Ok, first of I understand there was a book...I don't usually do this with books brought to the screen, but if you forget there was a book, this movie is rather entertaining. Not a blockbuster certainly, but every bit a popcorn muncher...The writing was well done, even if a bit corny in parts, and the acting was pretty good to for a bunch of lesser knowns...the story is about the discovery of a time dislacement wormhole discovery, that allows a group of archeologists to transport back in time to rescue their professor, who inadvertently fell into the wormhole, or something like that.The movie is kinda fun to watch, and the characters are played with quite a bit of zesty enthusiasm...I liked it and have seen it three times now...

Most of Michael Crichton's novels--they are truly masterful--have been superbly represented in the movies made from them. This one is the exception. It has been noted elsewhere that the battle scenes are pretty good, and I agree, but for the most part, the movie and the book are only tentatively related.It is hard to know even where to begin, there is so much to criticize, but let's have a go at a few things. One might ask why two female characters in the book suddenly became men in the movie when their femaleness is necessary to the plot, and there is no discernible reason for the change. The acting, to be charitable, is very uneven, and the script is hardly a work of art--nor even particularly workmanlike. And the movie could not have been shot on film, because the lighting and daylight images have all the charm of stark and harshly lit soap operas, especially closeups.If you are attending the Daughters of the Serbian Revolution convention, and they are selling this DVD for 50 cents in their bargain bin, buy it if you want to favor someone you don't like with a gift. Otherwise, don't bother.

As is true in so many cases, the book, Timeline, is way better than the movie. But that doesn't mean the movie isn't fun though. It is based on the Michael Crichton's novel by the same name. Crichton is responsible for many great books, but is most known for Jurassic Park, which was famously adapted by Spielberg. With this being said you can definitely expect a story with a great premise. Timeline follows a group of archaeologists who are digging a site at Castleguard, France. They are funded by a technology company, ITC, and have been receiving hints about their site to the point where the boss, Professor Johnston (Billy Connolly), becomes suspicious. He goes to find out what the back story is and the next day his crew discovers a new room at the site which has a note left by the professor from 14th century France. The professor's son, Chris (Paul Walker), and the crew led by Kate Ericson (Frances O'Connor) and Andre Marek (Gerard Butler) go to ITC to find out what is going on. They learn that the company built a 3d fax machine that tapped into a wormhole sending its packages, or in this case humans, back to 14th century Castleguard, France. The group then heads back in time to go save the professor, who was sent back there to figure out the connection of the wormhole and their site. While the film has a great premise it probably would have been a lot better if it was made ten years later with a bigger budget. The story starts off strong, but then proceeds to tail off into B-movie territory. It has some performances by actors you will know, but the script doesn't help them, and it certainly doesn't reach the highs of the book. By no means is this a success, but it does well to keep you entertained if you're just looking for a movie that will be a time killer.

Not quite up to the level of being a major motion picture, more like a very good TV movie. Of course, there was tons of junk science and technology, the logical flaws that always exist with time travel plots, and plenty of bad history; however, this is entertainment, not a documentary, and it was well enough done that it wasn't difficult to suspend disbelief and enjoy it. It's not nice to speak badly of the dead, but by far the weakest part of this movie is Paul Walker, who might have been a great guy, but was a horrible actor. He was a good-looking guy incapable of conveying emotions and pretty much seems to be just reading his lines. Otherwise, it's nothing great, but still quite watchable.