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Avg. Critic Score: 28 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 Iffy for 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    Clunky adventure story. Read full review

  • 50
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    Glorious so-bad-it's-good entertainment. Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    You'll be checking your watch a lot during Timeline. Though most of the cast is strong and the movie has moments of suspense, ultimately the mystery in this action thriller is so far-fetched it's ludicrous. Read full review

  • 50
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    I felt too much of the movie consisted of groups of characters I didn't care about, running down passageways and fighting off enemies and trying to get back to the present before the window of time slams shut. Read full review

  • 50
    Entertainment Weekly |

    Special kudos go to Walker, for his dead-on impression of a time-traveling 2x4, and the perpetually hysterical O'Connor, who delivers one of the most grating performances in history. Read full review

  • 40
    Variety | Robert Koehler

    Lacks the consistent tone, pace and point of view for either a science fiction thriller or medieval war adventure. Read full review

  • 30
    Washington Post |

    Time travels, but it sure doesn't fly by in this debacle. Read full review

  • 30
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    One part historical drama and one part futuristic adventure, Timeline resembles a "Star Trek" episode by way of "Scooby-Doo." Read full review

  • 30
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    Doesn't have a genuinely human moment. Read full review

  • 30
    Los Angeles Times | Manohla Dargis

    Donner's most calamitous mistake, however, was forgetting to light the screenplay on fire and catapult it from the nearest trebuchet. Read full review

View more reviews for Timeline on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 13+ Weakly entertaining Middle Ages fantasy.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this movie is exactly what parents would expect of a Hollywood medieval movie, featuring swordfights and siege warfare, including burning arrows and trebuchets. Several unarmed characters are killed with swords, bow and arrow, and other weapons of the time. What is especially alarming is the casual ease with which the students take the lives of the 14th century soldiers, showing -- with one exception -- no remorse. Although this war is shown to take place at a time when violent death is all but the norm, there is little explanation of why these modern young historians embrace their role as soldiers or their side of the battlefield so easily.
  • Families can talk about the theme of making one's own history and how they would want their own lives remembered.
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Not an issue
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: Frequent battles with many injuries and deaths, characters killed. Some intense scenes.
  • sex false0 Sex: Not an issue
  • language false3 Language: Brief strong language.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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