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Movies / On DVD / Primer
Primer

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Primer (2004)

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Reviews Counted:113

Fresh:81

Rotten:32

Average Rating:6.5/10

Consensus: Dense, obtuse, but stimulating, Primer is a film for viewers ready for a cerebral challenge.

Runtime: 80 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Former engineer Shane Carruth announces himself as a force to watch with PRIMER, his first film. Carruth wrote, directed, edited, produced, photographed, scored, and stars in the film, which won... Former engineer Shane Carruth announces himself as a force to watch with PRIMER, his first film. Carruth wrote, directed, edited, produced, photographed, scored, and stars in the film, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. He plays Aaron, who, with his business partner and best friend, Abe (David Sullivan), experiments with a device that seems to have more power than they could ever have imagined. Playing with batteries, refrigeration, and other techniques and materials in Aaron's garage, they discover that their machine just might have the ability to move back in time. Originally dealing with Weebles figures and wristwatches, Aaron and Abe are soon considering making a box large enough to transport a human being--with remarkable results. An indie hit, PRIMER was made for about $7,000. Carruth shot the film with a purposefully grainy look, as if it were made in the 1970s. The retro feel works well with the futuristic elements of the story, which lead Abe and Aaron to question reality, truth, and their own physical and mental being. Because he learned about film on his own without going to film school or making any previous shorts, Carruth brings a freshness to the genre that is invigorating, with unexpected plot twists and complex narratives that invite multiple viewings. PRIMER is an unusual, unique, challenging, and thoroughly entertaining movie. [More]

Starring: Shane Carruth, David Sullivan, Anand Upadbyaya, Casey Gooden

Starring: Shane Carruth, David Sullivan, Anand Upadbyaya, Casey Gooden, Carrie Crawford, Jay Butler, John Carruth, Samantha Thomson

Director: Shane Carruth

Director: Shane Carruth
Screenwriter: Shane Carruth
Producer: Shane Carruth
Composer: Shane Carruth
Studio: ThinkFilm

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Primer

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

This film imagines its viewers to be smart, possessed of a decent attention span and game for a challenge. It doesn’t happen all that often.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Jessica Winter
Jessica Winter
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Confident and well-woven.

Full Review Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
08/25/05
Joe Utichi
Joe Utichi
FilmFocus

One of the most original and intriguing film debuts of the last few years.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
08/20/05
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Not recommended for entry-level time-travel theorists, but experienced ‘chrononauts’ will meet themselves scratching their heads in amused puzzlement as they emerge from an earlier screening.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
08/19/05
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

One of the most wilfully obscure sci-fi movies ever made, Primer will either blow your mind or drive you out of it.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
08/09/05
Matthew Leyland
Matthew Leyland
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

If he could've made some sense of it in the end, Carruth'd have a masterpiece on his hands.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
06/28/05
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Discombobulating and mind-bending sci fi thriller. I think.

Full Review Source: Cinemania | comment Comment
07/22/09
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Cinemania
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: CHUD | comment Comment
02/27/09
Devin Faraci
Devin Faraci
CHUD

Mind-bending thrillers like Primer are terrific viewing with your teenagers. Maybe if you're nice, they'll explain the ending to you.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
02/08/08
Michael Booth
Michael Booth
Denver Post

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
12/27/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

Scary, puzzling, and different.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
06/04/07
J. R. Jones
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader

ridiculous, confusing, vaguely noir-ish nonsense

Full Review Source: Perihelion Journal | comment 2 Comments
09/11/06
Jay Antani
Jay Antani
Perihelion Journal

Shane Carruth's ultra-low budget, 78-minute sci-fi film could almost be a 'B' movie from the past if not for its icy intelligence.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
01/17/06
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Shane Carruth's Primer is a science fiction movie like no other, pushing its experimental tendencies as far as they can go without betraying the genre

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
08/30/05
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

Even at a short 77 minutes, Primer is bloated, draggy, cumbersome, confusing, and almost entirely unengaging

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
06/20/05
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

Una joya de ritmo y de temática.

Full Review Source: Cinenganos | comment Comment
06/13/05
Alex Ramirez
Alex Ramirez
Cinenganos

I didn't understand Primer; worse yet, I didn't care.

comment Comment
06/01/05
Martin Scribbs
Martin Scribbs
Low IQ Canadian

Primer est un film difficile à détester, mais encore plus difficile à pleinement apprécier.

Full Review Source: Panorama | comment Comment
05/25/05
Louis-Jérôme Cloutier
Louis-Jérôme Cloutier
Panorama
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
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Latest News for Primer

March 16, 2005: Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival 2005
A 70-mm French comedy by Jacques Tati will open my 7th annual Overlooked Film Festival this April, and a Bollywood musical starring "the most beautiful woman in the... More...

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