Timeline * (2003, Paul Walker, Frances O’Connor, Gerard Butler, Billy Connolly, David Thewlis, Anna Friel) – So Bad It’s Good 5

The 2003 science fiction adventure film Timeline is based on a novel by Michael Crichton, and stars Paul Walker, Frances O’Connor, Gerard Butler, Billy Connolly, David Thewlis and Anna Friel.

That’s the good news, but a major, big-budget production goes down in flames as director Richard (Lethal Weapon) Donner and his producer wife Lauren Shuler make a listless hash of Michael Crichton’s clever time-travelling story in his 1999 novel. This 2003 flop took less than $20 million at the US box office, under a quarter of its cost, eventually recouping only $43 million worldwide, and losing an estimated $49 million.

Blue eyes blazing, the incredibly handsome American actor Paul Walker (30 at the time) is unfortunately miscast, giving a too modern, minimalist and mumbling Method-style performance to make anything much of his shakily sketched star part as Chris Johnston. He’s supposed to be the son of Professor Johnston, an archaeologist (played by Billy Connolly, of all people!) who goes missing on a dig in France. The old boy’s apparently (and absurdly) slipped through a timeline at the base of one of his dig holes into the 14^th century (like you do).

Walker would have done well to swap parts with Gerard Butler (who is, after all, Scottish and might therefore have convinced as Connolly’s son), who gets the much better romantic, heroic role as hero’s friend Andre Marek. He’s one of the gang who are whisked back in time (to the 14^th century, of course), thanks to evil US scientist Robert Doniger (played by David Thewlis), who has his own wicked secret agenda, a dodgy wig and a dodgier accent. Butler proves the best thing in the film. None of the other good actors can make any headway against Jeff Maguire and George Nolfi’s ineffectual screenplay.

Thanks to the film being made on an $80 million budget, the production values are impressive, with eye-catching locations, gorgeous cinematography by wiz Caleb Deschanel, huge handsome sets and big crowd scenes in the castle-attack sequences.

But nothing can disguise that this is a less than fascinating yarn as told here, that the tone is all wrong – going for pompous and serious where a campy sense of fun is needed – and that the whole cast is totally miscast and lacklustre, giving uningratiating performances that just go through the picking-up-the-paycheque motions.

Alas, as a serious slice of sci-fi action adventure, Timeline in a waste of time, but it is quite a lot of fun if you want a good laugh. Sadly, the film was quite a blow to Walker’s career which was really starting to take off after The Fast and the Furious (2001).

The battle sequences use medieval reenactors, with the director using as little CGI as possible.

Brian Tyler’s score replaces the original Jerry Goldsmith effort.

It might have been a much better film originally. Donner was forced to re-cut the film at the insistence of Sherry Lansing, head of Paramount Pictures. Jerry Goldsmith’s score was replaced by Brian Tyler’s after the film’s first cut was re-edited and Goldsmith’s health problems prevented him from continuing. It would have been his last score before his death in 2004, making his last score Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Both Goldsmith and Tyler’s scores were released on CD.

Jerry Goldsmith (February 10, 1929 – July 21, 2004).

Paul Walker IV (September 12, 1973 – November 30, 2013).

Richard Donner (April 24, 1930 – July 5, 2021).

The cast are Paul Walker as Chris Johnston, Frances O’Connor as Kate Ericson, Gerard Butler as André Marek, Billy Connolly as Professor Edward A Johnston, David Thewlis as Robert Doniger, Anna Friel as Lady Claire, Neal McDonough as Frank Gordon, Matt Craven as Steven Kramer, Ethan Embry as Josh Stern, Michael Sheen as Lord Oliver de Vannes, Lambert Wilson as Lord Arnaud de Cervole,  Marton Csokas as Sir William De Kere/ William Decker, Rossif Sutherland as François Dontelle, Patrick Sabongui as Jimmy Gomez, and Steve Kahan as Baker.

© Derek Winnert 2013 So Bad It’s Good 5 derekwinnert.com