Primer

Play trailer

Primer

PG-13

Released Jan 16, 2004

1h 18m

Drama

Sci-Fi

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

72%

Tomatometer

130 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Intellectual engineers Aaron (Shane Carruth) and Abe (David Sullivan) build and sell error-checking technology with the help of their friends Robert (Casey Gooden) and Phillip (Anand Upadhyaya). But when Aaron and Abe accidentally invent what they think is a time machine, Abe builds a version capable of transporting a human and puts the device to the test. As the two friends obsess over their creation, they discover the dark consequences of their actions.

Critics Consensus

Dense, obtuse, but stimulating, Primer is a film for viewers ready for a cerebral challenge.

Read Critics Reviews

Scott Tobias

AV Club

Primer gains its seductive power by leaving the solution tantalizingly out of reach.

Jun 16, 2017

Full Review

Andrew Pulver

Guardian

Primer is off-putting: in trying to be elusive it's simply obstructive.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 16, 2017

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

An exhilarating, disturbing and funny experience.

Jun 16, 2017

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

The storytelling is so confusing and the multiple timelines are so numerous that sorting out what exactly unfolds saps all the entertainment value.

Rated: 5/10

Nov 9, 2020

Full Review

Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

Certainly there are many flaws with this project, most from a technical standpoint and obviously due to the budget, but despite those shortcomings, Primer still stands out as the most intellectually stimulating film of the year.

Nov 14, 2019

Full Review

Paul Dale

The List

Carruth's downbeat and unique debut feature is something of an anomaly in the low budget U.S. indie filmmaking scene: Played out like a deadpan, almost naturalistic political thriller...

Rated: 4/5

Apr 26, 2019

Full Review

Read all reviews

Scott M

There is a lot of scientific dialog in this movie. The acting I think is what hurts the movie the most. It's so robotic. No emotions. They discover time travel and dont seem to care.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/20/24

Full Review

Audience Member

The film is hard to follow not because of any clever or deep writing, but instead because the editing is utterly terrible. The characters spout technical jargon for too long without serving the plot or theme. All the dialogue is dry and dull, never giving us the slightest reason to care about any of the characters. This movie won't stir any emotions in you, it won't inspire your imagination, it won't make you reflect on life, and it won't even make you uncomfortable. Its storytelling style is woefully incompetent.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/28/24

Full Review

david c

I loved this. I wish I hadn’t known it was about a time machine beforehand, as it would’ve been great to figure that out early on. You notice changes in the background, but it’s impossible to catch all the details in one viewing. The dialogue, acting and pace were good enough to keep me interested. Go into it prepared to focus, as there are no exposition dumps to make things easier. The plot and story are solid, but you’ll need to pay attention to keep up. It’s refreshing to be see a film that assumes you have a brain.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/23/24

Full Review

jeppe s

Very entertaining albeit quite complicated story telling. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but felt like a needed a tour guide. I'm also not convinced everything quite checks out, but who cares. I'd recommend it to anyone who doesn't like the solutions served up too easily

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/05/24

Full Review

Robert E

Absolutely one of my favourite movies!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/02/24

Full Review

Pete H

Mind bending, well thought out and well executed.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/02/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Shane Carruth

Director

Shane Carruth

Aaron

David Sullivan

Abe

Casey Gooden

Robert

Anand Upadhyaya

Phillip

Carrie Crawford

Kara

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

The X-Files

66%

72%

The X-Files

Watchlist

Eva

50%

65%

Eva

Watchlist

Fire in the Sky

52%

57%

Fire in the Sky

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Fire in the Sky

Another Earth

66%

66%

Another Earth

Watchlist

The Final Cut

37%

45%

The Final Cut

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Intellectual engineers Aaron (Shane Carruth) and Abe (David Sullivan) build and sell error-checking technology with the help of their friends Robert (Casey Gooden) and Phillip (Anand Upadhyaya). But when Aaron and Abe accidentally invent what they think is a time machine, Abe builds a version capable of transporting a human and puts the device to the test. As the two friends obsess over their creation, they discover the dark consequences of their actions.

Director: Shane Carruth
Producer: Shane Carruth
Screenwriter: Shane Carruth
Distributor: ThinkFilm
Production Co: ERBP
Rating: PG-13 (Brief Language)
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 16, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $424.8K
Runtime: 1h 18m

Most Popular at Home Now