Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
A group of archaeological students become trapped in the past when they go there to retrieve their professor. The group must survive in 14th century France long enough to be rescued.
Timeline is a middling adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel that squanders its intriguing medieval time-travel premise. The plot feels rushed and undercooked, losing much of the book's tension and complexity in translation to screen. The ensemble cast, including Paul Walker and Gerard Butler, delivers largely forgettable performances with thin characterization. The cinematography captures the period setting adequately but without any distinctive visual flair. The concept of quantum mechanics-based time travel to the Hundred Years' War has some inherent interest, but the execution is generic and derivative of better adventure films. The ending resolves matters hastily and unsatisfyingly, leaving little emotional resonance.