That's it - Time to go - I've had a blast, but this is the end - search the internet and I'm sure yo...
That's it - Time to go - I've had a blast, but this is the end - search the internet and I'm sure you'll find me - Yours IamtheHumanRace
Member since:15.07.2000
Reviews:123
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REVISION - PLEASE SCROLL TO THE END FOR THE REVISION................
It is rare to watch something and spend the next day's commute into London trying to unravel it. I even spent the time watching listening to the commentary and still am sat here writing this not really grasping it fully.
I don't want to write this review, but I think I shall revise this as I try to understand and that might reveal to all you eager people something about this film you won't get from a snapshot review on other columns....
So what is this film all about?
Two part time scientists invent a machine that reverses partially the force of gravity and after much tinkering they discover that they can travel back in time.....a bit..... maybe ...... they think....... So they decide to try out a little test involving time travel..... they hope.....they think.........maybe.......
Then something goes wrong, although it doesn't go wrong suddenly..... events might have gone wrong, but they are not sure....... until it is evident something has gone wrong, but the change has been so gradual they do not realise........they think.....maybe........they're not sure..........
I make no apologies for this review - this is what the film is like to watch and this is how the film explains and develops itself. the characters do not seem to know what is happening, if indeed anything is happening at all. Then the film ends, but goes back to near the
beginning.... only to end again.........they think......maybe........not sure, well one of them is not sure, but it might be both of them.........or just me or all of us.......not sure......more testing require .........
ARE YOU ENTERTAINED?
The movie is shot in a semi-amateur manner with jerky camera shots, but fear not - it is not cheap like the Blair Witch Project all the way through. Because the film is about the scientists developing their machine - the purpose and function and effect of the machine is never explained and that is the point. You are in effect one of the scientists and you have to work it out as well. We are dealing with time travel here, but not in a cheap Butterfly Effect / H G Wells kind of way. The story changes as time goes on (or doesn't go on rather). By aware that this film will annoy you for the first 20 minutes or so, because it is dull if you are not ready for it.
Fortunately this film is only 74 minutes long and so can easily be watched twice without too much numb-bum trauma. this is just as well as you will need to watch this twice, at least - Which is what I will do......
SMUG INTELLECTUAL or POMPOUS PSEUDO-SCIENCE
Definitely smug intellectual. Make no mistake about it - this film is one of those super intelligent films that from the outset drives out the masses and begins only when it has bored the teeth off those that want to see explosions. Only then after sitting through a short lecture on mechanical physics and mathematics does anything really happen.
SO WHAT IS GOING ON?
I have absolutely no idea. Obviously I won't give away the ending, but even if I did that possibly won't tell you anything anyway. The film just seemed to stop. I will watch this film again and revise my review somewhat if I understand it.
For those who like a challenge you will need to watch this movie, for those who feel like a bit of a mental workout if you are prepared for asking questions throughout then you will enjoy watching this film. Otherwise do not touch this movie.
SPECIAL FEATURES: I think there may be two versions of the DVD so please do not get upset if I seem to miss or add some features:
Two Commentaries (Directors / Writers) - When I say this is an intellectual movie - I mean just that - it is written by engineers and it certainly sounds like it from the script, but that is good - the film is all about the maths and physics and quantum motions relating to the universe and while I can read Stephen Hawking without falling over I was lost on some of this ideas. The words I can understand - it is just the meaning of it all that is deceptively simple.
Trailers / dubbing / subtitles - as always
Price: Between £4 and £15 (depends on the discount)
SO - I watched this film again and it soon became apparent that there was something I had missed - but in disregard to the annoyance this will cause people who are trying to re-rate this review - I cannot tell you what I saw.
Remeber how you felt when you got to the end of "The Usual Suspects" or "Sixth Sense" well this film is like that - unless you were one of those who pretended to know what was going on. Primer has a kind of twist (if that is what you want to call it) but it is far more subtle and even after watching it twice I still think I missed something. The moment of realisation is quite sly and you may miss it, but when you do you will wonder that perhaps you should start again and watch from the beginning. - So I did and I learnt nothing new except that when I got to the end I then thought I had missed something and should watch it again from the beginning.
I have now decided that the film is definitely excellent and incredible well written. This has to be the first time travel movie that does not really let you dwell on the paradox idea as you are trying to work out who is where and who knows what and whether what you think is true - it is more a spy thriller I guess in that respect.
Still no clearer on the ending though because it seems this has been left deliberately vague. given that the film is only 74 minutes long they could have explained this a little better and while usually I would say this is lazy script writing in this case i think it is intentional and the writers are toying with us!!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 2000 - Drama - Director: Giuseppe Tornatore - Original Language: Italian - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro, Luciano Federico, Matilde Piana
I'm really looking forward to seeing this film. I saw a snip, and the line "I'm so hungry, I haven't eaten since next tuesday" was brilliant.
loki23 11.03.2008 09:32
Very good review. Loved your revision. It is complicated, but better than Hollywood schmaltz any day.
jesi 11.12.2006 17:20
My
father is a Physicist, so I have imbibed some information from my father's knee as it were ~ we used to listen avidly to his discussions with his colleagues, so perhaps I would enjoy watching re-watching this if I ever come across it ~ ! ♥♥ ! ~ ........................................................... ~ jes ~ ! ♥♥ !
If you always want what you can't have what do you want when you can have anything? ... more
Primer is set in the industrial park/suburban tract-home fringes of an unnamed contemporary city where two young engineers Abe and Aaron are members of a small grou...
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Primer is set in the industrial park/suburban tract-home fringes of an unnamed ... more
contemporary city where two young engineers, Abe and Aaron, are members of a small group of men who work by day for a large corporation while conducting extracurricular expe...
![Primer [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78504204.jpg "Primer [DVD]")
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