Synapse Films presents

Syngenor (1990)

"I want it eliminated. I want all knowledge of it completely obliterated! And I want anyone who stands in my way eliminated as well! And I want the goddamned air conditioner fixed!"- Carter Brown (David Gale)

Stars: Starr Andreeff, David Gale, Mitchell Laurance, Charles Lucia
Other Stars: Riva Spier, Jeff Doucette, Bill Gratton
Director: George Elanjian, Jr.

MPAA Rating: R for Violence, gore, language and nudity
Release Date: 2008-10-28
Genre: horror

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
B+	B-	B+	B	B+

 

DVD Review

A quick look at the Syngenor cover is probably the most effective way for anyone to determine whether or not this early 90s foray into sci-fi territory is for them. Personally speaking, I took one quick glance at it and realized that I absolutely had to review it. Lucky for me, the powers that be here at digitallyObsessed agreed with that notion and sent me the disc (actually, it’s more probable that no body else was asking for this but, either way, a victory is a victory).

I was a little stumped when I began to research this one. It was originally released direct to video in 1990, at a time when an 11 year old Matt Serafini was hell bent on renting any and every genre release found on local video store shelves. But I’d never run across Syngenor in a VHS incarnation, let alone ever hear of it. Admittedly, I’m a sucker when it comes to these types of creature features. It’s probably no surprise to anyone reading this review that the movie doesn’t offer much in the way of story or character, and the production values are fairly low (if impressive, considering its budget). But if you can get yourself in the proper frame of mind, I can’t imagine NOT enjoying the goofy delights of Syngenor.

You might be asking what the hell a Syngenor is (or maybe not, but I’ve got to assume you’re at least a little curious if you’ve made it all the way to the third paragraph). It’s short for SYNthetic GENetic ORganism and it’s the main source of conflict here. The Syngenor is a product of Norton Cyberdine (no, not that Cyberdine), a defense contract company on the verge of selling their genetic breakthrough to the US military in the hopes of replacing human soldiers in the next ground war. The CEO, Carter Brown (David Gale of Re-Animator fame), is under a lot of pressure from the get go: he’s convinced someone in the company is trying to derail the Syngenor project and assume control of the company (and he’s right). If that’s’ not enough there’s a pesky reporter by the name of Nick Cary (Mitchell Laurence) snooping around for clues surrounding the mysterious murder of Norton Cyberdine scientist, Dr. Valentine.

Dr. Valentine, it seems, was instrumental in getting the project off the ground but soon realized the dangers of playing God and tried to walk away. Of course, as the film opens he’s attacked by a Syngenor and killed for his troubles. His niece, Susan (Starr Andrieff), sets out on a quest for answers surrounding his disappearance and soon forms an uneasy alliance with our resident star reporter … just in time to spark the ire of Carter Brown and his army of steadily breeding Syngenor.

So how’s that sound? For my money I was instantly taken back to that time in the early 1990s when direct to video features still had the decency to be shot on film and boasted some sort of production budget (however limited). This may not be a good movie in the traditional sense but it’s a hell of lot more enjoyable than any of the ‘deliberately bad’ creature feature flicks we’re getting on the Sci-Fi channel these days. For one thing the FX work isn’t bad at all. The Syngenor are simply men in rubber suits but the creature design still manages a nifty effect. On the carnage side, the gore isn’t explicit but at least it’s there in a somewhat limited capacity.

What about the story? You’re not going to watch something called Syngenor for the plot, are you? If so you’re going to get what you deserve, jerk. It’s almost non-existent, but that doesn’t matter much. Just like it doesn't matter that our creatures are given a vulnerability as easy to come by as an everyday chemical compound like water. In all fairness it's stated time and time again that these creatures are being engineered to battle in the Middle East, but still. Water? Should it matter that even characters privy to the Syngenor project never think to use water against the creatures once they’re set loose in Norton Cyberdine Tower? Nah. There’s more too: Why is Carter Brown always injecting an unexplained green substance directly into his neck? Is it for any reason other than to remind the audience how great a film Re-Animator was? Gotta be. How about the fact that our two intrepid heroes are able to access Cyberdine's top secret lab by simply pulling on the door? That doesn’t matter either because it's all in good fun.

