Rating: 
Summary: TIMEOUT
Review: Michael Crichton's career is based on creating distinctive tales that, while not exceptionally well written, manage to seduce readers with blatantly anti-technology, anti-progress themes. From "The Andromeda Strain" (microbes are scary!) to "Westworld" (robots are scary!) to "Jurassic Park" (cloned dinosaurs are scary!) to "Airframe" (flying in airplanes is scary!), Crichton established a niche of scaring people with mankind's intriguing advances.Crichton's "Timeline" is about that slippery slope of reality, time travel. And guess what? It's dangerous -- and scary! Chris Johnston (Paul Walker, from "The Fast and the Furious" and its sequel)hangs around his archaeologist father's dig site in France 'cause he's smitten by one of Dad's students. He has no interest in his Dad's digging up dead things. But he has the hots for Kate (Frances O'Connor) who almost returns his affections. But she's more interested in a 14th century monastery ruin. Rounding out the film's hip nerdy gang are a science wonk (Ethan Embry), a shy French student (Rossif Sutherland) and a sexy Scot (Gerard Butler) who conveniently enjoys practicing with a sword and a bow. One day, Chris' father (Billy Connolly) disappears while a 600-year-old note from him is found at the excavation site. The digger gang gets to the offices of the big corporate underwriters of the dig. Without worrying about security clearances or safety, the company's guru, Doniger (David Thewlis) explains that the company accidentally stumbled upon a way to travel through time and that Professor Dad volunteered to make the trip -- but it's been three days and he didn't get back yet from 14th century France. Of course,everybody suits up and goes to 14th century France. Mais bien sur! The audience may assume, they'll be watching a time travel adventure with these modern folk using all their 20th century intelligence and hi-tech to get out of various dangers. Indeed, Walker even says: "We've got 650 years of experience on these guys! We should be out of there in 20 minutes!" Alas, the group's response to every situation is to run and hide, climb out windows or get killed by arrows. Not once do any of the rescuers solve a problem using their modern skills or knowledge. What's the point of this movie, anyhow? A love story develops between the 20th century Scot and a 14th century French noblewoman (Anna Friel) who he knows is doomed unless he changes history (and the possibly catastrophic consequences of creating an historical paradox, by the way, is another concept not even hinted at in this movie). The outcome of the romance is telegraphed so far in advance that you'll see it while you're still in the lobby buying popcorn. Walker is an even bigger dummy than he appeared to be in his fast-car movies. He seems ready to end every line with "dude." The laugh is that the audience is supposed to swallow him as the son of Scottish comedian Connolly, and so is his lack of chemistry with love interest O'Connor. "Timeline" is among the dumb movies released in 2003. Pretty scenery, though.
Rating: 
Summary: waste of time
Review: Actually the book is mildly diverting if you've time to kill. At least it deals with some practicalities of such a ridiculous premise. For example, how could you talk to someone in the 13th century? The film, of course, doesn't bother with such subtle issues. It could be forgiven some short cuts (OK, let's make all the Brits sound like bored, pathetic actors from Stratford and 'ave all zee Frenchies talk jurshst lark Frenchies do any 'ow) but in fact the plot's virtually unitelligible and in the end you don't care if anyone escapes or not. Hopefully, one day I'll invent a time machine so I can go back and stop them ever making this rubbish in the first place !! P.S. Why is one Brit actor an American and another a French women ?
Rating:
Summary: Cheesy SciFi Movie...
Review: I was very disappointed from this movie. I didn't really expect a SciFi masterpiece, but this movie is just trash. The acting is so bad that you think you are watching some kind of B movie. Almost nothing that is being said or done in this movie makes sense and is totally ridiculous. Apparently they spent all their money on sets, effect and marketing, but didn't have any money left for a good director and decent actors. Don't waste your money and time on this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for a rainy weekend
Review: "Timeline" is like the Amazon discription said good popcorn movie. I call it great popcorn cheese. I gave it two stars, but if you are looking at it as a popcorn cheese then it ranks as a 4 star in that genre. Timeline rapidly explains on how they discovered this wormhole. They are so quick at explaining how this happened I just feel that they couldn't come up with a good idea its like they talked under their breath and just hoped you really didn't hear how lame of a plotline how they discovered the wormhole. This movie just had you laughing at the cheesy lines. This should have been on SciFi Channel Saturday night movie. Its perfect for that. Great bad acting (Paul Walker, who makes Vin Diesel look like Christopher Walken) and of course cheese lines after line. Even a nice cute little ending. This movie is definitley a rental, but wouldn't waste money on purchasing it.
