This film has me completely bamboozled. Want to vote on what I should watch next? Click here! www.patreon.com/jamesvscinema Have a great day! Stay away from your clones.

this movie is not 80 minutes long, it's 240 minutes long -- 3 viewings before you start to understand what questions you need to ask 😆

This was shot on such a tight budget that everyone had to rehearse like a play because Shane could only afford enough film to shoot every take once.

What I love about this movie is that the engineers talk and behave like actual engineers and not like Hollywood caricatures of engineers as it is usually the case.

honestly im surprised more people havent seen this, especially those like myself who love different concepts of how time travel is showed in media

This is probably the best time travel movie ever. Most such films use time travel as a device to further a separate plot. For example, Back to the Future is a story about family and friendship that uses time travel to tell the story. But Primer is a film about time travel itself. It examines the fact that in a world with time travel, you can’t know anything or trust anything. You don’t know what you are really seeing. You don’t know what you are really hearing. You have no frame of reference for what anyone else knows. You cant be sure of anything. You can’t even know your own past. You can’t trust anyone. You can’t even trust yourself It’s pretty deep, and this film does not shy away from it.

His followup movie Upstream Color is one of the most unique sci-fi/indie movies ever made. Does some truly incredible things with editing and sound. A completely unique experience that I can’t recommend it enough (especially since you watch with headphones)

Turn Box 1 on at noon today. Enter box 1 at noon tomorrow. Stay in box for the time needed to bounce around enough to exit at Noon of yesterday. You've successfully went back in time but now two versions of you exisit till you watch yourself get in the box. What makes this a great movie is they took so long to tell you he started a day 0 box before even showing anyone. So he always had a true return point. This is the box that the coworker accidentally used.

As an engineer who would love to switch over to filmmaking, the fact that Shane Carruth did it with this movie was such a huge deal to me when it came out. Carruth, the director, was a software engineer (or mechanical?) at the time he was making Primer.

This is a top tier time travel movie. It DEMANDS that the viewer pay attention to see that the time travelling happened before we knew about it. There are diagramed timelines available the are great to have handy on a second viewing. This movie is a multiple viewing must just to see how many Abe's & Aaron's are from different times or are getting clues from other selves from the future. This is one of my favorite films and I'm glad to see you reacting to it!

I doubt there's a single person who has seen this who would fault you for missing it. It's a total mindfuck.

Thank you so much for reacting, I am glad you enjoyed this. This is in my top three favorite time travel films. To travel back in time 6 hours in Primer (2004): Set a timer to turn on the box, as the box is powering up that’s when your future self exits. Next, you would go to motel to avoid the events of the day. Before you go to climb into the box, download stock market data of that day. When you get to the box, power it down, and climb in before it shuts off, this triggers the backwards travel through time. The oxygen is necessary as they've mention the box is flooded with argon… and backwards travel takes just as long as forwards travel. (be prepared to spend 6 hours in that box). From a filming perspective, this was shot on super 16mm, later upscaled to 35mm which why one of the scenes is grainy. Also Almost all the film was used in the final cut, this movie was on a tight budget. For more about its production I highly recommend the Director’s commentary. Thank you again James, for your reaction and insights!

Oh, I have been waiting for THIS. Premium low budget filmmaking

OMG I never thought you'd watch this film! Most complex time travel film I've watched

His second film Upstream Color is in my top 10 favorites

To clarify, it wasn't a clone machine with a side effect of time travel, it was a time travel machine with a side effect of cloning

Reading deep explanations of what this movie is and how the machine works is nuts.

I’m so jazzed that you’re watching this. I wish I could visit a universe where more of his films got made.

I’m sure others have mentioned it, but I highly recommend seeking out both the Director’s commentary as he goes in depth about the time travel as well as any video going into the time travel diagram of this film

I’m SO glad you’re watching movies like these.

The 2007 Spanish film Timecrimes would be a great complement to this.

I am SO excited to watch your reaction to this film. Primer is one of my favorites! Got my snacks ready to go. Thanks for always providing great videos and take care of yourself man!

