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Timeline

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Timeline (2003)

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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 Details]
 
 

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

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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A competent cast keeps this eccentric time travel movie (based on a Michael Crichton novel) amusing if far from successful.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
05/10/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Timeline takes the most ridiculous movie plot ever and multiplies it by ten.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
11/05/08
Empire Magazine

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.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
11/05/08
J. R. Jones
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

In Michael Crichton's oeuvre, this is more The 13th Warrior than Westworld. Silly larks for young boys with liberal parents.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
11/05/08
Daniel Etherington
Daniel Etherington
Channel 4 Film

...one of the least effective Crichton adaptations to date.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
10/31/08
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

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.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/18/08
Robert Koehler
Robert Koehler
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's all a bit too near fetched to be a great movie, it's still fun.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
12/27/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

It is just bland and easily forgettable.

Full Review Source: Sci-Fi Movie Page | comment Comment
11/08/07
James O'Ehley
James O'Ehley
Sci-Fi Movie Page

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
03/14/05
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons

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.

Full Review Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas) | comment Comment
09/20/04
Mark Collette
Mark Collette
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

With the exception of the original "Jurassic Park", films based on Crichton's novels have been not only unsuccessful but horrendously awful.

Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | comment Comment
07/11/04
Wesley Lovell
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy

This offers a mystifying look at the future with a mind-bending twist.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Spectrum | comment Comment
05/26/04
Vince Koehler
Vince Koehler
Entertainment Spectrum

Timeline is offensively bad.

Full Review Source: IGN Movies | comment Comment
04/07/04
Jeff Otto
Jeff Otto
IGN Movies

As the romantic lead, Paul Walker would be a stiff in any century...

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
02/24/04
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

About as impressive as rival gangs of Renaissance Pleasure Faire geeks launching bottle rockets and flaming rolls of toilet paper at each other.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
02/21/04
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

Linha do Tempo não é dos melhores livros de Chrichton – mas, ainda assim, é bem mais satisfatório do que esta adaptação pouco inspirada.

comment Comment
02/11/04
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

...the rare time travel movie that does nothing interesting or clever with modern humans in an ancient setting...

Full Review Source: Atlantic City Weekly | comment Comment
02/05/04
Lori Hoffman
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly

In the end, keeping score of most of the ensuing cross-cultural mayhem is about as involving as Xeroxing for two hours.

Full Review Source: Long Island Press | comment Comment
12/31/03
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
Long Island Press

Viewers of Timeline will wish they could go back in time themselves and avoid buying tickets in the first place.

Full Review Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette | comment Comment
12/31/03
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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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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