I loved Jurassic Park. I thought that Andromeda Strain made for an equally enjoyable film. Same with Congo, Lost World, and especially Sphere – the last being one of the scariest movies on the market. Michael Crichton books always seem to make good films, unlike John Grisham (see the awful results of Runaway Jury or The Firm) or Stephen King (occasionally you'll get a good one, but there are more Dreamcatcher's than Shinging's). But Crichton's latest book-turned-film is a so-so picture that doesn't do justice to its source material.
Esteemed professor Edward Johnston (Billy Connolly) is excavating the ruins of a 14th century castle in France with a team of students – including his son Chris (Paul Walker), and Chris' love interest Kate (Frances O'Connor) – when he is called back to New Mexico to speak with the dig's sponsor, multibillionaire and head of the International Technology Corporation (ITC), Robert Doniger (David Thewlis). When the students uncover a modern bifocal lens and a handwritten message from Professor Johnston in a 600-year-old sealed chamber, they call ITC headquarters and find that the Professor has used experimental ITC technology to travel to the village of Castlegard in 14th century France. Unfortunately, the professor failed to return. With the aid of fellow students Kate and Andrè Marek (Gerard Butler), Chris travels back in time to find and rescue his father.
Richard Donner, who cut his action chops on Superman and the Lethal Weapon series, does a poor job of adapting Crichton's intricate, challenging, and exhilarating novel. Donner's ham-handed treatment of science and the Middle Ages are shown in the ridiculous appearance of his time machine (what is called a "3-D fax machine" in the film) and the recurring sword fights that show tons of innocent bystanders getting heads and other assorted limbs randomly hacked off. Donner knows as little about time travel and the Middle Ages as does his audience, and it shows.
The fantastic premise of Jurassic Park was made believable by honest performances. Who's to say that Sam Neill couldn't be a paleontologist or that the wonderfully wacky Jeff Goldblum isn't a spot-on mathematician? Donner should have spent a little more time going over his casting. Paul Walker is no intellectual, and he is clearly uncomfortable in this movie. His performance isn't bad, but it could be so much better that it's frustrating. Connolly is immediately likeable as Professor Johnston, but the younger characters ultimately overshadow him in terms of screen time.
Timeline is sporadically enjoyable, if a bit long near the end. The performances, direction and script aren't necessarily bad, they're just lacking in inspiration, and what could have been an exhilarating action/thriller turns into a mediocre time-waster.
Timeline is rated PG-13 for intense battle sequences and brief language.
John Visclosky. John Visclosky is, suffice it to say, "hardly the sharpest intellectual tool in the shed," which is why he has stupidly chosen to here address himself in the third person. He's a mellow sort of guy who enjoys movies and sharing his feelings and innermost … More »
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