Brainless and aimless but still a little fun.
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: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
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
'The time machine is an astoundingly cheap contraption — really nothing more than a couple of rotating mirrors and a wind machine.'
It plays like a bad episode of the old '60s television series, The Time Tunnel, with lots of uninvolving, back-and-forth action and little to thrill us with the exciting incongruities of time travel.
A tired thriller guaranteed to get lost amidst the cerebral and artsy offerings of the holidays
A goofy, curious entertainment -- something of a guilty pleasure, a film that invites you to jeer and laugh in equal measure.
Timeline treats the past like an amusement park, offering mid-level thrills and nothing more.
It's a ridiculous, paradox-packed, sci-fi/action contrivance...but I'd be lying if I said I didn't get some guilty pleasure out of this inflated adventure.
Timeline fails to grab you and sustain any feeling of wonder. The time travel is treated so matter of factly ... that it, too, cannot stir the imagination.
Features serious over-acting, lousy effects, appalling dialogue, misplaced and ill-advised romantic interludes, a complete lack of tension, nothing to link the story set in the past with the section set in the present and very bad wigs.
Based on Michael Crichton's bestseller, this action film plays more like a comedy filled with TV acting and cliché one-liners.
Lacking both will and budget, the filmmakers have done the honorable thing and given us a sweetly stupid, mercifully brisk bad movie.
Couldn't be sillier if Monty Python's knights who say "Ni!" turned up for an extended cameo.
The story, acting and visual effects fail to effectively blend together into a coherent sci-fi adventure.
a snore of a film whose sole positive accomplishment is teaching us a new word, trebuchet
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...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
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| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
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|---|---|
| 82% 82% | Paranormal Activity |
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| 44% 44% | Jennifer's Body |
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