The filmmaking team of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have steadily become two of the most exciting voices to come out of independent cinema in the last decade. Films such as Spring and The Endless showcased their talents for pushing the boundaries of science fiction and horror within the confines of a very small budget. With their newest film Synchronic, the duo make a leap forward in terms of budget as well as star power, but they strangely do not find themselves pushing their creativity to the limits like one might expect. That’s not to say they are not doing some really inventive stuff in comparison to their peers. These two burrow down the rabbit hole of science fiction as they confront favorite topics such as time and alternate planes of existence. Joining them on this journey are Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan as Steve and Dennis, New Orleans paramedics and lifelong friends who are about to have their lives upended when a new synthetic drug called Synchronic hits the streets. While drugs can often be a risky endeavor, this one offers up a one-of-a-kind experience that is unpredictable.
It is with increasing frequency that Steve and Dennis are coming across unexplained injuries or deaths, and the common thread seems to be a little pouch of Synchronic on the scene. Stab wounds from ancient swords, spontaneous combustion and bites from non-native reptiles are just some of the events that leave the two puzzled. This is a lot to parse through on top of the personal struggles they are dealing with on the homefront. Dennis is a father to two daughters, one eighteen years old and the other still an infant, and is on unstable ground in his marriage to Tara (Katie Aselton) – sadly underdeveloped. Steve is an eternal bachelor looking to settle down after a lifetime of one night stands. He also just found out he has an inoperable brain tumor on his pineal gland, and the prognosis does not sound good. Their professional life crashes into the personal when Dennis’ elder daughter Brianna (Ally Ioannides) goes missing after it is said she took Synchronic. Tired of the drug ruining lives, Steve buys up all of the remaining stock in town and makes an intriguing discovery on his way to ridding himself of it.
Without getting too deep into spoilers or the specific machinations of the drug, Synchronic can be boiled down to “time travel in pill form.” From the opening scene, the unpredictable nature of when you might pop up on your trip can have some very dire consequences. The creativity on display during these early moments keeps you glued to the screen. As the story goes along and Steve starts figuring out the different facets of the drug, these fantastical elements get less daring and more heavy-handed as it explores the added peril of a black man traveling back in time. Steve feels he does not really have a choice but to keep exploring the properties of the drug if he wants to help locate Brianna. For a film with such trippy visuals and an audacious premise, it gets strangely conventional by the time the film ends. Benson and Moorhead have conditioned you into thinking that this film is going to be a major head trip, but there is not much here that would leave the average person puzzled. The film is still very much engrossing, but does not quite live up to the promise of the story.
One of the standout aspects of the narrative is the natural friendship on display between Steve and Dennis. They may not always like one another, but there is a deep love between the two that shines through during the quiet moments. Anthony Mackie is always a welcome sight in the MCU, but it is nice when he gets a chance to remind people what a strong performer he is in the average film. Dornan likewise delivers a vulnerable performance that gels well with what Mackie is doing. Even with the chemistry between these two, the script occasionally fails to develop the emotional moments to a place that serves as the gut punch they are intended to be. The directing duo have obviously stepped up when it comes to their visual eye, as many of the shots they compose are truly breathtaking with some seamless visual effects that are quite impressive. Yet, they seem to lack a sense of daring in their writing that accompanied their earlier efforts. Synchronic is a very good film, but it never quite hits a level of consistent greatness. The creative duo feel like they played it safe once they started dancing with a larger budget. Despite this, it offers up copious amounts of intrigue and thrills to make it worth a viewing.
Video Quality
Synchronic comes to Blu-Ray with a gorgeous AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Where the transfer really shines is the impressive level of detail in even the subtlest aspects. This film has a very stylized look with intentionally manipulated shots that are quite striking and crisp. Everything from the smallest facial details to the texture of the interior of the home is quite impressive. The cinematography features some nice pops of color with everything appearing very natural, outside of moments of artistic desaturation, including the greens of the foliage and the vivid hues in the production design. The color palette remains natural with a stark eye towards the decay of the city. The picture is mostly clear with only brief instances of murkiness during a few darker scenes. Black levels are admirable but could stand to be a bit deeper. Skin tones are natural throughout with some impeccable details present in certain shots. The film sports some luscious cinematography, and that is showcased pretty well here. Overall, this is quite a powerful transfer.
Audio Quality
The film comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that is quite powerful and well balanced. Environmental effects play a substantial role in the film, and this track brings these elements to life quite capably. The use of the rear channels to create a fully enveloping world works quite well. The directionality is quite precise so sounds always present as natural when coming from their respective points. Dialogue comes through crisp and clear without being overwhelmed by any of the other sounds. Activity in the low end delivers quite a jolt during much of the presentation. Well Go USA has delivered a fierce track for a film that capably brings the various locales to life.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Co-directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead and producer Dave Lawson Jr. provide a thoroughly entertaining commentary track for the film in which they discuss how the story came together, why they structured it in certain ways, the known inaccuracies within the film and much more. The input here helps you wrap your head around the movie a bit more.
- Making Of: A fifteen-minute featurette in which the cast and crew discuss the basic story, the characters in the film, creating the visual effects, shooting in New Orleans and more.
- Previsualization: An eight-minute piece set up by Benson and Moorhead that gives you a look at some of the initial ideas of how the visual effects would appear in the film, which basically consists of the creators roughly acting out what they want with rough special effects applied.
- VFX Breakdowns: A three-minute look at the small moments inserted to indicate the time travel aspects of the story and how they rendered them.
- Deleted Scene: A minute-long unused scene is provided here which features Steve and his doctor. The scene itself is worth a watch.
- Alternate Ending: A thoroughly tongue-in-cheek presentation of a joke alternate ending to the film as contextualized by Benson and Moorhead. Good for a nice chuckle.
- Teaser: This minute-and-a-half teaser trailer does a nice job of making you very intrigued about the film.
- Trailer: The full two-and-a-half-minute trailer is effective in giving you a taste of what this crazy film has in store for you.
Final Thoughts
Synchronic is not Benson and Moorhead at their very best, but their imagination once again brings a lot of fun ideas to the screen. While their visual eye is stronger than ever, it is the relationship between Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan that brings out the best in the film. Well Go USA has delivered a very solid Blu-Ray with great A/V presentation and some enthralling special features. This is recommended for anyone looking for a solid, inventive science fiction narrative. Recommended
Synchronic is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Well Go USA has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
