Synchronic
Signature Entertainment | Release Date: October 23, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
6
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The PlaylistJason BaileySep 11, 2019
The kind of brainy, absorbing, all-out thrilling cinema that’s in dangerously short supply these days. Read full review
91
ConsequenceRyan LarsonOct 21, 2020
Synchronic splices together science fiction, heart, and humor to create one hell of a potion, one you’re going to soak up as soon as possible. Read full review
90
The New York TimesGlenn KennyOct 22, 2020
Moorhead and Benson don’t overlook the more amusing aspects of the scenario . . . . And the duo deliver shocks, scares and a resonant payoff. Read full review
80
EmpireDan JolinJan 26, 2021
A smart indie sci-fi which has much to say and some great ideas, all wrapped up in a designer-drug-based premise that makes it sound less interesting than it actually is. Read full review
80
We Got This CoveredMatt DonatoSep 11, 2019
Thrilling sci-fi exploration that ponders the melancholic state of self-worth, existence, and what it truly means to be alive. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerOct 21, 2020
This is not some whacked-out drug trip movie, or scolding afterschool anti-drug special. This is anti-psychedelia, grounded in the strangeness of true life. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy BurrOct 23, 2020
Opens itself up to some splendid drive-in philosophizing. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzOct 23, 2020
While it offers some gripping and/or darkly beautiful images, it's ultimately more about ideas than spectacle, proving (like every previous film by this team) that you don't need a gigantic amount of money to create an engrossing work of science fiction and/or fantasy. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperOct 22, 2020
Through the psychedelic journeys and the blood-spattered crime scenes and the brooding atmosphere, Synchronic is at heart a good old-fashioned buddy movie about two friends who will risk all for each other. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshOct 21, 2020
What makes Synchronic sing is the two together, zinging each other with sardonic one-liners, their conversations meandering to the cosmic and the macabre after a few whiskeys. Read full review
70
IGNMatt FowlerApr 20, 2021
Synchronic isn't a home run, but a decent time travel triple is always welcome. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeOct 22, 2020
Synchronic does allow its symbolism to grow relatively organically, but in terms of character arc and parting message, this film is far more conventional than those that have come before. And a little something is lost in these broader strokes, particularly because they seem to have been self-imposed. Read full review
67
The Film StageJared MobarakSep 11, 2019
Benson and Moorhead removed all excess—great for propulsion, but a detriment to investment. Actions become almost robotic at times as their inclusion is more about advancement than character building. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreOct 19, 2020
The set-up is screwy and simple, the setting riveting and the key ingredients are not necessarily what the picture is about, but pivotal to its power. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzSep 10, 2019
Once the big twist kicks in, there’s plenty of gritty fun to be had, but patience is a hard-won virtue in genre filmmaking. Read full review
60
CineVueZoe MargolisJan 28, 2021
With believability being pushed too far, and the film’s direction needing a tighter pace, even the surreal visual effects and trippy weirdness aren’t quite enough to make it work. Read full review
60
Screen RantChris AgarOct 27, 2020
Synchronic is an interesting, if standard, drama that gets by on the strength of Anthony Mackie's performance and a strong third act. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeSep 11, 2019
The film takes a more prosaic approach to its sci-fi premise than its predecessors did, presumably in an attempt to reach viewers who need more hand-holding. ... Despite its uncanny start, Synchronic is just more normal than it might have been, and less deep. Read full review
50
IndieWireDavid EhrlichOct 28, 2020
Dornan and Mackie are adrift through most of this movie, but the heartfelt thrum of their final scene together is a testament to the intrinsic humanity of their performances — and to the grace of a visionary filmmaking team that’s capable of creating the most beautiful moments, even if they often lose sight of the most effective way of reaching them. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleCary DarlingOct 21, 2020
The film raises an intriguing issue not generally addressed by science-fiction films: time traveling into the past while white is one thing; time traveling while Black is something else entirely. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineHenry StewartOct 20, 2020
About a drug that sends its users back in time for seven minutes, the film holds your hand and walks you through its chronology mazes Read full review
20
The GuardianPeter BradshawJan 25, 2021
Synchronic is frankly just silly and tedious, with faintly absurd and jeopardy-free time-travel scenes and a dramatic focus hopelessly split between Dennis and Steve’s separate but equally tiresome lives. Read full review
20
VarietyDennis HarveySep 11, 2019
Making underwhelming use of its not-bad ... conceit, Benson’s sci-fi-tinged script is not at all ingeniously plotted, insists we care about tritely sketched characters, and is never credible enough to transcend an air of escalating silliness. Read full review
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