I have been waiting for months to watch this movie and last night I was finally able to watch it. For several years I have been a big fan of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, the directors of Synchronic. The first movie I watched from them was Resolution and it was a fun indie film exploring an original scifi topic.
Then Spring came out, which was also a fun movie although not very original in its scifi/fantasy topic. It was still a great mix between the genres of romance and dark fantasy. Finally, in 2017, my favorite movie from this duo came out, The Endless. This story takes place in the same universe as Resolution, and it explores so much more about weird stuff that happens in a very secluded area where members of a cult live.
The Endless was an amazing experience, and it was one of the most original scifi films of that year. It wasn't an indie and amateur flick like Resolution a few years before, it was rather a much more mature production with a more complex story and setting. This is why I was quite excited to watch their latest film Synchronic.
This movie is about 2 paramedics that are suddenly encountering more and more people dying after using a very mysterious drug. Strange events happen to people after consuming this drug such as being bitten by a snake that no one can find, a strange sword nailed in an apartment's wall, a completely burned body, and other weird things.
One of these paramedics gets very frustrated seeing all the damage this pill is causing and decides to buy all the available inventory from a store. As the story advances, several tragic events will force this guy to try the pill and see for himself what are its actual effects. What he discovers would be life-changing.
This pill is similar to a hallucinogen but not quite the same. It has an effect on how humans interact with time but since there is a proper explanation in the film I wouldn't want to spoil much about this. However, if you take a good look at the poster you can infer what the pill's effect really is.
The movie wasn't as fun as The Endless but it was good enough to justify a watch. The performance from the cast was cool and the scifi topic as well as the way it is approached is original. It has a few emotional moments but I was able to see these coming so it wasn't a surprise.
If a mix between drama and scifi sounds appealing to you then make sure to check this film out. However, in my personal ranking of films created by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, I think I would put this film in the second position, just above Spring. The Endless would be the undisputable number 1, and if you decide to check that film out, make sure to first watch The Resolution because they are deeply related.
The best
- Original and entertaining scifi topic.
- Good performance from the main actors.
The worst
- The story could have been deeper. It felt like it had more potential.
More information: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9016974/
Review: AAA
In numbers: 7.5/10