Review of Primer (2004) by Dan H — 16 Mar 2013

The official synopsis completely fails to explain what this is about, so here's my version. Two physics nerds who always wear white shirts with ties and sleeves rolled up stumble upon the technology to build a time machine while knocking out mail-order gadgets from their garage.

The device sends whatever - or whoever - is inside back in a time loop, farther back the more time is spent inside. Initially they set themselves rigid rules to avoid paradoxes involving their 'doubles' and use the time gained apparently to make large sums of money from trading stocks and shares (although you never see them enjoy the fruits of their labours).

But they can't establish how to effectively use the device, mistrust sets in, they begin to break their own rules and manipulate each other and their families and friends. They eventually get caught in an endless loop trying to avoid each other, themselves, and maintain a grip on reality.

Unfortunately it's not half as clever as it thinks it is, throwing in a vast amount of technobabble that tries to sound intelligent but doesn't really stack up in the end, all played by a weak, wooden cast.

As Harrison Ford famously said to George Lucas on Star Wars: "You can write this sh!# but you can't say it!".