Man I thought other time traveling movies were confusing, this one takes the cake for SURE

You watch Primer > you watch a explanation video> you watch Primer again> you realize you didn't understand anything > watch another video...and the cicle repeats. That was my experience. 😅

I've seen this movie four times. It's a delicious little Rubik's cube of logical twists and turns which takes time to unscramble. And it requires your undivided attention, as hints and clues are dropped subtly throughout the film. A truly remarkable piece of work by Shane Carruth. A quick example: Early on Abe wakes up on the floor, slightly confused, and answers a call from Aaron. We then see him quickly rehearse what he's gonna say to his flatmates as he passes them in the next room, even though it's just a trivial greeting. Which means, at this point he's ALREADY doing time traveling. Not only that: The scene implies that he woke up dazed because he'd been drugged. In retrospect, we realize that a version of himself was probably who did the drugging. So he's already a victim of his future selves' shenaniganery, and doesn't realize it.

This movie is nuts. There are a ton of diagrams out there that try to break down the full plot. It helps...sorta. I can usually follow complicated time/mind screw movies, but this one still hasn't fully clicked for me, even after a few watches (some of them sober, even!). I can usually get a good 75% through the movie until I lose track of which iteration of who I'm looking at. But I love how it really takes its time in the discovery of this weird technology and only scratches the surface of the implications of it. I do like how the time travel works a bit like Tenet in that you go back as long as you spend in the box, this was the first movie I saw that used that mechanic.

An underrated Time Travel movie.

I think you would really appreciate "The Man from Earth" (2007)

Super impressed you dove into this one. Very low budget indie...that is absolute genius film making. So happy you reacted to Primer! There are some good videos breaking down the time line.

One of the few movies I googled a few KZfaq videos after and then rewatched lol

This is one of the most underrated movies of all time. Slips under so many peoples radar.

This movie was such a fantastic surprise (for me) when it came out. I was blown away how awesome it was/is.

Omg Yes, this is one of my favorite films and my favorite time travel movie,very underappreciated imo, glad you enjoyed it!! it's a great example of how much power a good script for a cool concept can have with a very low Budget.

Yea dude! this is one of my favorites. one of the best approaches to time travel and really original

Its a pure time travel loop. He started with himself in the attic as a reset for all the experiments. An ultimate reset. He let his other self go, and at the end, hes constructing a "box" the size of a building.

One of the best films ever made. Have you seen the time-line(s) diagram that someone figured out? It’s insanity itself. Such a sophisticated movie.

I wonder if anyone has recommended "Beyond the Black Rainbow". I wouldn't necessarily compare it to this movie narratively, but when it comes to odd sci Fi movies, it's a very stylistic movie. You might dig it!

Your reaction to this is a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. Love your content James. Stay blessed out there brother

I’ve watched quite a few of your videos, but reacting to Primer earned a subscribe from me. I really enjoy your brand of reactions and willingness to watch truly unique movies👍🏻

Actual insanity that the budget for this movie was $7,000.

Yes this movie is brilliant! Definitely justifies a second viewing; there is so much detail packed into this movie, all the little hints that tell you which version of which character is doing what at each time; there are several of both of them, and what's amazing how little the movie breaks its own rules; once you accept the premise of the box, everything fits together. I love that you highlighted the cinematography, color grading, and sound design; he's a very unique creator. He did this movie and *Upstream Colour* over a decade later which is a bit more abstract and conceptual but just a beautiful, beautiful film.

I agree with another post here. You cant stop listening to what they are saying. Youi talked over a part early on when they explained how the machine works. The dialogue is very key in this movie,. And yes it takes multiple viewings. :)

There are websites with the entire timeline of the film detailed, and I still don't get it.

I've said it in your comments before but I'll say it again. I love it when you watch old movies through the eyes of a young filmmaker, and learn something new in the process. "La Belle et la Bete." (Beauty and the Beast) Jean, Cocteau. 1946. Nobody's watching or reacting to it. But everybody should see it.

I did a shot-by-shot recount of this film a long time ago. There is *so* much here. The inserts alone tell stories when you see the order they're edited in.

This movie blew my mind when I watched it when it came out. Saw it again years later and was still super impressed - especially knowing it was shot on a really small budget. Thanks for reacting to this!

I love this movie, it's really unique in a way that's too rare. And I love the idea that you can only use a time machine for the period it's been turned on for, it makes so much sense and yet this is the only time I've seen it.

I saw this in the theater! Thought about it for weeks.

Imagine for a low budget movie it's one of the top 3 time travel movies of all time.

So glad you got into this one. This was the only film i ever watched where I loved it but knew I didn’t fully understand what was going on and had to immediately rewatch it. A few watches later I finally found an intricate diagram of timelines online that helped me unpick it. Totally wild, and so inspiring to see such original high concept sci fi brought to the screen so successfully on such a shoestring budget. Always really happy to see people discover it

Thanks for doing this one. One of what I find the most interesting proof of concept movies. Once again you get so many points for going off the beaten path to find unique ones.

