Synchronic, movie (2019)
image © Excellent Adventures Productions
The Synchronic (2019) is a contemporary fantasy mystery film. The movie was reviewed by Kadmon.
Product: Synchronic, movie (2019)
Original title: Synchronic
Series: -
Setting: contemporary fantasy Earth
Product type: Film, Genre: contemporary fantasy mystery, Style: sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary fantasy, mystery, time travel
Release: Premiere: 2019.09.07 (Toronto International Film Festival), Release: 2020.10.23
Reviewer: Kadmon, Type: Male, 40s, Preferences: Immersive, logical story, consistent setting, prefers surprises to spoilers, prefers establishing elements before referencing them
Watched: very recent (2021.01), first time
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points)
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This is my review of Synchronic, a contemporary fantasy mystery movie from 2019. It's about a team of paramedics trying to stop the spread of a new, dangerous drug. The Synchronic film is interesting, I recommend it to fans of the genre.
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Review (spoiler-free) - Synchronic, movie (2019)
I don't think I've heard about the movie before running into it. The premise sounded interesting, so I gave it a try. I didn't watch the trailer.
The Synchronic movie is about a team of paramedics trying to stop the spread of a new, dangerous drug.
The concept of the story is interesting, basis of the plot is engaging. The basic concept would have been better if the creators put more thought into it. The final cut is interesting up to around the middle of the film, then it slows down, becomes predictable, and less coherent. There are no character arcs, there are some changes to the characters, but we don't see how they happen. There were no major logical problems.
The cinematography was good. The camera operator had a plan, and he knew what he is doing.
The characters are a little bland. The creators try to infuse some personality into them, but that is far from perfect. Their normal everyday interactions are mostly clichés. The actors were okay.
The music (by Jimmy LaValle) is okay.
Synchronic is an interesting contemporary fantasy mystery, I think fans of the genre will enjoy it.
My experience
I was mostly satisfied with Synchronic (2019).
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points). Synchronic is a well-made film.
Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points). Synchronic is interesting, I mostly liked it.
Rewatchability: Average. I think it's mostly the surprise of the story that makes you feel interested.
Chance of watching it again: Low. Now that I know the story, there's probably no need to watch it again.
Chance of watching a sequel: High. I'd probably watch it.
Synchronic, movie (2019)
image © Excellent Adventures Productions
Will you enjoy this?
If you like mystery or thriller movies, you might like Synchronic.
If you like time travel movies, you might like Synchronic.
If you don't mind illogical elements in your movies, you can enjoy this.
If you prefer visuals over story, you'll be probably bored by Synchronic, although it has some visually interesting scenes.
Watching for plot points
If you are interested in time travel stories, I think it's worth watching the Synchronic movie for the plot points.
Should you watch this on your own screen at home, or is it worth going to the cinema?
The visuals probably look better if you watch it in cinema, but the overall experience will be similar.
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Synchronic, movie (2019)
image © Excellent Adventures Productions
Review with spoilers - Synchronic, movie (2019)
I mostly liked the Synchronic movie.
Cover
The cover of the movie is good, it looks interesting, and it doesn't spoil the movie.
The trailer
The trailer is great, it's interesting, and it doesn't spoil the movie.
Promise of the first scene
A man and a woman takes a drug. They find themselves in dangerous places. I'd assume this is some kind of hallucination, if I wouldn't have read the premise.
Execution: This start didn't promise anything, so nothing was fulfilled.
Plot summary / Synopsis
A man and a woman takes a drug. The woman finds herself in a jungle. The man, as he goes up on the elevator when he finds himself above a desert, where he falls.
There's a paramedic (Anthony Mackie as Steve Denube), and his partner (Jamie Dornan as Dennis Dannelly) who receive calls to strange death cases involving a new drug (Synchronic). One victim gets stabbed to death with an old sword, one burnt alive, another get bitten by a snake that's not native.
The daughter of his partner (Ally Ioannides as Brianna Dannelly) also takes the drug, and she disappears.
The paramedic has terminal cancer, so to make something useful with his life, he decides to find the girl. He finds some doses of the drug at dealers. He even meets the chemist who created the drug, who later dies, probably commits suicide.
He takes the drug, and finds himself in a swamp, with a Spanish conquistador attacking him. Another try takes him into the Ice Age, where he meets a primitive man. On the next try he gets back to the 1920s. He comes to the realisation that the location where he takes the drug brings him to the same time.
He goes to the place where the girl took the drug, and ends up in a place where primitive men attack him.
Talking to his partner, they realise that the girl didn't take the drug at that place, and she left them a message on a rock they used to visit frequently.
The paramedic gets back to the past at the rock, finds the girl, gives her the last dose of the drug, allowing her to return to the present, while he will (probably) stay in the past.
The setting
Contemporary fantasy Earth, probably 2019.
There's a drug that enables the user to travel in time.
Synchronic, movie (2019)
image © Excellent Adventures Productions
Time travel
In this universe, the timeline is fixed, what happens in the past, already happened in the present. This means you can't change the future from the past.
The time travel drug
There's a drug that allows temporary time travel. After taking the drug, the traveller goes back in time, then gets back to the present after 15 minutes, if he doesn't leave the zone where the effect takes place.
The time travel doesn't change how high the traveller is compared to the ground, so those who take the drug in a skyscraper, fall from that height if the skyscraper is not there in the past.
Depending on the physical location, they get back to different time periods, but on the same location, they always get back to the same time period.
Touching an object that exist in both times can help as an anchor to get back to the proper time.
