Timeline (Widescreen)
Picture: B+ Sound: B
Extras: B Film: C-
“Braveheart with a 21st Century Twist”
This is the quote given
from Eric Patrick from Fox-TV in Miami and is the featured quote on the front packaging
of Paramount’s DVD for Timeline
(2003). I think most already know
from this alone what kind of trouble lies ahead, but for those not used to
reading caution signs before plunging into the depths of poor cinema…read on.
The tagline for the film
reads that ‘They had to travel into the past to save the future.’ Maybe if I was born yesterday or even last
week, I may not recognize the fact that this sounds just like thirty if not
more other movies out there. Movies that
deal with time, time travel, or the fact that changing the past will benefit
the future are becoming ever so popular these days, but all they end up doing
is repeating what other movies have done in the past and try to pass it off as
original. The new gimmick however is to
try and twist or blend other elements into it, but that only undermines the
entire purpose.
Most are familiar with the
original Time Machine (1951) or even
more recent films like the Back to the
Future series, Time Bandits
(1981), Twelve Monkeys (1996), and
of course The Terminator
series. All of these deal with going
back in time in order to change the future.
Director Richard Donner (The
Goonies and Lethal Weapon) needs
to take a time trip back and either learn how to make good films again or try
something original for once.
Even if you are buying the
story to this one (the book was written by Michael Crichton who would have been
a better choice for director, but even he knew to avoid this material in a film
sense) you will probably find yourself laughing at the ridiculous nature of
this movie and will most likely want a crane to suspend your disbelief. Paul Walker and a group of archeologist are
excavating an area in France when they uncover a time machine, which has
accidentally sent back Billy Connolly into 14th Century France. To his surprise he is right in the middle of
the Hundred Years War between England and France, but his students and fellow
archeologists must go back to save him from being lost in history forever.
Even as much as I like
Connolly, I would have left him in 14th Century France just to get
back at him for signing up to do this film in the first place, but that’s
besides the point. Paul Walker I can
understand trying to do another action-based movie since the Fast/Furious franchise has catapulted
him to commercial viability if not stardom, but the film relies on his presence
too much to draw people in, that theory didn’t exactly work. Much like the screenplay, as a matter of
fact.
As for the DVD, it’s by
the books with an anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 transfer, Dolby Digital 5.1
mix and a few extras to make for an above average release in terms of
performance appeal factor. The transfer
looks good, although some of the digital effects are relatively poor by today’s
standards. Perhaps the only reason to
really watch the film though is for the exceptional cinematography by Caleb
Deschanel, A.S.C., who is quite familiar with working on large films and always
comes up with interesting ways to film certain events. His camerawork in the past on The Right Stuff (1983), The Natural (1984), The Patriot (2000), The Hunted (2003) and the exceptionally
done The Passion of the Christ (2004)
has built a strong reputation for the individual.
Deschanel wasn’t lucky
enough to abort mission like Jerry Goldsmith though, who had composed the music
for the film and then when Donner wasn’t happy with it because he had re-edited
the film, Goldsmith chose not to rework the score because he was tired of the
film, can you blame him? However, that
soundtrack is available through Varese Sarabande, though not featured in the
film. The Dolby Digital 5.1 AC-3 mix for
the film is lacking in all areas and is just another example of why Paramount needs to start doing more DTS! Films like this beg for it simply because
they rely on their sound design for an added boost. Even movies that are weak story-wise can
utilize a good DTS mix for home theater buffs and make the DVD worth owning for
that purpose alone.
The supplements include Journey Through Timeline, which is
broken into three segments: Setting Time,
The Nights of La Roque, and Making Their Own History. These are neither that necessary, fun, or
even remotely interesting at all. They
seem tacked on just to add some sort of weight to the release and I give credit
to Paramount for at least trying to fatten up the bird before the feast, but
most viewers for this one are not going to be hungry! A few trailers and another segment about Timeline make for a very disappointing
extras section altogether.
- Nate Goss
