I can certainly empathize with the characters in this film because for two hours I too was in Medieval Hell.
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.
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
Reviews for Timeline
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.
A mildly engaging sci-fi adventure that's a bit too reminiscent of every other time-travel tale.
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.
Based on Michael Crichton's bestseller, this action film plays more like a comedy filled with TV acting and cliché one-liners.
The tagline says, "This November, you're history." And let me guess: by next month, Timeline will be history, too.
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.
Lacks any force or energy to release it from the pull of total mediocrity.
Basically a remake of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3, but without teenagers, mutants, ninjas or turtles.
Curiously lacking in energy, which may be the result of an obviously cut-rate production budget that skimps on the sci-fi sizzle.
There is nothing particularly wonderful about Timeline, but, other than Walker's acting, nothing particularly terrible about it, either.
This dunderheaded mix of sci-fi and medieval skull-bashing should have been called Monty Python and the Holey Time Machine.
An accidental comedy trapped in sci-fi/action garb, like those actors swathed in their medieval tunics, stumbling and lurching along.
The direction by Richard Donner ... is usually a beat or two off, and the dialogue seems clumsily ad-libbed.
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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