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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

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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

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    Reviews
    Tomatometer Critic Review Category
    tomato
    88/100

    Dan Jardine

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

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 22 2009 07:06 AM

    Cinemania

    N/R

    Felix Vasquez Jr.

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 29 2009 03:15 AM

    Cinema Crazed

    N/R

    Devin Faraci

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 27 2009 03:15 AM

    CHUD

    tomato

    Michael Booth

    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: | comment Comment | Feb., 08 2008 12:23 PM

    Denver Post

    tomato
    3/4

    Joe Lozito

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 27 2007 03:15 AM

    Big Picture Big Sound

    tomato

    J. R. Jones

    Scary, puzzling, and different.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 04 2007 07:25 PM

    Chicago Reader

    splat
    1.5/4

    Jay Antani

    ridiculous, confusing, vaguely noir-ish nonsense

    Full Review Source: | comment 2 Comments | Sep., 11 2006 12:15 PM

    Perihelion Journal

    tomato
    3/4

    Jeffrey M. Anderson

    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: | comment Comment | May., 26 2006 03:16 AM

    Combustible Celluloid

    tomato

    Jessica Winter

    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: | comment Comment | Feb., 09 2006 03:16 AM

    Time Out

    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 17 2006 03:15 AM

    Sydney Morning Herald

    tomato

    Urban Cinefile Critics

    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: | comment Comment | Aug., 30 2005 10:26 PM

    Urban Cinefile

    tomato
    4/5

    Joe Utichi

    Confident and well-woven.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 25 2005 03:15 AM

    FilmFocus

    tomato
    4/5

    Matthew Turner

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

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 20 2005 03:39 AM

    ViewLondon

    tomato
    3/5

    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: | comment Comment | Aug., 19 2005 03:15 AM

    Empire Magazine

    splat
    2/5

    Matthew Leyland

    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: | comment Comment | Aug., 09 2005 03:36 AM

    BBC

    tomato
    3.5/5

    Rich Cline

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

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 28 2005 11:41 PM

    Shadows on the Wall

    splat
    2/5

    Brian Mckay

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

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 20 2005 09:22 AM

    eFilmCritic.com

    tomato
    4/5

    Alex Ramirez

    Una joya de ritmo y de temática.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 13 2005 04:45 AM

    Cinenganos

    splat

    Martin Scribbs

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

    comment Comment | Jun., 01 2005 07:05 PM

    Low IQ Canadian

    tomato
    B

    Louis-Jérôme Cloutier

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

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 25 2005 06:15 PM

    Panorama

     
     
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