Primer

Right now you can watch Primer in Australia on Amazon Prime Video and Hoopla, and in the UK on Arrow Video Amazon Channel and ARROW — and it goes further with its ideas than most genre entertainment bothers to. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. 2,455 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Shane Carruth's performance is the anchor the more ambitious scenes need. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Amazon Prime Video.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Primer earns its spot. Primer uses its genre premise as cover for asking bigger questions. A group of fledgling inventors discover a complex method to manipulate reality. At first, they successfully game the stock market with it, but the consequences of the invention start to catch up with them. Shane Carruth and David Sullivan lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2004. What separates Primer from lesser genre entertainment is a willingness to let the concept cost the characters something. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Sci-fi fans who want ideas alongside the spectacle will find Primer genuinely rewarding. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Shane Carruth anchors it with a performance that makes the more abstract moments feel personal. If you have been burned by ambitious sci-fi before, this is the exception.