Primer | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

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Where to Watch Primer What to Know Critics Reviews Audience Reviews My Rating Cast & Crew More Like This Photos Primer

73%

Tomatometer

132 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.

Where to Watch

Primer

What to Know

Critics Consensus

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

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Critics Reviews

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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

Anton Bitel

Projected Figures

Time travel may provide the paradoxical mechanics of the plot, but no matter where the film goes, it never stops being a study in moral character, as two friends become victims of their own timeless, tragic flaws.

Jul 22, 2021

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

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Audience Reviews

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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 2/5 Stars • 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 0.5/5 Stars • 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 4/5 Stars • 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 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/05/24 Full Review Robert E Absolutely one of my favourite movies! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/02/24 Full Review Pete H Mind bending, well thought out and well executed. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/02/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Shane Carruth Director Shane Carruth Aaron David Sullivan Abe Casey Gooden Robert Anand Upadhyaya Phillip Carrie Crawford Kara

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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
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