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Primer

New Line Home Video

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Average customer rating: 3.5 stars

Overblown praise for a poorly executed movie with a great premise

In the end, a movie has to be enjoyable and interesting, period! Whether it is adventure, romance, comedy, fantasy or hard science fiction, the film has to hold your interest. This film does not accomplish any of this for me.
In my youth and through most of my adult life I have enjoyed what is referred to as hard science fiction. There is a wealth of literature in this genre but very few films that have been made using this formula. Primer is one attempt, and I praise the filmmaker for it, but as a film is just does not stand up to the requirements of what a good film is in my opinion. You can analyze the plot construction and the paradoxes the film raises but that is just an exercise that any conversation with someone with the same interests accomplishes. Most of this film seems to be exactly that. A film needs to be much more than intellectual discourse, no matter how intriguing the idea.
As many have pointed out the film is very hard to follow. Even though it has a stylized look, (mainly due to its low budget), that look is very drab and boring. I love films that are visually stunning and use symbolism and metaphors to tell their story. Even if I didn't get it the first time I am compelled to watch the film again and again, each time gaining new insight into its secrets. The process is exciting and interesting because of the look and style of the film and the emotions it provokes. I guess I could watch this film over and over and start to unravel its story but I just have no desire to. I can watch a Bergman or Lynch film over and over and even if I come to no concrete conclusion I at least enjoy the experience.
Here is a list of hard sci fi films that I feel have been successful. I'd be interested if others might add to the list. Forbidden Planet, The Andromeda Strain, Silent Running, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Terminator, Alien, Alens. I'm still waiting for film adaptations of many of Arthur C. Clarks stories, especially Childhood's End.

Nothing special; it'll stay a cult classic, and never move past that

I'd heard things here & there, various internet forums and whatnot, that this was truly a little gem of a film; well, it's little and it's a film, but it's more like a little piece of coal of a film. Maybe that's being a bit harsh, it's admirable in its intentions, but its simply not good, in any respect. The directing, editing and music were all on par with some bad soap opera and the acting was so bad it would make Nicolas Cage cringe, but the ideas were at least half-way interesting; the final product though, is pretty much a forgettable pile of blankness, slathered in blah. There's intelligent, thought provoking sci-fi, like 2001 and Stalker, and then there's obvious and borderline painful to watch sci-fi, like Primer; could actually be a possible film that those MST3K boys could rip a new one for, oh well.

You'll need to watch it more than once.

With a script that's like an engineering final, Primer is a complex movie that lends itself to endless speculation and debate. Probably the most fascinating debut film of the decade. It's amazing that a movie on a shoestring budget could work so well, particularly when you consider that it's a sci-fi flick. The depiction of believable characters working on a superconductor project in a garage is particularly well executed because it stays away from Jacob's Ladders and pulsing warp cores, instead focusing on seemingly mundane minutiae that begins to reveal interesting potential and then veers off into an ethical fencing match that carries the story into a complex third act that you may have to see graphed out to even begin to understand. An absolute must-see film for any sci-fi or indie fan.

Time travel at its best

This is a great movie. You have to pay careful attention and think about it as it goes, but in terms of really thinking about time travel instead of using it as a cheap plot device, this is one of the best movies out there.

The Best Movie Ever

This is my favorite thing ever. I like it better than any tv show, movie, or web clip I have ever seen. The only movie where I could not figure out what was happening before it was over, or before the third time watching. After watching it the first time, there is a strong possibility you will immediately watch it again. Everything is so dense and the subtle details are amazing (tie colors changing). This is a must see, must own, for anyone and everyone. I wish there was a blueray version... I mean, if you got it, you've might as well use it right.