Like most of his other books, Timeline read less like a novel and more like the treatment for a screenplay. Sadly, the movie Timeline is but a shadow of Crichton’s novel.
The basic premise is that a corporation accidently discovers a “worm hole” that goes back to a specific location in 14th century France, a place where the French and English armies are, coincidentally, about to fight a huge battle. To learn more about the worm hole said corporation funds an archeaological expedition to the same site in the present day. After receiving one too many clues about where items might be found, chief archeologist Professor Edward Johnston (Billy Connolly) flys off to confront the dig’s mysterious benefactor. But several hours later his team, which includes his non-archeologist son Chris (Paul Walker (horribly miscast as the Scottish Connolly’s son)), discovers a parchment which includes a plea for help and the Professor’s signature.
Much arguing about the carbon dating of ink later and five members of the team fly off to the New Mexico desert where they discover <gasp of horror> that their project is not what it seems. After being sent back through time via what looks like the world’s biggest wind tunnel surrounded by mirrors (come on…we couldn’t think of a better effect than putting our actors in front of a big fan?) the rescue team encounters not only the brutalities of war but also the horrors of life by itself in the 14th century.
The best thing about this film is the set-piece battle that is the film’s climax. The French trebuchets, hurling rocks covered in flaming fabric, are absolutely brilliant. If they were generated by computer they definitely fooled me. Were they worth the price of admission? I’m not entirely sure. What I am sure about is that this film, like most other time travel films runs into the “grandfather principle” problem in the form of a sarcophagus discovered by André Marek (Gerard Butler). Suffice it to say that the mere existence of the piece as discovered by Marek tells the complete story, written in stone.
For its thin script, the fact that the Scottish boys didn’t get to talk enough, and for the fact that Paul Walker should never be allowed to make anything but a surfer movie or a car movie ever again I’m giving this 2.5 out of 5.
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