Most adults only go back in time as ghosts, because their pineal glands are mostly calcified. Kids can get through physically.
The message of the story
I'm not sure there's one.
The structure of the story
The scenes of the Synchronic film are played sequentially, following the same storyline. There are some flashbacks.
There is no single viewpoint character.
It has the usual arc of the dramatic structure - introduction, action, resolution.
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Things I liked
- The basic concept of connecting the time of arrival to the physical space is interesting.
- There was some interesting camera work in the movie.
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How does it compare to the other works of the creators?
From the creators (Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead), I've seen two previous films (Resolution (2012) and The Endless (2017)), and they were fun and interesting. Those were better than this.
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Synchronic, movie (2019)
image © Excellent Adventures Productions
Analysis of the story - Synchronic, movie (2019)
I mostly liked the story, I didn't find major problems that would have prevented me from enjoying Synchronic.
Problematic elements
- The characters are not established, so it's hard to feel empathy towards them. Their motivations are also missing, so we don't really understand why are they doing what they do.
- There's no real connection between the protagonist and the missing girl, so it's hard to get why does the protagonist risk his life to get her back.
- I didn't feel it established how the protagonist found the exact place where the missing daughter took her drug.
Unanswered questions
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Possibilities of improvement
- Cutting the scenes between the father and mother of the missing girl. While they add to their characters, but they are characters who do not add to the story, so cutting them would speed up the plot.
- Cutting the movie to be seen from the viewpoint of the paramedic might also improve it.
How it could have been better?
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Behind the scenes
Thoughts about the reviews of others
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Synchronic, movie (2019)
image © Excellent Adventures Productions
Uses for the film - Synchronic, movie (2019)
Plot
- There's a drug that allows temporary time travel.
- A kid disappears after taking some strange drug.
- Somebody gets trapped in the past with time travel. Others try to rescue him.
Scenes
Designs
Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas
- A friend of the team disappears due to some experiment / mystery. The friend gets into another time / teleported to another place / gets into a parallel dimension. There are some clues left for the character how could they go after the friend to rescue him.
Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas
Sudden appearance: While the fight is going on, at the beginning of a turn, at a random place, a new terrain feature appears, with a creature inside. If there's already a terrain feature at that place, they either merge if possible, or the new feature replaces the previous one. Any models in that place remain. The creature can be a human, some animal or a monster, and its actions are depending on the creature type. It is randomly controlled by the system.
Sudden disappearance: At the end of every turn, roll a d6. On the first 6, the creature disappears. On the next 6, the new terrain feature disappears, and the previous terrain feature re-appears.
Fighting force: In the new terrain feature, a whole fighting force appears. It can be either controlled by an additional player, or they act randomly.
Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)
Civilians: Human-sized (S3) modern (advanced) human female / male civilian.
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Similar stories - Synchronic, movie (2019)
Novels
Graphic novels
Movies
TV series & episodes
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Frequently asked questions - Synchronic, movie (2019)
Is the Synchronic film based on a book or comics?
No, Synchronic is not based on either books or comics.
Is the Synchronic film a remake or reboot?
No, the Synchronic film is neither a remake nor a reboot.
Is there a post credit scene in Synchronic? Does Synchronic have end credit scenes?
No, there's no post credit scene in Synchronic.
Where can I see Synchronic? What is Synchronic playing on? What streaming service is Synchronic on? Where can I watch Synchronic online? Is Synchronic available on Netflix? Is Synchronic on Amazon?
As of 2022.02.05, Synchronic is available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Microsoft Movies, Rakuten TV, YouTube.
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Resources - Synchronic, movie (2019)
Official
Well Go USA: Synchronic: Official article.
https://www.twitter.com/wellgousa
https://www.instagram.com/wellgousa
https://www.facebook.com/WellGoUSA
https://www.facebook.com/synchronicmovie
https://www.instagram.com/synchronicmovie
Information
IMDB: Synchronic (2019): Database article.
WikiPedia: Synchronic (film): Database article.
Letterboxd: Synchronic 2019: Database article.
Rotten Tomatoes: Synchronic 2019: Database article.
TVTropes: Synchronic 2019: Database article.
Creation
: Concept art article.¤
Reviews with no spoilers - Synchronic film (2019)
: Review video about the Synchronic film with no spoilers.¤
Reviews with spoilers - Synchronic film (2019)
: Review article of the Synchronic movie, with spoilers. Includes a very detailed plot summary.¤
Analysis - Synchronic movie (2019)
: Analysis video, explaining the finale of Synchronic.¤
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXyZeqb1aj8
RedLetterMedia: Half in the Bag: Synchronic, Promising Young Woman, and Psycho Goreman
https://letterboxd.com/impressionblend/film/synchronic/
https://twitter.com/ImpressionBlend/status/1371142754110214148
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqpcIyLjNZI
https://www.bilimkurgukulubu.com/sinema/film-incelemeleri/suc-gerilim-ve-zaman-yolculugu-synchronic/
https://twitter.com/bilimkurgukulup/status/1178371289813262339
https://www.facebook.com/bilimkurgukulubu/posts/3371792926194181
https://reeltimeflicks.com/2021/02/08/synchronic-2021/
https://twitter.com/ReelTimeFlicks/status/1358942311850328066
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLEmfeOFfHI/
https://www.yearsofterror.eu/2021/04/synchronic-2019-review/
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Buying the product - Synchronic, movie (2019)
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Have you seen the Synchronic film? How do you like the movie? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!
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