Timeline in its entirety represents sort of like another repeat of the 1994 movie Stargate, only this time the setting the protagonists travel to is changed from Ancient Egypt to the Hundred Years War in France. It’s based off of the film of the same name, which was written by Michael Crichton. I have yet to read the novel, however.
The film stars Paul Walker as Chris Johnston, whose father and professor is sent back in time to the Hundred Years War in 1357. Johnston, along with his dad’s students, travels back in time to rescue the professor, getting caught up in a fierce battle between the French and the English.
In addition, Timeline is very inaccurate. The English and the French soldiers speak modern English and French, not Middle English and French as they would have spoken. The English did not have knights in the Hundred Years War, as they preferred longbow men and lightly-armed soldiers for cheaper and more effective soldiers (don’t think I didn’t do research into the Hundred Years War after watching this). The French and English all wear poorly made costumes—the French wear plain blue costumes and the English wear plain red costumes, simply so that we can tell them apart.
The plot is so thin, it’s as thin as paperwork. The acting performances are mediocre, and the script is highly clichéd. In addition, Timeline is also not all that entertaining nor is it exciting, except the end battle scene which is somewhat well filmed.
It’s directed by Richard Donner, who does a poor job sitting in the director’s chair this time around.
The matter of the fact is that Timeline could have been a much better movie all around, had it simply been made a whole lot better.
* ½/5
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