DVD: Primer
Final Score: 5 cents.
The above score may seem out of place, but for a review of Primer, this is a logical starting point. Primer has been out on DVD for a while, and the film was a favorite during the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. Since the movie is about time travel, just ignore the fact that this review isn’t very timely.
Primer was filmed on a budget of around $7000, but don’t let that stop you from seeing it. Writer/director/actor Shane Carruth is a math geek, and not shy about it. The film begins with a group of four overworked and underpaid engineers who spend their free time working on a project in Aaron’s (Shane Carruth) garage. They know they have discovered something, but they’re not sure exactly what.
The film explores time travel in the most honest, realistic and simplistic way imaginable. There is no flying DeLorean, no trips to the Stone Age, and no lightning bolts or wormholes. The film focuses on what a pair of average young men do when they discover they have the ability to travel back in time, even if for a short period only.
And what do they do? Exactly what probably any one of us would do: figure out how to get rich quick. Thereafter, it doesn’t take long for Aaron and Abe (David Sullivan) to realize the potentials of time travel, which naturally involve lots of questionable behavior and tragedy. I won’t give much more away, but I will admit that upon first viewing, I’m not entirely sure what happened. I have a feeling seeing the movie again isn’t going to help much, but I’m planning to see it again soon. Just the puzzling nature of the film makes you want to come back for more.
Carruth’s debut is well written. It doesn’t shy away from tech talk, which forces the viewer to concentrate even harder to understand the movie. The way the actors deliver the lines make it even more enjoyable—they speak quickly and softly as if we’re in on their secret.
I mentioned the low budget of the film, and it just goes to show that a quality film can be made by a few guys in their garage. It doesn’t take a multi-million dollar budget like Michael Bay’s recent The Island, reviewed below. I look forward to seeing more work by Carruth. And if you don’t remember the final score, just travel back in time a few seconds and read the first line of this review again.
The above score may seem out of place, but for a review of Primer, this is a logical starting point. Primer has been out on DVD for a while, and the film was a favorite during the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. Since the movie is about time travel, just ignore the fact that this review isn’t very timely.
Primer was filmed on a budget of around $7000, but don’t let that stop you from seeing it. Writer/director/actor Shane Carruth is a math geek, and not shy about it. The film begins with a group of four overworked and underpaid engineers who spend their free time working on a project in Aaron’s (Shane Carruth) garage. They know they have discovered something, but they’re not sure exactly what.
The film explores time travel in the most honest, realistic and simplistic way imaginable. There is no flying DeLorean, no trips to the Stone Age, and no lightning bolts or wormholes. The film focuses on what a pair of average young men do when they discover they have the ability to travel back in time, even if for a short period only.
And what do they do? Exactly what probably any one of us would do: figure out how to get rich quick. Thereafter, it doesn’t take long for Aaron and Abe (David Sullivan) to realize the potentials of time travel, which naturally involve lots of questionable behavior and tragedy. I won’t give much more away, but I will admit that upon first viewing, I’m not entirely sure what happened. I have a feeling seeing the movie again isn’t going to help much, but I’m planning to see it again soon. Just the puzzling nature of the film makes you want to come back for more.
Carruth’s debut is well written. It doesn’t shy away from tech talk, which forces the viewer to concentrate even harder to understand the movie. The way the actors deliver the lines make it even more enjoyable—they speak quickly and softly as if we’re in on their secret.
I mentioned the low budget of the film, and it just goes to show that a quality film can be made by a few guys in their garage. It doesn’t take a multi-million dollar budget like Michael Bay’s recent The Island, reviewed below. I look forward to seeing more work by Carruth. And if you don’t remember the final score, just travel back in time a few seconds and read the first line of this review again.
Zimm's two cents. | 7:47 PM
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