it can keep recording the view Andrew would have loved.

Powers and Abilities

Powers:

• Telekinesis: After Andrew, Matt, and Steve were exposed to the crystal, they soon gained incredible powers. Andrew is arguably the strongest of the trio as he seems to practice his powers more. He is able to move objects around him without physical interaction.
  • Flight: As Andrew is able to move and direct all objects with his will, he can also move himself as well. This results in him being able to fly at high speeds. He must wear winter coats, gloves, and hats due to the extremely cold temperature in the high atmosphere.
  • Psychic Blasts: As seen during the final battle, the two remaining survivors use their powers to create concussive blasts. Similarly, Andrew was able to shape his hand like a gun and pretend to pull the trigger which allowed him to focus his will into one very powerful blast which was enough to send a man flying backward with enough force to kill him due to whiplash.
  • Force Field Generation: The trio's powers allow them to create dermal force field around themselves of in order to protect themselves from physical harm. However, this power is not without limits, as they have to be aware of the danger to create the force field around them, otherwise they can be injured or die from their injuries.
  • Superhuman Strength: After being exposed to the crystal, using his telekinetic powers, he can increase his strength as when his father or attack, he was able to throw his father on the wall and then on the floor using his superhuman strength.
  • Detecting: This ability allows him to sense one another and acts as a warning siren that lets one know if the other is in trouble. This power manifests as (rather intense) nosebleeds whenever one of the three is using their powers at a vigorous levels. Although Steve claims to have heard Andrew's voice in his head which led Steve to him. Similarly, Matt had suffered the same nosebleeds along with a high pitch ringing which only he could seem to hear which could be another form informing each other of their peers being in danger.
  • Weather Manipulation (Possibly): Due to being the strongest of the trio, at one point in the movie Andrew may had displayed the power to redirect lightning during a lightning storm. The only time he (May have) used this power was when he accidentally kills Steve.

Abilities:

• Film-making: Throughout the film, Andrew displays amateur film-making skills.