The director of this made another movie later called Upstream Color that's just as bizarre, if not more so. If you want another good time travel movie, there's one called Timecrimes that's more straightforward but still plays around a bit with the concept. Also, you've seen a few David Lynch movies but Inland Empire is his most out there movie and is something you should definitely watch if you like the feeling of "what the hell is happening" that came up somewhat in this movie.

I basically never leave comments on any KZfaq videos. I haven't even watched your reaction yet but want to say I am SO GLAD you got put on to this one. Nothing else like it. Can't unwatch it.

Btw you know when James is tripping when his accent starts dropping when says "no idea" at the end

YES! 🔥🔥 One of my all time favorite time travel movies. There’s timeline diagrams online, definitely brain twisting (though not as crazy as Tenet lol). There needs to be way more fans of this movie

My favorite time travel movie, with dozens of details that you only catch after the second, third, fourth viewing. It's surprising that there hasn't been a "Hollywood remake," but so much of what makes this film special is in how it was made. Enjoy the next viewing, and maybe it's worth a reaction video of the next viewing, where you catch the things that only have significance and make sense after it reveals its secrets.

Wow, what a nice surprise. Phenomenal Film.

Such a fun movie. They Basically never 'dumb it down' you catch half the conversation of how it literally works and it expects you keep up 😂😂

I think at its core, this movie is about how greed destroys friendships. You can definitely go way deep into understanding the timelines and the loops and the alternate copies, but thematically it's about more than time loops, I think.

Every time I watch this movie it seems different. It's so hard to figure out when the clones appear and how far ahead of the other characters they are.

You should also check out Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel.

I’d like to recommend the Spanish film Time Crimes - another mind mangler, but not quite as complicated as this and a lot more fun.

finally! i’ve been commenting for you to react to this for abt two years lol. can’t wait to watch this tonight. much love my dude.💙🤘🏽

Hell yeah i think i left a comment about this one a few months ago, very exciting!

one of my favourites, glad you got to experience it. the dialogue is so realistic and natural that it doesn't even feel like a movie.

One of my favorites. Check out "Coherence" it's another low budget sci-fi mind twister.

This movie still blows my mind. Thanks for reacting to it! I highly recommend reacting to Ordinary People (1980) if you've never watched it. It's a great "blind watch" and is Robert Redford's directorial debut. It won Best Picture!

Immediately dropped what I was doing to jump on this notification!

i lived in the research-triangle area in NC (Raleigh).. lots of engineering people there because of NCState's high-level engineering program. i worked in tech for a few years so i was around those kinds of guys a lot. not only did they get the dialogue and demeanor spot on, but they also nailed a lot of other details.. like the clothes. i always saw engineering guys wearing that kind of business casual just all day every day, even on days off. a lot of them wouldn't even switch clothes to go to a party because they were just that way.. couldn't be bothered. also, the garage setup looks SO perfect. the cheap suburban houses.. strip malls and storage units. getting a "steak" as a celebration for some project.. they filmed it in Austin i think, but there were places like that in Raleigh which looked identical. lots of concrete.. anyway this movie always makes me think of those years of my life. didn't they only spend like five thousand dollars making it? insane!

Based on your prior movie reactions, I think you would really like Sling Blade, the movie that launched Billy Bob Thornton's career. It's basically his Rocky since he wrote it then shopped it around to a studio that would let him star in it. Also, for movies with unique cinematography, you should check out Crank and Guns Akimbo, both have interesting sort of video-game-like visuals/pacing/characters.

Best time travel movie ever! EVER! Absolutely one of the best movies I have ever seen and I've seen thousands and thousands. Every aspect of it, the dialogue, the cinematography, the editing, the music, the plot, the narrative structure, etc.) is amazing. I suggested it multiple times in your comments section so I am thrilled that you finally got around to seeing it. BTW: no clones :D

You're right, it has a very nostalgic look. I don't know why, but I feel drawn to these southern/mid western tech office environments.

This is probably my favorite time travel movie. Upstream Color is another really cool and perplexing movie by this director. He apparently has a couple other scripts he was shopping around with even grander visions, he's let his personal problems mess up his career though.

YES! I saw this movie in the theater by myself and was so upset i couldnt talk to anyone about it.

It's been a while since I've seen this, but if I remember correctly his handwriting changed because his hand was off slightly timewise from reaching into that portion of the machine. So his hand was either ahead or behind the rest of him, including his brain, by a second or however long. I really need to watch this again because it's been too long and my memory is hazy, but I believe it was something like that.

