Review of Synchronic
midlandsmovies • January 30, 2021
Synchronic (2021) Dir. Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
After the disappointing Outside the Wire (our review here), Anthony Mackie returns in a more cerebral slice of sci-fi than that film, in a new mind-and-time-bending drama directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Resolution, The Endless).
Mackie plays Steve Denube, a paramedic working night shifts with his friend Dennis (Jamie Dornan), who together discover dead or injured people in mysterious mental states. The apparent cause is a new designer drug (Synchronic) that appears to alter users’ perception of reality.
Meanwhile, Dennis’ daughter (Ally Ioannides as Brianna) has gone missing and when Steve discovers he has a terminal illness he attempts to buy all the Synchronic in the city. But with his own time on earth limited, he gambles with the drug himself and stumbles upon the fact that it does a whole lot more than provide hallucinatory experiences.
Synchronic is another stab at a profound sci-fi from the directors, who infuse this (and their other flicks) with thought-provoking HG Wells and Lovecraftian story beats. And as we discover that the pill actually propels the user through time, Steve’s experiments see him jump backwards to the past meeting blade-wielding settlers as well as Woolly mammoths in frozen wastelands.
It’s undoubtedly well shot and as precise as you’d expect, yet as gifted as they are, the directors sometimes fail to create engaging characters despite their interesting and peculiar themes. The film’s takes a while to get going showing up its weakest element which is drama, pure and simple. The directors’ previous two films have suffered from much the same problem I felt as slow long essays on “deep” themes slow the film’s pace to a halt.
It’s cold delivery on screen made me feel that nothing seems to massively matter – or it’s certainly written that way – and I found myself, well, not caring about their outcome particularly. Is it bad the most emotional part by far is a sad sequence involving Steve’s dog rather than the missing child? I’d argue yes. Quite a problem indeed.
Steve’s adventures continue which lead to many time-travel mishaps and I appreciated how various time periods intersected, with the visuals really capturing the strange bending of reality. Definitely a highlight.
If you enjoyed the directors’ earlier work I think it’s guaranteed you’ll find things to enjoy in Synchronic. For me however, the flaws of their previous films have time-travelled over to this one creating a muddled film that could do with a prescribed dose of emotion. That said, given enough patience there are probably more positive side effects than negative consequences when taking a hit of Synchronic's deep themes.
★★★
Michael Sales
On Sunday 26th April Midlands Movies Editor Michael Sales & awards ceremony co-host Ed Stagg (BBC Radio) announced the nominations for the 2026 Midlands Movies Awards live from the Queen of Bradgate Vintage Cinema in Leicester. A big thanks was given to the entire Jury Panel of industry experts who gave up their precious time to watch a huge selection of creative projects and as always, had a difficult time choosing from the excellent number of films from the region. You can read the full list of nominations across all 16 categories below and watch our announcement videos here: Part 1 & Part 2 And please also check out our great awards partner Chrome Video Best Actress in a Leading Role Karendip Phull for Family Kate Bracken for The Lace Rachel Baker for Throwing Fruit Chloe Wade for How Long Sophie Bullock for Ma Prison Best Animated Film Of All the Things by Steff Lee Big Red by James Pyle Statue in the Garden by Qianhui Yu Butterfly by Jacob Christie Best Director Luke Worrall for The Waterline Lily Portman for Quiet Jack Richardson for Daniel’s Room Jonathan Hawes for Sorry We’re Closed Sophia Dall'Aglio for Man from Mars Best Documentary Nothing's Impossible by Jacob Thomas McClean A Birmingham Symphony by Jemma Saunders We Bring Light: Leicester's Diwali Legacy by Kieran Vyas The Sunshine Café by Jill Lampert Through the Viewfinder by William North Best Sound (Editing or Mixing) Neil Evans & his team for Artificial Insanity Alasdair Gretton for Dead on Distribution Deepanjali Patel for Earworm David Hamilton-Smith for The Pause Heidi Wilson for Of All The Things Best Actor in a Supporting Role Devon Junior for Lazar Tim Sparrow for Safety Net Shaiek Ahmed Rana for Family Luke Rollason for Quiet Peter Willoughby for A Story of Spring Best Visual & Special Effects Jake Wesley-Worrall for Soul Trader Steve Askey & team for The Correction Unit Nick Willett, Matt Burkey & Jayne Hyman for Black Goat JaqD SFX MUA, Mind Magic Studios and Ben Harker for Beyond the Witching Hour Pete Key, Jai Blanks and Jacob Christie for Countenance Best Cinematography Gary Rogers for The Pause Laurence Mason-Guetta for Sorry We’re Closed Ian Snape for Soul Trader Ash Connaughton for Daniel’s Room Duane Adamoli for Surfing (nominations continue below...)
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