MOVIE: Primer

Released back in 2004 and never heard of since, Primer blew the warm gray goo straight out the back of my head. I read a lot. I watch a lot of The Discovery Channel and The Learning Channel. I've got a degree or two somewhere. Yet with all pistons firing full blast, I could barely keep up with this flick. Hours later, I'm still scratching my knoggin', trying to unravel all the layers of this puzzle.

Primer is a full on geek fest about phsyics, computers, and odd overlapping possibilities. The tagline is: "If you always want what you can't have, what do you want when you can have anything?" On the surface it is about four friends and their experimental startup company. They are trying to find and fill a niche market with cutting-edge niche hardware. Exotic parts. Rapid development. Quiet, stealth operation. What results is one of the most trippy, hard-science, mind humps since the final scene in Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Subtle, inconspicuous writing. Smooth dialog that doesn't interfere with the narrative. Careful, measured pacing, that slowly coils upon itself and threatens consume its own tail. Made on a low budget, it has no effects worth mentioning. Instead it depends on the strength of its writing and the performances of the actors.

For a pair of geeks, it makes a good date flick. Kids will be bored out of their skull. But worth renting immediately for those whose taste slides toward science or technology.