Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Timeline

Play trailer Poster for Timeline PG-13 2003 1h 56m Adventure Action Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
13% Tomatometer 141 Reviews 45% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
While working at the site of an archaeological dig, Professor Johnston (Billy Connolly) stumbles into a wormhole and plunges back in time to 14th-century France. Mad scientist Robert Doniger (David Thewlis), who accidentally created the wormhole while developing a teleportation device, sends the professor's son, Chris (Paul Walker), and protégé Kate (Frances O'Connor) back in time to retrieve him. Unfortunately, their rescue mission is sidetracked by a bloody battle between France and England.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

Timeline

Timeline

What to Know

Critics Consensus

This incoherently plotted addition to the time-travel genre looks and sounds cheesy.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/29/2010
2/5
Weakly entertaining Middle Ages fantasy. Go to Full Review
Empire Magazine 11/05/2008
Timeline takes the most ridiculous movie plot ever and multiplies it by ten. Go to Full Review
J. R. Jones Chicago Reader 11/05/2008
This big-budget adventure is based on a recent Michael Crichton thriller, though its premise is too stale to instill the sense of wonder critical to great sci-fi. Go to Full Review
Tom Hutchinson Radio Times Sep 19
2/5
Despite the distinguished alliance of director Richard Donner and writer Michael Crichton, this time-travelling fantasy is almost too daft to laugh at. Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com 08/04/2024
2/5
…utter gibberish…feels like a time-capsule from the past when $90 million could be spent realising an overtly terrible load of old cobblers like this… Go to Full Review
Sarah Cartland Caution Spoilers 08/01/2021
3/5
The passage of time has given this daft and badly-acted sci-fi caper a certain eye-popping charm - bolstered by, if not solely due to, a soaking wet Gerard Butler spinning French aristocrat Anna Friel round in a coracle. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
J B @Hooly 3d WARNING ⚠️ THIS "FILM" IS TOXIC. My god. This is one of the worst attempts at filmmaking it's ever been my displeasure to try & watch. Absolute drivel. Give everybody a job, dial it in tossery. Staggering really, to think that someone at the studio said "yeah, that's a wrap, lets release it" - it has to be a tax job, or just keeping a bored film crew & actors in work between "actual" films. I expect everyone got paid. They probably had to sign some form of non disclosure agreement, aswell. "Not me guv" - I know nothing. I've already used too many words for this stnking pile - go on, watch it. Watch the whole thing, no beaks, I dare you. I double dare you. Life just got shorter by 97 mins. See more Sep 11 Was entertained throughout the movie See more Roland S Aug 23 I found it profoundly irritating because it demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of mediaeval France. It was set in the Dordogne, right? Very few people there would have understood French, which was essentially the language of Paris - a long way away, given the lack of decent roads - so an American student, even with a thorough grasp of Old French, probably wouldn't have got very far. Maybe if he had a comprehensive grounding in mediaeval Occitan dialects he might have stood a better chance, though that wouldn't be guaranteed. Notice also that none of the young Americans is affected by culture shock - which should be extreme - and none of them is struck down with any of the diseases which were common at the time, such as typhoid, plague, cholera or dysentery (although they were mostly not called by those names.) I'm afraid that having an intuitive grasp of French history and culture ruined the film for me. See more Eye C Jun 30 It lift me so many questions, in the end it’s a fantasy playing to be a sc-fi, but all the scientific facts around the evolution, time travel, string theory it make this movie not believable. But it’s entertaining after all. See more Marcos R Jun 28 Good soundtrack, the historic setup was great and it was exciting. The dialogue / writing was abysmal at times and the acting was pretty bad, but I ironically enjoyed it. See more Ralph R Apr 1 Timeline turned out to be way more enjoyable than I expected. It doesn’t dig too deep into the whole time travel logic, which might leave sci-fi fans a little underwhelmed, but it leans into the historical adventure side of things in a way that works. The pacing keeps things moving without getting bogged down, and while the directing doesn’t bring anything groundbreaking, it keeps the story tight and the action easy to follow. The cinematography isn’t particularly standout, but there are some cool wide shots and atmospheric moments that help set the tone. The acting is solid all around. Paul Walker has that likable, grounded vibe, and Gerard Butler brings some intensity to the screen. The cast actually makes the movie better than it probably would’ve been otherwise. The script plays it pretty safe and falls into some familiar patterns, but it still manages to be fun. As for the score, it fits the vibe without being too memorable. Overall, Timeline isn’t the smartest or deepest movie, but it’s a good time if you’re in the mood for a fast-paced historical adventure with a sci-fi twist. See more Read all reviews
Timeline

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Timeline

Timeline: Official Clip - Traveling Back Home Timeline: Official Clip - Traveling Back Home 1:57 Timeline: Official Clip - Trapped in the Past Timeline: Official Clip - Trapped in the Past 1:56 Timeline: Official Clip - Weird Findings Timeline: Official Clip - Weird Findings 2:09 Timeline: Official Clip - The Journey to 1357 AD Timeline: Official Clip - The Journey to 1357 AD 2:13 Timeline: Official Clip - Greek Fire Timeline: Official Clip - Greek Fire 1:59 Timeline: Official Clip - I Thought You Were Dead Timeline: Official Clip - I Thought You Were Dead 2:07 Timeline: Official Clip - A Little Surprise for the French Timeline: Official Clip - A Little Surprise for the French 1:45 Timeline: Official Clip - You Make Your Own History Timeline: Official Clip - You Make Your Own History 2:10 Timeline: Official Clip - We Discovered a Worm Hole Timeline: Official Clip - We Discovered a Worm Hole 2:13 View more videos
War of the Worlds 76% 42% War of the Worlds Watchlist TRAILER for War of the Worlds Deep Impact 45% 43% Deep Impact Watchlist TRAILER for Deep Impact The Avengers 5% 15% The Avengers Watchlist The Chronicles of Riddick 29% 65% The Chronicles of Riddick Watchlist Armageddon 43% 73% Armageddon Watchlist TRAILER for Armageddon Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis While working at the site of an archaeological dig, Professor Johnston (Billy Connolly) stumbles into a wormhole and plunges back in time to 14th-century France. Mad scientist Robert Doniger (David Thewlis), who accidentally created the wormhole while developing a teleportation device, sends the professor's son, Chris (Paul Walker), and protégé Kate (Frances O'Connor) back in time to retrieve him. Unfortunately, their rescue mission is sidetracked by a bloody battle between France and England.
Director
Richard Donner
Producer
Richard Donner, Lauren Shuler Donner, Jim Van Wyck
Screenwriter
George Nolfi, Jeffrey Maguire, Michael Crichton
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Mutual Film Company, Paramount Pictures, Cobalt Media Group, Donners' Company, Artists Production Group
Rating
PG-13 (Intense Battle Sequences)
Genre
Adventure, Action, Sci-Fi
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 26, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 6, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$19.5M
Runtime
1h 56m
Sound Mix
Surround
Most Popular at Home Now