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Primer
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 25 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 28 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama | Suspense/Thriller
Written by: Shane Carruth
Directed by: Shane Carruth
Release Date:
Theatrical: October 8, 2004
DVD: April 19, 2005
Running Time: 78 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG-13 for brief language
Starring Shane Carruth, David Sullivan, Casey Gooden, Anand Upadhyaya, Carrie Crawford, Jay Butler, John Carruth, and Juan Tapia
While tweaking their current project, two young engineers accidentally discover that it has some highly unexpected capabilities--ones that could enable them to do and to have seemingly anything they want. Taking advantage of this unique opportunity is the first challenge they face. Dealing with the consequences is the next. (ThinkFilm)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Village Voice Dennis Lim
Primer unites physics and metaphysics in an ingenious guerrilla reinvention of cinematic science fiction.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
Consider Primer a successful lab experiment with, as they might say in techie chat rooms, significant indie-cred applications, IMHO. Oh, and :-).
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
A half-baked conspiracy subplot in the last third makes Carruth's knotty narrative even harder to follow, but this is still scary, puzzling, and different.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
It is maddening, fascinating and completely successful.
Read Full Review >Premiere Aaron Hillis
Refusing to dumb down for a mass market, Primer is "Mullholland Dr." for math geeks, "Memento" for mad geniuses, or simply one of the most inventive films ever made for pennies on the Hollywood dollar.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
A brainteaser of the first order, Primer ranks among the best of recent thrillers such as "Memento" or "The Matrix," which rupture the fabric of reality and radically destabilize the narrative in kind.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Scott Foundas
A dense and dazzling science-fiction mind-bender unassumingly dressed up in a tech geek’s short-sleeved oxford shirt, pocket protector and safety goggles.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten
It's hard to always know what Primer is saying or where it's heading, but it looks fantastic while it unfolds and you won't be able to forget what you've witnessed.
Read Full Review >Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach
The movie may be too precious for mass consumption, but its filmmakers' willingness to assume the best of their audience, combined with its Everyman origins, suggest a movie that deserves a chance.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
Primer is obviously not for all tastes, but if it connects with you, prepare to be obsessed.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Ty Burr
Shane Carruth's extraordinary work of shoestring speculation throws you into a deep ocean of techno-jargon and lets you dog-paddle or sink like a stone.
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
The screenplay is convoluted but fascinating, flawed less by its built-in complexity than by the limitations of the characters' psychological depth.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano
Frustrating as I ultimately found it, Primer is undeniably geek heaven. For everyone else, it's a nice antidote to big-budget bogusness.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Robert Dominguez
One of those purposely head-scratching films meant to be viewed more than once. The extra ticket sales should easily cover Carruth's initial $7,000 budget.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Dana Stevens
At a certain point, Mr. Carruth's fondness for complexity and indirection crosses the line between ambiguity and opacity, but I hasten to add that my bafflement is colored by admiration.
Read Full Review >Empire Kim Newman
It's a puzzle as much as a plot, but when it's in focus (which it isn't for long stretches) it's remarkable brain-food.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Neva Chonin
Doesn't always work, but it challenges, nonetheless.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Ken Fox
A fascinatingly obtuse puzzle box that manages to be gripping even after it stops making sense.
Read Full Review >Dallas Observer Robert Wilonsky
Love it or hate it, you won't be able to leave it alone.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt
May be too clever for its own good. Essentially, it's the story of weekend scientists who build a time machine in a suburban garage. But this nearly gets lost in a miasma of technical jargon and scientific conjecture.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
Every frame of the way, it's eminently clear that Primer is the work of an engineer, not a film- maker.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Eric Campos
Inspires plenty of head scratching and maybe a little irritation.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan
As Primer progresses, it just gets murkier and the experience of it more drudgelike.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
A real head-scratcher that somehow won the grand jury prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 7.4 (out of 10) based on 28 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Mick gave it a10:
One of the strangest viewing experiences i've had; it won't be for everybody!
David K. gave it a10:
Primer is a brilliant cinematic science fiction thriller! Unfortunately for the non-science enthusiast, the screenplay dialogue is absolutely overrun with swift moving unexplained techno-jargon that may unintentionally frustrate those viewers to the point of disappointment as they find themselves getting more and more lost between plot lines. But for everyone else, this spellbinding sci-fi mystery thriller is a terrific must see film! It is a complete success, and an incredible achievement by both Shane Carruth and David Sullivan.
David H. gave it a10:
A modern-day masterpiece. The further the film progresses, the more fascinating and innovative it becomes. The this is the first feature film Carruth managed to make, lets hope it isn't the last.
Susi gave it an8:
Fantastic and demanding. Really enjoyed the visual framing and the very bald acting style/non-style. Even the storytelling, despite the frustrations with audibility and narrative patchiness. Thanks for a film so devoid of sentiment and so full of ideas. Not for everyone, but nor is any film and it's great to see something that credits the audience with a bit of intelligence and a few ideas themselves. I'll be looking for Caruth's next outing - and re-viewing this one while we wait
Jeff S. gave it a10:
What at first appears to be bland dialogue between uninteresting characters begins to very cleverly remind us of the lengths that the film is going to establish a sense of realism. This science fiction film succeeds in its abandonment of cliche and hand-holder storytelling, and yeilds instead a glimpse into the real-world implications of such a mind-bending event. The characters are real and flawed, and the eventual breakdown of clarity as a story device is brilliant.
Pete M. gave it a4:
Unfortunately it does fail. its all mind bending but not fascinating because there just isn't enough clarity and stability about whats going on. Both the action in almost any given scene and the voice overs are opaque and unresolved. such an (apparently) sophisticated story needs a first rate director and screen writer to be comunicated adequately.
Coinne B. gave it a3:
The Blair Witch of science fiction. A celebration of poor professional standards, wrapped in mystifiyng techno-babble and saying very little about anything much. Very disappointing, alhough something about it says it could have been OK-ish. Maybe if the soundtrack wasn't so fuzzy and they had used a tripod now and then? Anyway, I am tired of this "made on a low budget with credit cards" drivel. It was never true. Not in the 1980s, not now.
