Timeline

Let's dispel any notion that Timeline is a good movie right now: a ridiculous, paradox-packed, sci-fi/action contrivance about archeology grad students zapping themselves to 14th century France to rescue their trapped time-traveling professor, by all rights this should have been a cheesy cable-TV movie, but for the extra zero added to the budget; and the fact that the hero is newly-bankable, plastic-actor pinup boy Paul Walker from The Fast and the Furious movies; and the film is based on a novel by Michael Crichton. Still, I'd be lying if I said I didn't get any guilty pleasure out of watching this inflated adventure, which drops its cast into the middle of an overproduced swords-and-armor castle storming, where the costumes are Renaissance-Faire prefab and director Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon) blissfully ignores history and language barriers (all important French characters conveniently speak modern English). In spite of its often-preposterous plot holes, synthetic star power, and narrative machinations, Timeline--an admittedly dumb movie--is also kind of shameful fun. Optional. [Note: Available in both widescreen and full screen versions, DVD extras include date-themed 2003 and 1357 menus (which viewers can “time travel” between for different text and graphics), the 45-minute three-part “making of” documentary “Journey Through Timeline,” the production design/special effects featurette “The Textures of Timeline” (18 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a semi-guilty pleasure.] (R. Blackwelder)