Synchronic

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Jamie Dornan, Katie Aselton, Ally Ionnides, Ramiz Mousef
Directed by: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction
2020

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two paramedics (Anthony Mackie, Jamie Dornan) get pulled into a mystery when they discover a series of grisly deaths linked to a new narcotic.

Review:

Tim: I'd never heard of the directing duo of "Benson & Moorhead" before this film. I've seen several television episodes they directed, but I didn't catch The Endless or their other movies. I have to say, based on this film, they seem like competent directors still in the early stages of their career. Synchronic is a good film, but it probably overachieves just a bit. It looked like a forgettable film that no one saw and would soon be forgotten. That might be mostly true, but it's also entertaining and occasionally thought provoking. I wouldn't say I loved it by any stretch, but it held my attention and it was a solid piece of entertainment.

I found it interesting how the movie starts and it feels like a drama with some grisly bits of horror thrown in. We follow these two paramedics as they try to help people who have overdosed on a bizarre drug that leaves its victims dead, in unexpected and awful states. The early stages of the film focus on character development, so we do get to understand and connect with these characters. And then, subtly, over time, the movie introduces its science fiction elements. So, what starts out feeling like a straight drama eventually transitions into a time travel sci-fi film. Benson and Moorhead do a nice job of combining different genres so that Synchronic feels a bit hard to quantify. It feels like different films at different times. This also helps to hold your attention. The mystery is a compelling one and you never quite know where the story is going. It forces you to pay attention, which is always a good thing.

Some of the time travel aspects of the film felt a bit hard-to-believe. This is definitely a film that requires you to suspend your disbelief and not probe too deeply into the mechanics of the time travel device. It's unique in some ways, but it also feels a bit illogical at times. People who aren't willing to go where the film leads them would obviously struggle with the whole movie. I didn't always love the directions the movie took us in, but I was a willing participant. Justin Benson wrote the script and I give him credit for taking some chances. The time travel scenes are interesting. I might not have always bought into it, but it gives an interesting twist on the idea. Those scenes definitely held your attention and a general sense of unease and paranoia filled those moments. Time travel likely wouldn't be all that glamorous and this movie does a nice job of portraying that. I'm not quite sure how the pills actually worked- the explanations seemed a bit farfetched. But, you definitely want to see what happens next.

The main cast helps the movie a great deal. Anthony Mackie is an underrated actor. His performance here was solid- nothing remarkable, but it always worked. You become interested and invested in his character. Mackie's performance works and he manages to connect with the audience. I enjoyed what he did here and he is one of the bright spots of the film. I liked Jamie Dornan here, too. I'm less of a Dornan fan than a Mackie one, but Dornan deserves credit for a smart supporting performance here. It was genuinely fun to see Mackie and Dornan together. They made a good team- they felt like authentic friends, yet each could bristle easily at the other. These two together are a big reason why this movie works as well as it does.The rest of the cast is fine, but unremarkable.

Now, while I liked Synchronic, I feel strongly that the movie will quickly fade from my mind. It's a good film, but a year from now I'll have only the vaguest recollections of what the movie was about. Benson and Moorhead direct a film that does manage to hold your attention, but it has very little staying power. They've directed several movies together and based on this one, the quality likely is there. However, at this stage, they feel like competent directors lacking true vision or the required talent to build a truly great movie. I'm excited to see what else they do, though. It wouldn't surprise me if the quality of their films increase from here on out. As for this movie, you can do far worse- as I said, I liked the movie. However, if you skip it, you likely would never feel regret, either.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Endless, Outside the Wire