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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 rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

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

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

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

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
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
10/19/04
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
10/22/04
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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
N/R

Click to read the article

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

The Grand Jury Award for Primer is an embarrassment for Sundance.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
10/13/04
Arthur Lazere
Arthur Lazere
culturevulture.net

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

The movie isn't much more than a mash-up of Frankenstein and In the Company of Men.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
10/14/04
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Such a head-scratcher you might emerge from it with a doughnut hole in your temple.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
10/29/04
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

...Primer remains baffling virtually from start to finish - which is a shame, really, given that this does seem to be a really cool premise for a movie...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
10/02/04
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

Nothing in this film inspires audiences to go back and study its twisting turning events. Instead it inspires plenty of head scratching and maybe a little irritation.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
01/27/04
Eric Campos
Eric Campos
Film Threat

Betrays its potential for greatness by sacrificing riveting storytelling for unbelievable obtuseness

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
02/13/04
Erik Childress
Erik Childress
eFilmCritic.com

Primer has no respect for genuine mystery but relishes obfuscation as being really cool.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
10/10/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Once you move beyond the film's rigorous braininess and authentic feel, you stumble into a thicket of overlapping dialogue, jump cuts and an unwillingness on the part of Carruth to at least leave a trail of bread crumbs behind him.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
10/22/04
Glenn Whipp
Glenn Whipp
Los Angeles Daily News
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; 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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