Timeline

[Bada0Bing]

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Amazon.com
Just enough of Michael Crichton's novel survives in Timeline to make it a passable popcorn thriller. It's likely that Crichton fans will lament the shallowness of director Richard Donner's film, and its gee-whiz style of acting lays waste to any scientific credibility that Crichton's scenario might have retained. Still, the Crichton formula is a sturdy one, following the model of Westworld and Jurassic Park by involving a small band of adventurers in a fantastical realm of danger and death. In this case, a group of archaeologists and combat experts (led by Paul Walker and Frances O'Connor) use a "3-D fax machine" (so much for technobabble!) to time-travel back to France in 1357, in hopes of retrieving Walker's father (Billy Connolly) and returning safely to the present. No such luck! Fending for themselves against marauding hordes of medieval French warriors at war with the invading British, these semi-intrepid travelers find their body count rising, and the deadline for their return home is rapidly approaching. All well and good, so far, and the castles-and-crossbows action reaches a fever pitch, but it's obvious that Donner's too lazy to make the much better film that this could and should have been. Despite its enjoyable highlights, Timeline is perfunctory entertainment. --Jeff Shannon

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Just watched it. What a disappointment. This should have been great, but it seemed more like a made for TV movie. I was stunned to learn that this had a $80 million budget. However, it did get a little better for the final battle sequence near the end.

I made the mistake of watching this after reading the book. They just glossed over my favorite parts of the book, mostly the quantum mechanics discussions.

One of the few bright spots was Gerald Butler. He was born to play these types of characters. Ethan Embry was okay too.

"'Braveheart' with a 21st century twist" - Haha, not even close!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0300556/

 

[Gaddabout]

They just glossed over my favorite parts of the book, mostly the quantum mechanics discussions.

That book messed with my mind so much, I had to put it down several times before finishing it. The quantum mechanics stuff, wormholes, "killing" oneself to shrink through a wormhole, creating a copy of oneself over and over, you're 'you' but not 'you' ...

I will never look at my cell phone the same ever again.

Agreed ... the movie was ridiculous, but this is not uncommon with Crichton movies. Congo was another one that turned an interesting book into an absolute farce.

 

[Pariah]

Book was better (rarely is it not, thought). But when Paul whatshisface is "starring" in a movie, you'd better go in with low expectations. It's a good rule to live by.