Synchronic - Audacious but Lacking

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“People assume that time is a straight progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly...timey wimey...stuff.” 

                                                                                                                    -Doctor Who 

               The concept of time travel has been a regular staple in the realm of science fiction. From Back to the Future, to The Terminator, all the way to Avengers: Endgame, the idea of moving freely through space and time at will has captivated people's curiosity. Unfortunately, some storytellers tend to assume that is enough to maintain audience engagement. Like Michael Bay’s fixation with explosions, some people assume that if you have enough of them, it will keep the audience hooked no matter how poorly thought out the narrative is or how bland the characters are. While today's subject, Synchronic, is not as awful or as boring as any of Michael Bay’s latest works, it does seem to think that its time travel concept is enough to detract from the lack of narrative texture and compelling characterization. There’s just enough of the two that prevent the film from being a complete waste of time, but not enough to be worthy of anything beyond a curious rental. 

 

            Taking place in Louisiana, the story follows a man named Steve (Anthony Mackie), a paramedic recently diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. He struggles to tell his best friend & partner, Dennis (Jamie Dornan), who is dealing with the disappearance of his daughter Brianna (Ally Loannides). After some strange reports of unusual deaths, Steve discovers that they are all connected to a strange drug called Synchronic: a brain-altering pill that apparently has the ability to chemically alter the very fabric of space and time for whoever ingests it, temporarily plopping them in the middle of a seemingly random time period, such as the ice age, or the sixteenth century. Brianna took one of these pills and, for reasons that are likely not scientifically sound, has been stuck somewhere in time, probably indefinitely. It now falls upon Steve to take the remaining pills and determine how and if he can bring Brianna back. 

 

            For the most part, the film is fairly solid. The cinematography is mostly pretty (albeit a bit too dark for my taste), the dialogue, when audible (more on that in a moment), is natural and flows well. The idea of playing with time as a nonlinear concept is my favorite version of the time travel narrative device. The biggest plus this film has is Anthony Mackie, one of my new favorite actors. His performance in this film showcases his real sense of range and talent as an actor. I have always believed in his ability ever since I first saw him in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (my favorite Marvel movie). I look forward to seeing Anthony Mackie in more projects, especially the upcoming Marvel show on Disney+. 

 

            Sadly, these good elements are not enough to overshadow the film's shortcomings. 

 

            As I hinted earlier, the sound mixing is atrocious. This is becoming a regular problem with many modern movies. For some reason, sound mixers seem to have forgotten the meaning of the word subtle. They keep cranking up the frequencies of background atmospheric sounds in favor of dialogue, causing the audience to crank up the volume to hear it only to be bombarded with loud noises less than five minutes later. This is becoming a pandemic in and of itself, and it seriously needs to be addressed. 

 

            However, the film's biggest problem, at least to me, is its lack of characterization. The story is heavily reliant on the relationships of the characters and their apparently sympathetic personalities. Sadly, while the characters' situations are easy to empathize with, it was not enough to keep me interested in their plight because the story failed to provide any tangible relationships between the characters. Sure, it’s heavily implied that they care for each other and have a strong bond, but it never feels like it, and there weren’t enough meaningful interactions between any of them to make me believe otherwise. The characters feel less like people and more like walking two-dimensional archetypes.

 

            Despite these issues, I still enjoyed the science fiction aspect of the story, and Anthony Mackie’s performance succeeded in making me continue giving the movie the benefit of the doubt. Sadly, despite his valiant effort, the film lacks the necessary elements to be completely engaging. I cannot recommend this movie for anything other than a curious rental. Check it out if you want, but consider yourself warned. 

 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.