Review of Primer (2004) by Lorenzo V — 14 Nov 2011

"What happens if it actually works?".

Four friends/fledgling entrepreneurs, knowing that there's something bigger and more innovative than the different error-checking devices they've built, wrestle over their new invention.

REVIEW.

A very intriguing story, taking a fresh and original look at the concept of time travel. The premise is brilliant, albeit facilitated by a load of technobabble. The multiple timelines of the story are very interesting, if a bit difficult to figure out. I actually had to go through a complex timeline to at least wrap my head around the story, and I suspect I'll have to watch the movie once more to put it all together. The production quality is quite low, as expected with a mere $7,000 budget, but it doesn't really detract from the movie. In fact, it makes it more believable - a proper budget would have just meant focus on special effects instead of story. Quite complex, but definitely worth watching.

I would have liked to see the filmmakers go into more depth about the dangers of time travel. The bleeding ears and shaking hands are only two of the effects; it would have been interesting to see what some long-term effects were. In fact, what this movie sorely needed was another 20-30 minutes of screen time. More of an introduction at the beginning - the pacing is really off at the start, and the movie doesn't start going for a while. More filling in of the complex storyline, so it's at least possible to figure it out on the first go. And more of a build-up to the climax, so that it's a more dramatic ending. These are all flaws of a rookie filmmaker, who has written a great screenplay but made a merely good movie.