neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Timeline
	Richard Donner Paul Walker, Frances O'Connor, Gerard Butler, Billy Connolly, David Thewlis, Anna Friel, Ethan Embry 2003		Time-travel and medieval warfare are oddly matched components in "Timeline," a weird fusing of sci-fi and period action based on the novel by Michael Crichton ("Jurassic Park"). Scientists trying to teleport objects with a computerized, light-refracting cylinder accidentally bridge time. Using the technology, a group of young archeology students travels to 14th-century feudal France to rescue their beloved professor, who preceded them into the past. But they may be trapped in the way-back after materializing in the middle of a military conflict between the English and the French. Plot holes as potentially ruinous as wormholes threaten to suck the entire project into oblivion. Yet, "Timeline" manages to be a decent slice of escapism, helped along by veteran director Richard Donner ("Lethal Weapon") and performed by a cast of skill and distinction. Frances O'Connor ("A.I.") is a resourceful — and pretty — archeologist; Billy Connolly ("Mrs. Brown") is the professor; and David Thewlis ("Naked") is the self-serving director of the time-travel project. The weak link is Paul Walker ("The Fast & the Furious") as the bland Californian son of the blatantly Scottish professor. Meant to be a hero, Walker is decidedly undashing, compared to his cohorts.