Summary
With 73% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes,Primeris an excellent time travel movie that audiences have spent the past 20 years trying to get their heads around. The film follows two friends as they accidentally create a machine that allows them to travel through time, but their obsession over the creation ultimately leads to overlapping timelines and alternate universes thatchallenge the audience to keep the story straight in their minds.Primeris one of themost impressive indie time travel movies, not just because of the story, but also because it’s so well-made.
AlthoughPrimerwas only made on a low budget and wasn’t that well-known when it was first released, the film has developed a reputation as a cult classic since modern audiences have rewatched and reevaluated it as one of thebest movies about time travel paradoxes. The film takes what’s inherently a simple idea (two men keep traveling through time) and makes it as complicated as possible while presenting all the facts that audiences need to understand what’s going on. It’s the kind of film thatrequires multiple watchesto fully understand, but thankfully, it only gets better with age.
The 10 Best Time Travel Movies, Ranked
The greatest time travel movies have complex plots and interweaving storylines, making them fun to watch and rewarding to unravel the many threads.
I’m Still Not Sure What Was Going On In Primer
But Maybe That’s OK
Truth be told, I still don’t fully understandPrimer- but thankfully, it’s not the kind of film that needs to be fully understood to be appreciated. There are so many small details in this story that you’d need to take notes to keep track of everything - individual character timelines, event timestamps, and even from whose perspective you’re watching certain scenes. This makes the film quite a frustrating watch for casual audiences, but for those who’ve already fallen in love with the film, it’seasy to watch over and over again, catching new details every time.
The audience is supposed to be just as much in the dark as the characters, exposing the dangers of untested science and ambition in place of probity.
As the two main characters learn more about their machine, the story splits off into multiple timelines and alternate realities, and from the viewer’s perspective, you’re never entirely sure which reality you’re watching unfold. But that’s exactly the point ofPrimer- the audience is supposed to be just as much in the dark as the characters, exposing the dangers of untested science and ambition in place of probity.
Why Primer Is One Of The Best Time Travel Movies
There’s A Reason It’s Still Being Talked About
On a technical level,Primeris impressive because of how effectively it handles its low budget. It’s one of the fewlow-budget sci-fi movies that’s better than most blockbusters. That’s because it can’t rely onspecial effects or intricate cameraworkto hold the audience’s attention, so it needs to give extra detail to the story and the characters within it. I can’t even begin to imagine how long a story likePrimermust’ve taken to write. Every scene is filled with detail and double meanings, like a puzzle that’s waiting to be solved.
Thanks to the limitations of its production,Primerends up being an incredibly cerebral viewing experience. Its strength comes from its ability to challenge the viewer intellectually, rather than blow them away with visuals. This not only helps the movie stand out in a crowded genre, but it also forces its script and story to dare to be different. The result is a film that, despite its limitations, ranks as a unique viewing experience.
You Will Not Fully Understand Primer On Your First Watch
Don’t Go In With Your Expectations Too High
You won’t fully comprehend exactly what’s happening inPrimerthe first time that you sit through it - and that’s completely fine. There’s enough humanity and emotion woven into this film that you’ll still be able to relate to the characters, understand their concerns and worries, and root for their survival without knowing exactly what’s happening in every scene.Primergets your attention withrelatable human problemsand then, once you have already been sucked in, it begins to unfold with purpose.
The fact thatPrimeris confusing isn’t a criticism of the film - although many audiences will see it as something negative and frustrating. Instead, the complex narrative is a challenge to overcome, much like reading a detailed book or solving a puzzle. It’s probably not the best movie to start with if you’re unfamiliar with the sci-fi genre, because it relies heavily on some very complicated concepts and doesn’t always deliver them in the most accessible ways, but when you finally start to understand what’s happening, it’s extremely rewarding. Very few movies have that second level of critical appreciation.
