"That's a nice-a donut."
Friday, April 22, 2005
Primer
Primer is a very intriguing, a very complex and, ultimately, a very flawed film. On the surface, it is about a couple of guys - some sort of scientists or engineers - who are working on a project to develop...something. This something turns out to be a box that can seemingly time travel (where a certain amount of time in the box is equal to less time outside the box). At first they test it out using a Weeble. But then one of them gets in the magic box to try it out. One important thing to note is the concept of the "failsafe" wherein they charge the box up but can only travel back in time for as long as the box is running. It would be difficult to summarize any further without spoiling anything, but let's just say that things start to get very complicated and confusing. I'm still scratching my head over some of it. I wanted to like it more than I did, but just because a movie has plot holes or puzzling loop holes does not automatically make it a good movie.
The filmmakers, obviously working with a low budget, use minimal lighting in many scenes and the audio is imperfect - to say the least. But they do not waste any scenes, as the movie clocks in at a brisk 77 minutes. Also, the actors are far from stars - and probably never will be - but they do an adequate job. I recommend this movie for the fact that is original, fairly entertaining, and rather thought-provoking. It's also one of those that you just need to see for yourself. However my guess is that the percentage of people who like Primer will be directly proportional to the amount of people who found something like Mulholland Dr. to be easy to understand. A second viewing is suggested.
The Verdict: C+.
Michael Bentley 7:18 AM
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