In fact, I was having such a good time here that the silliness of the script only helped to make this one better. David Gale goes so far over the top here that this disc is undoubtedly worth the cash just to get a gander at his whacked out performance. The moment where he blows his security guard’s brains out for absolutely no reason is absolutely amazing. You can also dig on the fact that Norton Cyberdine, a massive industry leader in defense contracts, seems to have roughly fifteen to twenty employees-including a board of trustees who are easily assembled for an emergency meeting on a Saturday within ten minutes. And it doesn’t stop there: just wait until you get a gander at the uniforms of the Cyberdine private army. I wouldn’t dream of spoiling that, though.

Apparently, Syngenor is a sequel of sorts to the 1981 horror flick, Scared to Death. I say ‘of sorts’ because the FX team really just reused the Syngenor creature outfits here, opting to build an entire film around the monster in the aforementioned movie (although, it’s my understanding that the monster in Scared to Death is also called Syngenor – rest assured, the completionist in me will be tracking it down soon).

At the end of the day, Syngenor isn’t even the worst movie I’ve seen this week (that would be Righteous Kill). You know up front exactly what you’re going to get. There’s no surprises there. I’m someone that grew up on a steady diet of these flicks and it’s amazing how quickly I was able to slip back into that frame of mind after pressing PLAY. I only wish I’d waited until Friday night to watch this sucker as I would’ve gone at it with a six pack and a pizza as well. There’s no better way to tackle Syngenor.

Rating for Style: B+
Rating for Substance: B-

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.85:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	yes

Image Transfer Review: I can't say for certain whether or not Synapse's transfer is the same as the previous Elite release, but it doesn't matter. The image presented on this disc is pretty solid. While Syngenor looks very much like the product of the late 80's - soft focus lenses and overbearing bluish hues - the disc recreates the visual style with a very clean image. The source print is in great shape here, with no sign of damage or deterioration. For a moive that's nearing in on twenty years of age, it's a good, sturdy transfer marred by occasional softness.

Image Transfer Grade: B+
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English, French, Spanish	yes
Dolby Digital 5.1	English	yes

Audio Transfer Review: The 5.1 Dolby Surround track doesn't fare as well as the image, but the action and music cues do gain a little rear-channel momentum in its punchier moments. The creature attacks DO provide some jolts which helps make the film a bit more effective than during its apparent HBO run in the early 90s. The talkier moments do occasionally feel drowned out and lifeless, but if you can get past the occasional murkiness, it's a decent track.

The 2.0 track, by contrast, is slightly more consistent. Dialogue is a little more textured and the action swells are nicely conveyed here as well. The minus is that you don't get the jump scares here, but the clarity is a little better. Ultimately you'll have to see which track works better with your setup this time.

Audio Transfer Grade: B 

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu with music
Scene Access with 25 cues and remote access
Cast and Crew Filmographies
1 Original Trailer(s)
4 Other Trailer(s) featuring Dark Forces
Strange Behavior
Thirst
Patrick
1 Featurette(s)
1 Feature/Episode commentary by Actress Starr Andreeff, Writer Brent V. Friedman, Producer Jack Murphy
Packaging: Keep Case
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extra Extras:

1. David Gale as Tokyo Fantastic Film Festival
2. Publicity Photo Shoot
3. David Gale Audition

Extras Review: A collection of four brief featurettes: A 2 minute look at the creature FX, David Gale's audition, a far too brisk behind the scenes photo shoot (running just under 2 minutes) and a nifty look at David Gale and the 1990 Fantastic Film Festival (clocking in at nearly 8 minutes). Of all the features, the last piece is the only one really worth looking at as it offers a fun insight into the Tokyo Film Festival. Gale seemed like an incredibly nice and spoft-spoken individual and it seems like he was genuinely moved by the enthusiasm this crowd had for his presence. It's a shame his life was cut too short as his work in the horror genre was always worth checking out.

The audio commentary is a solid talk between writer, producer and actress that spends a lot of time reminiscing about the shoot. It's an engaging discussion that thankfully spends very little time on the film's plot and more on working with one another, how the project came to be and some of the decisions which were ultimately made and why. For a fan of this title, this is the reason to get this disc.

Trailers and some behind the scenes pictures round out this collection.

Extras Grade: B+
 

Final Comments

Synapse is distributing Syngenor in a release identical to the 2002 DVD released by Elite Entertainment. In this package you get solid sound and picture and an enjoyable bundle of supplemental material. Rest assured if I didn’t get this disc for review I would certainly be fixing to add it to the collection. A rush of ridiculous entertainment that should please those who get their kicks from trawling the most obscure depths of genre entertainment. It's a no brainer here, folks. Syngenor is recommended.

Matt Serafini 2008-11-07