10 Movies That Ended Way Too Early

4. Primer

Will Smith Men In Black 2
IFC Films

Shane Carruth's sci-fi indie hit Primer is an undeniably impressive achievement. Produced for just $7,000, Carruth delivered a heady, ambitious drama about two engineers, Aaron (Carruth) and Abe (David Sullivan), who accidentally discover time travel.

The film's near-impenetrable dialogue makes it a tough sit for unsuspecting audiences, but Carruth's refusal to talk down to viewers also ensured Primer quickly became a cult classic.

Yet it's also a film that, possibly due to its shoestring budget - which severely limited what Carruth could shoot - basically ends just as it's about to get crazy.

Just 75 minutes have passed when Primer rolls its end credits, but the tantalising final scene implies that Aaron is about to expand his time travel experiments from a mere box to an entire warehouse, the terrifying implications of which speak for themselves.

You can't really blame Carruth for cutting the movie off here, but given his clear ingenuity as a filmmaker, it's a shame he didn't have the budget to show how Aaron scaled-up his experiments - and the inevitably disastrous consequences.

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.