Rating:
Summary: DONNER'S FOLLY
Review: Richard Donner has given us some fine films at his helm: LETHAL WEAPON series; THE OMEN; CONSPIRACY THEORY, and countless others. TIMELINE will not be remembered as one of his best. Based on Michael Crichton's excellent novel, TIMELINE tells the story of time travelers who venture back to 14th century France, to rescue a professor who is stranded there and needs help. Of course, this experiment is top top secret, and when the time transporter is damaged by a hand grenade, we find our heroes may be trapped in the past. Crichton's book was a wonderful blend of modern day technology and medieval derring do. Donner sacrifices a little in the former and much in the latter. The adventures in the medieval days are purely trite, and even the battle sequences, though vividly filmed, lack the power they so richly deserved. Along with the script, the film suffers in other ways: Paul Walker and Frances O'Connor (our supposed romantic heroic leads) pale in comparison to Gerard Butler (so good in DRACULA 2000) and the lovely Anna Friel. Despite less screen time than the other couple, they generated true chemistry and were much more exciting. Billy Connolly is miscast as the professor father; David Thewlis as the heartless head of the secret experiment isn't malevolent enough to create tension. However, in supporting roles, doing nicely are Neil McDonough (Gordon); Michael Sheen (Oliver); and Ethan Embry (Josh). TIMELINE needed to be in the hands of a true visionary director like Stephen Spielberg or a recklessly adventurous action director like Michael Bay. As it is, TIMELINE is merely okay, and doesn't achieve the excellence the book deserves.
Rating:
Summary: How to ruin a good book.
Review: What is it about Michael Crichton books that are so easy to screw up? Good movies are possible from Crichton's work, such as Jurassic Park and Andromeda Strain. From Congo to Sphere, though, Crichton's books have made horrific movies. Timeline is no exception. I consider Timeline, the book, to be one of Crichton's crowning works. This movie however, is a total wreck. The plot is lost in a sea of overworked special effects. Paul Walker was a horrible choice for his role. The plot changes lose the audience. The science of the movie seems to be lost in the rush to make a good action movie. If you want a good movie, look elsewhere, if you want a good book, read Timeline.
Rating:
Summary: THE BOOK WAS BETTER...WAY BETTER...
Review: This film is based upon Michael Crichton's marvelous best selling book of the same name. When I first heard that a film was in the making, I was really looking forward to viewing it, as I absolutely loved the book. That it was in the theatres for just about the blink of an eye, however, gave me the idea something might be wrong with it. Having viewed it, I now fully understand why its sojourn in theatres was relatively brief. Unfortunately, the film bears little resemblance to the author's finely crafted time travel tale. Jeff Maguire, having written a screenplay that seeks the lowest common denominator, just about destroys the author's work, reducing it to an almost incomprehensible piece of drivel. The screenplay takes a five star book and turns into a film that barely rates three stars. Here, a young group of archaeologists and historians are excavating the ruins of a fourteenth century feudal town in France, which excavation is funded by the International Technology Corp (ITC), a well-heeled, corporate giant. Some of the archeological finds are puzzling, as they seem to be anomalous to the time period. Moreover, the leader of the archaeological dig, Professor Johnson (Billy Connelly), has suddenly headed back to the states to ITC headquarters, and they are unable to get in touch with him. They are then all summoned to ITC headquarters by Robert Doniger (David Thewlis), the head of ITC. At ITC, they are told that the Professor has been transported by ITC back to fourteenth century France through a worm hole that ITC has inadvertently discovered. Unfortunately, the professor has not returned, and ITC wishes to send them back in time through the wormhole to help with the rescue of the Professor. It appears that their help is needed in order to navigate the intricacies of medieval life. One of them, Chris (Paul Walker), is the Professor's own son, so he needs no urging, Besides, he has a crush on one of his colleagues, Kate (Frances O'Connor), who is also ready to roll. Another, Andre Marek (Gerard Butler), is a romantic in love with a bygone time, and he. too, has no problem in going through the wormhole and landing in fourteenth century France. You know the screenplay is bad, however, when Francois, the only one who is reluctant to go through the wormhole, is told that he is needed because he is the only one who speaks French, as if the French spoken today were the same as that spoken in fourteenth century medieval France! This would have been a line better left unsaid, as we all know that the French and English spoken today bear little resemblance to that spoken in early medieval times. It is a piece of information about which viewers always automatically suspend belief. Garbed in clothing that is constructed to resemble that which the people of the fourteenth century would wear and carrying time travel markers that will enable them to return home, they go through the wormhole. When our intrepid time travelers, led by ITC security chief Frank Gordon (Neal McDonough), arrive in fourteenth Century France, they are immediately set upon by a marauding bunch of armored English knights, wherein their ranks are immediately thinned. They proceed into the town, where their ranks are further thinned. There, they find the Professor, when they are auspiciously imprisoned with him. Kate, who has excellent climbing ability, manages to help them all escape. They then split up, with Marek, incurable romantic that he is, forging on in his own way to help the Lady Clare (Anna Friel), a French noble woman whose fate spurs Marek on to acts of great chivalry. They are all brought together for the historic battle between the English and the French over control of the town. There, the English are led by the ruthless and evil Lord Oliver (Michael Sheen), aided by a rogue knight named De Kere (Marton Csokas), who is really none other than a transplanted ITC employee. Marek finds himself fighting against the English in order to save the Lady Clare and makes a split second decision that will forever change his life. The production values in the film are excellent and the direction is fine, as it is directed by none other than Richard Donner (The Omen, Lethal Weapon, Superman). The battle over the town provides some terrific action scenes. The actors themselves are also fine. They all do their best with the little with which they have to work. In the leading man category, however, Paul Walker is bested by Gerard Butler who is engaging as the romantic hero, Andre Marek. In the leading lady category, Anna Friel shines as Lady Clare, besting Frances O'Connor. The problem is that their is little chemistry between Paul Walker and Frances O'Connor. There is, however, chemistry between Gerard Butler and Anna Friel. Unfortunately, they are all done in by the simply dreadful screenplay for which Jeff Maguire should be flogged. If one rabidly enjoys medieval festivals and/or time travel stories, or if one loved the book upon which this film is based, then one will garner a modicum of enjoyment out of this film. If not, deduct one star from my rating. In any case, all who are inclined to see this film should rent, rather than buy, it.