I liked your reaction. It was very comprehensive looking at the story, filmatography, sound, etc. I am really glad you enjoyed the movie and were a bit confused by it on your first viewing. I've watched this movies dozens of times. I even put together a spreadsheet trying to keep track of what time line each scene was in. I watched it again last night and was again impressed on how tight the story telling is. I stumbled on it on Netflix or something and was just drawn to it. Same thing happened to me with 'Reservoir Dogs'. No idea what it was about or what to expect and just kind of blown away.

This is actually one of my favorite movies, can't wait to see how you like it.

I still remember how I felt after watching this for the first time. So far beyond confused! Amazing presentation though, and really quick and fun to rewatch multiple times.

Found this one randomly a few years ago. Great time travel film.

I need to rewatch this one completely drunk. Multiple sober viewings left me clueless.

I'm so pleased to watch someone watching this. Might sign up for your other stuff to watch yo uwatching it a second time straight afterwards to see a few pennies drop. Brilliant film, bloody love it

Two other fun indies in this vein are Time Lapse and Coherence. I'm eternally grateful to my uncle for showing me these smaller sci-fi films.

Oh man, I just learned about this film last month. I gave it a watch and thought it was OK. Admirable for its minuscule budget. But then I looked up some explanation of it and and found an amazing diagram showing exactly what went on and how the different timelines work, and I was blown away. This is a damn clever movie. I dont blame the film for any shortcomings in bringing its story across though. It's just such a good example of someone with a vision just going for it.

Me haz hecho recordar esta pequeña gran joya nostálgica La veré de nuevo. 🤗

Love this movie. So much. There's a lot of movies that deal with time travel but I think this is the only one that really grapples with the inherent paradoxes in time travel. Nearly every other time travel movie sweeps these under the rug because of the complexity involved. Primer takes these ideas head on. And it's made so much more impressive by the fact that it was made for $7,000. Just goes to show how powerful a good idea can be in filmmaking. Viva independent cinema. James, please review a Peter Strickland movie! You'll love him. I highly recommend The Duke of Burgundy.

Jumped into this video when I saw you reacted to Primer! Honestly, I want to see you react to some of the explanations of it that are floating around YT!

yooo id never expect anyone to react to this obscure gem. ii saw it after watching upstream color in theatres a long time ago.

Both this and Upstream Color focus in on the perspective of characters, not the audience. The characters are too close to a thing and can't see the larger picture (like the characters in this not understanding how someone else could have used the machine, because it happened in the future). Everything makes sense and all the information is there if you parse through it, but during the movie you are completely in their footsteps, even when that means not knowing things

When i was in college and had insomnia for most the middle of the weeks, this was one of the movies I would watch on repeat almost every night. This, ghost world, summer wars, & You Are Usamo.

The movie is about the friendship between Abe and Aaron breaking down.

I think the last time I saw this movie was later this afternoon.

This is a time travel movie that totally gets the funkiness of time travel. It's so confusing because every timeline is happening at once.

Oh WOW I'd totally forgotten Primer! good stuff

i got really excited when i saw that you uploaded a reaction for this, but i share your sentiments. i also should look up some explanations, just to get more perspectives. awesome reaction as always!

I’m still hyping myself up to rewatch this movie

Watch it as many times as you like. Each time you will have a new, usually contradictory, explanation. Fun fact: the original scripts had a cast of four main characters instead of two... just imagine the kind of knots that would tie in anyone's cortex.

My theory on the writing problems is that Shane's hand functions in a time shift from the present, which interferes with the brain's nerve signals and affects the character of the writing. There is a scene in the film when, early in the construction of the machine, Shane drags his hand over an exposed part of the machine. Presumably, this is when the synchronicity was broken. Primer's script is a masterpiece but I don't know anyone who figured out all the timelines on the first viewing. This is a movie to watch again and again, with notepad in hand. Some may say this marks a failure for the filmmakers, but I think such more experimental films are needed to explore the limits of what is possible in film narrative. Besides, the atmosphere in this film is fantastic, and for this alone the filmmakers should be commended.

Another high-concept indie film with a mind-bending plot is "Ink".

Such an amazing movie, it blew my mind when I saw it for the first time. It's so cleverly and, despite the fantastical events depicted, believably constructed. It should definitely be more well-known than it is.

I highly suggest watching a Primer Timeline Explained video on KZfaq then rewatching the movie. Still makes my head hurt but everything fits so perfectly lol