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Primer

New Line Home Video

List price: $27.98
Lowest new price: $14.95
Lowest used price: $8.75

Average customer rating: 3.5 stars

Half a star

A masterpiece of crap. Two guys in an irritating techno mumbo- jumbo 77 minutes non stop. After this one, I'll definitely start watching a movie before buying it, and not falling for fancy adjectives like "ingenious", "fascinating" and "thumbs up".

My Favorite Science Fiction Film EVER

I first saw this in 2004 or 2005, right after it won an award in Sundance. The Blockbuster I frequented had this small section filled with Sundance, IFC, and indie films. My girlfriend and I used to immediately go to that section every time we visited (and we rented a ton of movies back then).

Anyway... we watched it at home, and she sort of grew bored with it. However I was enthralled. From the very beginning this drew me in. I loved the matter of fact style it had, when dealing with garage inventors/engineers. I had no clue what it was about, because it was just so new back then. I didn't even know it was a science fiction film. If I remember, the box sort of sounded like a thriller. I think I must have watched it three times during that first rental.

Since watching it that first time, I've probably watched this film 20 times. I remember the first time I had the inclination to watch it again. It must have been year or so after we first rented it. I was looking for it online, but my girlfriend and I couldn't remember the name. I searched and searched, but came up dry. I went back to that same Blockbuster but they had since purged all their old VHS movies and replaced them with DVDs. Unfortunately they didn't replace all of their films, so Primer was nowhere to be found.

I've purchased Primer for countless numbers of friends and family. I actually just gave a copy to my brother for his birthday a few days ago (along with a slew of other strange films). I would gift it to friends and family on iTunes as well, if the distributor had the sense to put it there. I swear, if I had money, I'd invest in Shane Carruth's next film. This guy is brilliant. If anyone has seen this film, but hasn't read the story behind it --- do yourself a favor and research it. primermovie.com is a good place to start. I feel lucky that I stumbled into it, without knowing anything about it. I'm the kind of person that doesn't want to be spoiled by revealing trailers or in-depth reviews before I watch a film. Learning about Carruth's story after the fact made it much more interesting.

Do yourself a favor and buy this movie. Shane Carruth deserves our support and respect for his wonderful creation. Share it with a friend. Give it as a gift.... and re-watch it over and over. I swear it's fun!

Definitely not for everyone

If you're into huge explosions, sex symbols, car chases, bullet-infested shootouts, and a very fast pace, then Primer is certainly NOT for you. However, if you're into slow-paced, complex, and philosophical films, then chances are you'll love this movie. I myself was a bit bothered by the slow and simplistic approach to a thriller about time travel, but as time past, I found it an enjoyable experience (but not too enjoyable). The only flaws I found was that the film's concept of time travel is so complicated that I doubt I'll ever understand it completely after repeated viewings. And plus, the film does tend to drag in certain places. But that aside, I think the extremely slow pace of the film really works. Unlike most fast-paced films, this film still manages to help us see what's going on (if you don't mind the numerous scientific explanations). And the very little use of music is very effective; I think it shows that time travel may not be as grand and powerful as it seems. In short, Shane Carruth has created a unique sci-fi film. The lack of bombast, quickness, and huge explosions is what makes this very special; it's a film that truly makes us think. And seeing that it was filmed with a budget of only seven thousand dollars tells you that Carruth wanted to tell an actual story rather than have us see epic car chases and colossal explosions. Kudos to Carruth, David Sullivan, and the rest of the crew.

Pretty mind-bending

Watch this with friends who like to argue. Or watch it by yourself so you can figure out all your theories, and THEN show to friends who like to argue. Great flick.

"You're talking about building a bigger one..." - a subtle and inventive, low key, intellectual science fiction thriller

A small group of engineers spent their nights and weekends making this exciting and low key science fiction thriller about a small group of engineers who spend their nights and weekends trying to create something marketable, and create something far more exciting and dangerous than they could have anticipated. With it, they open Pandora's box and a metaphysical can of worms.

What I like the most about the film is what will likely turn some viewers off: its elliptical and condensed style and dialogue. It is that these engineers speak like engineers. They talk to each other as if they each actually know something, and they'd be impatient and annoyed if they were expected to repeat or explain themselves. You could say they out-mamet David Mamet, by acting like what they are supposed to be, highly intelligent inventors (rather than like Hollywood movie stars pretending to be academics). You are either in it and know what's going on, or you don't and if you don't don't bother asking. So when one of them slows down and starts explaining, leading his partner through the process of figuring out just what it is their device does, you really have to pay attention.

This is the kind of film that the Sundance film festival - where I saw this first and where Primer won the Grand Jury Prize - was made to celebrate. It is inventive and unsettling, thoughtful and provocative, and makes maximum use of a very low budget. I can't believe they made this for seven grand and favors! The sound design suffers a bit, but they create a very intriguing minimalist aesthetic with a unique and edgy look. A very impressive film and one of the best science fiction films I've seen in the last decade. Not for everyone, since you have to watch very closely and pay attention -- a very different concept for those who have grown accustomed to associating science fiction with CGI effects, fast paced action, and explosives.