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100Primer unites physics and metaphysics in an ingenious guerrilla reinvention of cinematic science fiction.
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91Consider Primer a successful lab experiment with, as they might say in techie chat rooms, significant indie-cred applications, IMHO. Oh, and :-).
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90A 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.
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88It is maddening, fascinating and completely successful.
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88An ingenious blend of sci-fi and mystery.
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88Refusing 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.
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80A dense and dazzling science-fiction mind-bender unassumingly dressed up in a tech geek's short-sleeved oxford shirt, pocket protector and safety goggles.
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80A 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.
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78It'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.
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75The screenplay is convoluted but fascinating, flawed less by its built-in complexity than by the limitations of the characters' psychological depth.
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75Primer is obviously not for all tastes, but if it connects with you, prepare to be obsessed.
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75Shane 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.
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75The 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.
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Frustrating as I ultimately found it, Primer is undeniably geek heaven. For everyone else, it's a nice antidote to big-budget bogusness.
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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.
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60It'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.
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60At 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.
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50May 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.
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Doesn't always work, but it challenges, nonetheless.
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50A fascinatingly obtuse puzzle box that manages to be gripping even after it stops making sense.
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50Love it or hate it, you won't be able to leave it alone.
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42Every frame of the way, it's eminently clear that Primer is the work of an engineer, not a film- maker.
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40Inspires plenty of head scratching and maybe a little irritation.
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30As Primer progresses, it just gets murkier and the experience of it more drudgelike.
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25A real head-scratcher that somehow won the grand jury prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival.
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 21 out of 28
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Mixed: 2 out of 28
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Negative: 5 out of 28
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