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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.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for brief language

Runtime: 80 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Oct 8, 2004 Limited

Box Office: $392,420

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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Release:

Apr 5, 2005

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Everything you think you know about modern science is about to unravel in this critically-acclaimed film about two young engineers and the consequences they face when they invent a machine that enables them to travel back in time.
  • Source: Warner Home Video
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Primer

    • T-Meter Critics
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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    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
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    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
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    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

    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
    N/R

    Click to read the article

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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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
     
     
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