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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: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

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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41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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I can certainly empathize with the characters in this film because for two hours I too was in Medieval Hell.

Full Review Source: KBTV-NBC (Beaumont, TX) | comment Comment
12/01/03
Danny Minton
Danny Minton
KBTV-NBC (Beaumont, TX)

A leaden, dull, and generally forgettable piece of barely there filmmaking that might well have been a mid-Eighties movie of the week, or, more likely, a jettisoned ABC After School Special.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
11/30/03
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

Brainless and aimless but still a little fun.

Full Review Source: Denton Record Chronicle (TX) | comment Comment
11/29/03
Boo Allen
Boo Allen
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
11/29/03
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A mildly engaging sci-fi adventure that's a bit too reminiscent of every other time-travel tale.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
11/29/03
Daniel Eagan
Daniel Eagan
Film Journal International

The hack novel by Michael Crichton did not inspire anyone to the level of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
11/28/03
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

Based on Michael Crichton's bestseller, this action film plays more like a comedy filled with TV acting and cliché one-liners.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
11/28/03
Stephanie Cook Broadhurst
Stephanie Cook Broadhurst
Christian Science Monitor

The tagline says, "This November, you're history." And let me guess: by next month, Timeline will be history, too.

Full Review Source: Horror.com | comment Comment
11/28/03
Staci Layne Wilson
Staci Layne Wilson
Horror.com

One of the worst plots I've ever seen in a time travel story.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
11/27/03
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

Trying to make sense of it and still stay involved through the duration of its 116 minutes is about as meaningless and unrewarding as...well, Timeline itself.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
11/27/03
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

it's very easy to get lost in this silly, fun adventure tale.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
11/27/03
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
San Francisco Examiner

Lacks any force or energy to release it from the pull of total mediocrity.

Full Review Source: Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies | comment Comment
11/27/03
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

Basically a remake of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3, but without teenagers, mutants, ninjas or turtles.

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
11/26/03
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

Time travels, but it sure doesn't fly by in this debacle.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
11/26/03
Richard Harrington
Richard Harrington
Washington Post

Resembles a Star Trek episode by way of Scooby-Doo.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
11/26/03
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post

Curiously lacking in energy, which may be the result of an obviously cut-rate production budget that skimps on the sci-fi sizzle.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
11/26/03
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star

There is nothing particularly wonderful about Timeline, but, other than Walker's acting, nothing particularly terrible about it, either.

Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
11/26/03
Phoebe Flowers
Phoebe Flowers
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

This dunderheaded mix of sci-fi and medieval skull-bashing should have been called Monty Python and the Holey Time Machine.

Full Review Source: San Jose Mercury News | comment Comment
11/26/03
Glenn Lovell
Glenn Lovell
San Jose Mercury News

An accidental comedy trapped in sci-fi/action garb, like those actors swathed in their medieval tunics, stumbling and lurching along.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
11/26/03
Moira MacDonald
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times

The direction by Richard Donner ... is usually a beat or two off, and the dialogue seems clumsily ad-libbed.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
11/26/03
Carla Meyer
Carla Meyer
San Francisco Chronicle
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

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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