A competent cast keeps this eccentric time travel movie (based on a Michael Crichton novel) amusing if far from successful.
Timeline (2003)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:132
Fresh:15
Rotten:117
Average Rating:3.7/10
Consensus: This incoherently plotted addition to the time-travel genre looks and sounds cheesy.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for intense battle sequences and brief language
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:Nov 26, 2003 Wide
Box Office: $19,375,474
Synopsis: In the heart of the beautiful and historically rich Dordogne Valley of France, a team of archaeology students and their professor diligently work to uncover the ruins of a 14th-century castle. For... In the heart of the beautiful and historically rich Dordogne Valley of France, a team of archaeology students and their professor diligently work to uncover the ruins of a 14th-century castle. For Professor Edward Johnson (Billy Connolly), the project is the culmination of a lifelong dream. Aided by assistant professor Andre Marek (Gerard Butler), his son Chris (Paul Walker) and students Kate (Frances O'Connor), Stern (Ethan Embry) and Francois (Rossif Sutherland), Johnston has made major strides in unearthing not only La Roque Castle but also a monastery and structures from the surrounding village of Castelgard. But things are about to go haywire... Suspicious of the dig's benefactor, International Technology Corporation (ITC) and the man who runs it, Robert Doniger (David Thewlis), Professor Johnston heads to ITC headquarters in New Mexico to get some answers, and while he's away, his students discover a chamber that has been sealed for more than 600 years. Marek and Kate descend into the unstable room, and just before a near disastrous cave-in, they make two startling discoveries -- a bifocal lens, which couldn't have been invented before the chamber was sealed, and even more intriguing, a handwritten plea for help dated April 2, 1357 ... from Professor Johnston! Determined to solve the mystery, the students head for ITC headquarters, where they are stunned to learn of Doniger's new invention -- a machine that can actually transmit three-dimensional objects through space. He meant for the device to revolutionize shipping. Doniger inadvertently opened a worm hole that leads directly to the 14th century, and Professor Johnston, who had insisted on experiencing the discovery himself, is now trapped in a vicious French vs. English feudal war! Can Johnston's loyal students survive one of the most violent battles in world history ... and make it back to the 21st century alive? -- © Paramount Pictures [More]
Starring: Paul Walker, Frances O'Connor, Gerard Butler, Billy Connolly
Starring: Paul Walker, Frances O'Connor, Gerard Butler, Billy Connolly, Ethan Embry, David Thewlis, Anna Friel, Neal McDonough
Director: Richard Donner
Director: Richard Donner
Screenwriter: Jeff Maguire, Robert Nolfi
Producer: Lauren Shuler Donner, Jim Van Wyck, Richard Donner
Composer: Brian Tyler
Studio: Paramount Pictures
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Release:
May 12, 2009
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- NTSC
- Keep Case
- Widescreen
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - French
- Dolby Surround - English
- Dolby Surround - French
Additional Release Material:
3-Part Documentary:
- 1. JOURNEY THROUGH TIMELINE: Setting Time, The Nights of La Roque, and Making Their Own History
- Featurette: THE TEXTURES OF TIMELINE
- Theatrical Trailers
Interactive Features:
- Scene Access
- Interactive Menus
Reviews for Timeline
Timeline takes the most ridiculous movie plot ever and multiplies it by ten.
This big-budget adventure is based on a recent Michael Crichton thriller, though its premise is too stale to instill the sense of wonder critical to great sci-fi.
In Michael Crichton's oeuvre, this is more The 13th Warrior than Westworld. Silly larks for young boys with liberal parents.
Yet another case of making time travel a messy ordeal rather than a load of fun, Timeline lacks the consistent tone, pace and point of view for either a science fiction thriller or medieval war adventure.
Jeff Maguire, in adapting Crichton's novel, clearly had trouble explaining all the nuances of the story with the constraints of a Hollywood time limit.
With the exception of the original "Jurassic Park", films based on Crichton's novels have been not only unsuccessful but horrendously awful.
This offers a mystifying look at the future with a mind-bending twist.
About as impressive as rival gangs of Renaissance Pleasure Faire geeks launching bottle rockets and flaming rolls of toilet paper at each other.
Linha do Tempo não é dos melhores livros de Chrichton – mas, ainda assim, é bem mais satisfatório do que esta adaptação pouco inspirada.
...the rare time travel movie that does nothing interesting or clever with modern humans in an ancient setting...
In the end, keeping score of most of the ensuing cross-cultural mayhem is about as involving as Xeroxing for two hours.
Viewers of Timeline will wish they could go back in time themselves and avoid buying tickets in the first place.
Latest News for Timeline
November 05, 2008:
Michael Crichton Passes Away (1942-2008)
Best-selling author, screenwriter, and director Michael Crichton has passed away at the age of 66. The medical doctor-turned-filmmaker was best known for writing... More...
March 02, 2006:
Critical Consensus: A Swinging "Party," A Sweet and Sour "16"
This week's wide releases will take us on a journey. We'll walk a couple blocks ("16 Blocks," "Dave Chappelle's Block Party"), take a dip in the ocean... More...
February 23, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Running" Gets a "Cooler" Reception From Critics
A low-level hood searches desperately for a hot gun ("Running Scared"). A cute pooch battles the forces of evil ("Doogal"). The irrepressible Madea holds a... More...
June 30, 2005:
Trailer Bulletin: Into the Blue
Stop by Yahoo! Movies for your first look at the trailer to John Stockwell's "Into the Blue." It's a tale of buried treasure, loyal pals, evil thieves, narrow escapes... More...
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| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
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