What Synchronic lacks in scale directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead make up in substance.
Synchronic is really just a smartly made movie all around, with Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead not only demonstrating their ability to cast well and spin a cool sci-fi story, but also create something that feels big inside a small package (in the spirit of discussing time travel, let’s call it “Tardis filmmaking”). It’s a feature that trades in big ideas, and while having a limited budget can sometimes lead projects to see their reach exceed their grasp, as they don’t have the resources to fully explore the most interesting elements of their central concepts, that’s not the case here. Instead there’s elegance in the adaptations to limitations, with simple but effective stylistic flourishes – such as tricksy non-linear edits and dissolving environments as time travel kicks in – adding key production value.