Movie Review

Timeline

More

MON DIEU! O'Connor and Walker are travel buddies in ''Timeline''

Timeline: Stephen Vaughan

Credits

Release Date: Nov 26, 2003; Writers: Jeff Maguire, George Nolfi; Genres: Drama, Sci-fi

By Scott Brown

Scott Brown

Scott Brown writes the Hit List for EW and is a frequent contributor to National Public Radio -- he has the tote bag to prove it

The best part of Michael Crichton's technothrillers are his slow-burn setups, where very intelligent people give lively history-of-science lectures to coerce other very intelligent people into trying some risky new technology.

But Timeline director Richard Donner (''Lethal Weapon'') has little use for slow-burn setups or very intelligent people, so we go straight to the meat: Modern-day archaeologists (Billy Connolly, Paul Walker, Gerard Butler, and Frances O'Connor) get stranded in the 14th century, thanks to a wormhole opened by a Gatesian billionnerd (David Thewlis). Their mission: To babble and squabble amongst themselves until a main character emerges. (None does.)

In the hands of Donner, medieval times look very, well, Medieval Times (''Trust me! We're in 1357 France!'' one guy snaps, presumably at the audience), and the many anachronisms (modern speech, staples) have great drinking-game potential. Lacking both will and budget, the filmmakers have done the honorable thing and given us a sweetly stupid, mercifully brisk bad movie. Special kudos go to Walker, for his dead-on impression of a time-traveling 2x4, and the perpetually hysterical O'Connor, who delivers one of the most grating performances in history.

Posted Nov 21, 2003

More

News Summary Backstreet postpones tour again as A.J. rehabs | Gary Susman
Pop Culture News 'RADIO FLYER' GROUNDED? | Stephen Schaefer
Television News More weird game shows are coming | Gary Susman
News Summary Shakira faces sweatshop allegations | Gary Susman
News Summary ''Black Hawk,'' ''Bedroom,'' lead AFI nominees | Gary Susman
Books Spotlight So You Want to Write a Memoir? | Kate Ward

Add Your Comments

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. You must have javascript enabled to submit a comment.