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Movies / On DVD / Timeline
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.

Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

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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Reviews for Timeline

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21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

...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

A waste of time.

Full Review Source: 3BlackChicks Review | comment Comment
12/27/03
Kamal  'The Diva' Larsuel
Kamal 'The Diva' Larsuel
3BlackChicks Review

A big, dumb action fantasy that could be easily digestible and provide some rollicking Saturday matinee entertainment. Outside of the big and dumb part, it fails on almost every other level.

Full Review Source: FilmJerk.com | comment Comment
12/15/03
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
FilmJerk.com

Director Richard Donner is in good form here, and he patches up the holes in the script by keeping the action moving lickety-split.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
12/05/03
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

All the zoiksy illogic and spinning plot points give Timeline a strange energy.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
12/05/03
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

Couldn't be sillier if Monty Python's knights who say "Ni!" turned up for an extended cameo.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
12/05/03
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

What with all the holiday hubbub, you certainly don’t have time for “Timeline,” a lackluster sci-fi flick that would have been more at home as a television original.

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
12/04/03
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

Here is a movie in which even the arrows are loud. If it was an attempt to drown out the dialogue and obscure the plot, it didn't succeed.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
12/04/03
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

...a cocky and contrived contraption which gingerly dances around its Medieval-themed mediocrity...[an] overwrought costume drama

Full Review Source: Movie Eye | comment Comment
12/03/03
Frank Ochieng
Frank Ochieng
Movie Eye

There are a couple of nice moments ... But not enough.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
12/02/03
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

A cartoonish, ludicrous and (unintentionally) hilarious piece of action fluff that wouldn't fool a 10-year-old.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
12/02/03
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
12/02/03
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

While I enjoyed Timeline on a purely brainless level, I couldn't get it out of my head that there was something stupid going on.

Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
12/02/03
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Goatdog's Movies

Timeline is the Rollerball of 2003.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
12/02/03
Sarah Chauncey
Sarah Chauncey
Reel.com

C'est la 'B'! Timeline is crudely written, haphazardly acted, and improbably fun.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
12/02/03
Ed Park
Ed Park
Village Voice

It's shameless, I know, but this movie is nice, simple fun.

Full Review Source: Cinerina | comment Comment
12/01/03
Karina Montgomery
Karina Montgomery
Cinerina

It's like Back to the Future without the laughs.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
12/01/03
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper

Time-travel tale is a so-so action flick that plays like Jurassic Park ... but without the dinosaurs. Or stars. Or excitement.

Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
12/01/03
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Netflix
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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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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