Rating:
Summary: Average result from following a trite formula
Review: First of all, I must confess that I have not read the novel by Michael Crichton on which the movie is based. Therefore, I cannot comment on the quality and / or fidelity of the adaptation. The movie explores the same idea several others have applied in the past, time travel, but the setting is a period that is not the most usual. It seems that traveling to Arthurian settings is the most successful formula, but in this case the time leap is to the fourteen century in Castlegard, France. "Timeline" does not present a lot of new elements or a surprising plot, it is mainly a formulaic approach to a previously explored subject. The only contributions to this "mini-genre" are improved special effects and costume and set design. The movie starts when a man suddenly materializes in the middle of a deserted highway, dressed in medieval clothes and dying; his final word is "Castlegard". A representative of an organization called International Technology Corporation (ITC), for which the dead man worked, immediately shows up at the hospital to claim the body and to try to hamper any further investigation. However, the doctors have enough time to find out that the blood vessels and organs in the deceased are misaligned and have no idea what the explanation may be. At the same time, a group of archeologists that are funded by ITC finds the six-hundred-year-old ruins of Castlegard. Chris, the son of the chief archeologist in the expedition, Professor Johnston, is not very interested in the ruins, but he wants to hang around because he is in-love with his father's assistant. When Chris's father leaves the site to go to the corporate offices of ITC to talk business, the team at the archeological site keeps on working and makes a stunning discovery. Among the ruins Chris and his beloved Kate, find a note from the professor asking for help and a broken glass that confirms the identity of the sender of the message. Trying to make sense of this Chris and Kate, along with four other friends, go to ITC looking for some answers. What they find is a time machine that was used by the professor to go back in time to Castlegard, France in 1357. Now they have to go back to the rescue and immerse themselves in a dangerous adventure. This is the type of movie that you should choose to watch being aware that there is nothing outstanding about it, not the acting, the plot or any other aspect. It may be though a good way to spend a couple of hours entertained, since you will not need to pay a lot of attention or follow the action very closely to perfectly understand what is going on. This is definitely a movie that I do not recommend to buy, since I think most people will not find any added value from watching it a second time.
Rating:
Summary: 2003 Worst movie award - Walker aint Spielberg
Review: An avid reader of Michael Crichton who really enjoyed his Timeline novel, I could not but be deeply saddened by the poor, botched screen adaptation Mr Walker did of the book. I live in Venice and I should have known better just from the fact Italian film distributors did not even bothered to get the film translated... The scenario is nothing more than a very crude and distant distorsion from the novel. It lacks all the subtilities of the book. When Crichton describes an original and rather accurate vision of the 14th century, Walker heavily uses the typical cheap Holywood-style anachronisms. For instance, Crichton took care to mention nations did not yet exist as most of the English knights were actually from around Bordeaux and the remainder were from norman of french stock. He also underlined people in Castelgard were speaking a long-forgotten local dialect - Occitan . Walker instead already presents them as Frogs and Lobsters from the Napoleonic period, barking at each other. Booh, the movie is a true dillusion, a deception.
A pity, for the book contains the materials to build another Jurassic Park-type blockbuster. But it really takes a master-artist like Steven Spielberg to make an excellent movie from an excellent book. And Walker is not Spielberg. BTW: Lady Claire who is English in the novel becomes French in the movie...
Rating:
Summary: For the love of God, avoid this movie
Review: Dear God!!!! I don't normally write online reviews. Doing so just isn't my thing. But this movie was absolutely HORRID!!! The book was SO MUCH better. Now, Hollywood is pretty much known for butchering novels through movie adaptations, but this was relentless. The incredible detail and enlightening, thoughtful entertainment of Crichton's novel is WIPED OUT and PARED DOWN so that Paul Walker can have a starring vehicle. I have nothing against Paul Walker, but this just wasn't the movie for him. In fact, I envisioned a totally different cast for a story of this magnitude. This movie goes beyond oversimplification of the novel. On it's own, it's just BAD. It is a 1950's B-movie masquerading as a big budget studio production. I might have found it entertaining if it didn't try to take itself so damned seriously, which it was sort of doomed to do since it was SUPPOSED to be based on the Crichton novel.
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