Sorry, this movie sucks

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Usually the adaptation of a novel isn't worth the book itself, but sometimes it is. It's not the case of Timeline. I bought the book several months ago and then, when Sky Italy broadcast the film, I saved it on my MySky and I begun to read the novel. It's not the first Crichton's novel I read (before I had read Jurassic Park, The Lost World, A Case Of Need, Rising Sun and State Of Fear) and once I finished Timeline (taking a pretty long time because despite I love reading, I am not a regular reader) I decided it wasn't my favorite one.Today I finally decided to watch the film. The cast looks cool: there are some not-so-famous actors, beyond stars Paul Walker and Gerald Butler, I knew. If you haven't read the novel you can enjoy it as a nice and decent action movie set in the Middle Ages. But if you've read it, well, you'll find some important changes and cuts.The first thing I noticed once the film was finished is that Marek's character isn't well defined, since he decides to stay in the past, but the script doesn't tell us that he has a great passion for this historic period. So a person who hasn't read the book can't understand his choice; you can say that he's in love with Lady Claire, but it's a poor motivation.Then, there are some sequences which aren't in the film: the mill and the tournament scenes are totally cut off from the screenplay.Another basic question is the way the characters keep in touch with radio transceivers. It's important because through this narrative means, in the novel, the characters find out that there is another person from the present day.Lesser important things: the existence of characters created by the film's writers who isn't in the novel (like the French guy who is sent with our heroes to help them with the language, even though in the novel there is a character who knows Occitan) or some changes in certain characters (e.g. Kramer is a woman in the book).Even Doninger's end is slightly different: in the film he's killed by a knight, while in the novel he is sent in 1348, during the Black Death.

I hadn't read the book, but the two sentence pitch synopsis sounded promising. And there was definitely plenty of Hollywod talent involved in all aspects of production. Enough has been said of the things wrong with the film, some other notable impressions are in order. Butler is a standout. As is the brief turn by Sheen. Unfortunately, Walker, who grew to be a very serviceable actor, can show a bit in over his head. O'Connor can deliver key lines with as needed dramatic American flair (better than Thewlis). There is a point after one of their escapes where they're all in a circle panicking and McDonough is really losing it. The ensuing necessary developments and twists progress the plot well. Action sequences are top notch. A little more here, a little less there...could have easily been a much more engaging motion picture.

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.

I liked the movie for it shows a young, charming and beautiful Gerard Butler. He does well as the earnest modern day man transported to the Middle Ages where he reveals himself to be a man of honor and nobility. The movie is a poor interpretation of a phenomenal book and does little to translate the reality of the main characters to film. But for those of us who admire the talented Mr. Butler, it is a must-see. Paul Walker, though very handsome, is not a convincing character. Unfortunately, Frances O'Connor's role is built upon Mr. Walkers's. Billy Connelly is his own inimitable self and holds his own with any one. A must-see for Butler fans, but forgettable in the scheme of things.