bheadher 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...

mikek-50780 I do not usually rate movies. In fact,this is the first movie I have ever rated. Some actors are better than others. However, this movie is a slapstick production that makes a mockery of the book. I watched half of the movie before shutting it off. This is a classic example of a wonderful story being synthesized into complete and utter lunacy.

oOoBarracuda I'm not one of those movie watchers that all too often states, after a disappointing movie, "Well that was two hours of my life wasted." I always felt that phrase was thrown in a flippant way by half- hearted movie goers. I may have to change my tune after watching Timeline. I have been searching and I just can't find much of anything positive to say about this movie. The benefit of watching a lot of movies is of course seeing great films, especially ones you may not have seen otherwise. The downside to this formula is that the more movies you see, the higher your chances exist of seeing a movie that is just dreadful.Timeline involves a group of archeology students, their professor, and his son. Their goal is to erect and use a 3-D fax machine to transport objects to different places and times. With this tool, they attempt to time travel. When our lovable professor, Professor Johnston (Billy Connolly) finds himself in 1357 France, it is up to his team of students, led by his son Chris Johnston (Paul Walker). What was supposed to be a simple retrieval and return to the present turned into a disaster with the team nearly being stranded in the middle of a war. When the lead of the team is killed, the inexperienced time hoppers are left to their own devices to try and get home safely, with only a limited amount of time to do so. One of the team members, Andre Marek (Girard Butler) finds love while in France, and decides to stay leaving his team in shock. Eventually, they make it back, with the professor, vowing never to time travel again.What could have been a great story was bogged down by poor acting, disjointed story-telling, and needless explanation. It's a time travel movie and at this point time travel is impossible, the audience understands this before the movie even begins, there is no need to explain to me the how the method of time traveling is working in the movie. I am quite comfortable with the suspension of disbelief it takes to enjoy a movie, had the director respected the audience more and cut down on the explanation, it could have been a more enjoyable experience. Cutting down the lengthy explanation probably wouldn't have made much of a difference though as the acting was far from good. Having never been a fan of Paul Walker or Girard Butler, I shouldn't have expected much from the acting in this film. Both of them were unbelievable in their character, and even though the story revolves around a group of time travelers, the group themselves lacked any chemistry. Even the love stories of the film lacked any passion to lend to their credibility.There was also absent a character in this film that one could root for. There was no one engaging in this film to grab the audience's attention. Timeline proves that a well-shot film will need more than looking good to be good. I am told by fans of the book, that the filmmakers took too many liberties with this film, perhaps which lends to my dislike of it, though having never read the book, because it is just too far out. With no good acting to experience again, a horrible story, and a poorly done far-fetched concept, the only thing I can be sure about Timeline is that I will never see it again.

ThomLA 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.