Timeline

Has this started airing anywhere yet? Has anyone actually sat down to watch it?
I'm pretty sure it's based on that (really great) novel by Michael Crichton... you know, the one that inspired Jurassic Park and all that...

This movie is so incredibly weak that I spent the entire climax—the part that's supposed to be the most intense and gripping—just scrolling through my phone. By the end, I didn't even care how the plot wrapped up. It’s a textbook case of a bloated, big-budget disaster that’s about as exciting as watching paint dry. Honestly, it might be the worst time travel flick I've ever sat through. Even Time Cop with Van Damme feels like a classic compared to this garbage. Man, oh man, Donner, you really missed the mark here. The Goonies were legendary, but this? This is just for 👎

I’ve read the Michael Crichton novel, and frankly, it’s significantly more intelligent than its film adaptation. The movie was so tedious that I couldn't even bring myself to write a proper post about it on my blog, which is a rare feat given how much I enjoy doing so.

One specific detail that demands mention is the scene where the characters are sent to prison after being transported back to the year 1350. One of them actually claims, "We have 600 years of knowledge they don't possess! Let's use it to escape!" They are held captive in the attic of a farmhouse. This farmhouse features a thatched roof—the kind you can poke your hand right through because, well, it's straw. And this is supposed to be the roof of a prison.

Go ahead and try to guess three different ways they manage to escape.

Now, setting aside the fact that placing prisoners in a jail with a straw roof is utterly nonsensical regardless of the era, this particular blunder really grates on me. It's because Michael Crichton's novel conveyed the exact opposite message: people from five hundred or five thousand years ago weren't any *less intelligent than we are*. In fact, if we were actually dropped into the Middle Ages, *we* would likely be the ones acting like idiots. People living in the Middle Ages understood how their world functioned. We, coming from the 21st century, are completely lost. We know nothing of their laws, customs, trades, or commerce. Throughout the entire book, the characters find themselves in trouble precisely because they fail to navigate the social nuances of the medieval period.

The same logic applies to the fight scenes in the movie: somehow, an unarmed and unarmored mob from the 21st century consistently defeats a group of professionals whose literal job is fighting while wearing 30 kilos of metal and wielding another 10 kilos in their hands. Just... whatever.🙄

The novel is far more convincing.

SPOILER ALERT... if you're actually dumb enough to $3.25 and watch this.

The whole plot is just completely unbelievable. Look, the movie starts off with these young, eager scientists who somehow have perfect knowledge about what went down in that specific historical battle. They find a grave, call up that corporation, and suddenly—after the company refuses to tell them anything about the situation—they’re the only hope for survival once they arrive on site? 😕 🙄

How does that even work? First, the company wants to keep the mid-century incident a total secret, but then they turn these guys into the primary special rescue unit? It's nonsense. I haven't seen logic this broken in a long time. In reality, people from a massive conglomerate like that wouldn't even give these guys the time of day.

And then there's the ultimate stupidity. Usually, when a scientist gets their ear sliced off in a movie, they wrap it up and moan in pain while some muscular, overpaid action hero saves everyone. Not here. Here, we've got a scientist with blood literally spraying from his head, smiling like an idiot and screaming, "It's me!!! It's me!!!" before suddenly gaining superhuman strength to rescue his friends. Disgusting.

nimblemarlin17 said:The whole premise is just completely unbelievable. Look, the movie starts with these young, enthusiastic scientists who supposedly have this perfect, expert knowledge of exactly what happened during that specific historical battle. Then they stumble upon a grave and call that corporation. The company refuses to tell them anything about what’s actually going on, yet suddenly, when things go south, they’re the only ones capable of pulling off a rescue mission? 😕 🙄

I mean, how does that even work? First, they want to keep the details of the temporal incident completely under wraps, but then they turn around and act as the primary specialized unit for the rescue. It’s nonsense. I haven't seen such blatant logical gaps in a long time. In reality, people from a company like that wouldn't even bother calling them.

It’s certainly absurd, but regarding the connection between the scientists and the company, I think there's an explanation.

From what I gathered in the novel, ITC started funding archaeological digs in France after discovering their time "rift" leads directly to that location in the 14th century. Because they rely on ITC, the scientists on the ground receive incredibly precise instructions on exactly where to dig. Eventually, the head archaeologist gets suspicious and starts confronting the ITC executives, demanding to know where they're getting such suspiciously accurate data.

Now, in the book, we learn that ITC is in a massive bind: the CEO convinced investors to dump huge sums of money into this top-secret project. He couldn't exactly tell them, "Hey guys, we found a wormhole," because they would have laughed in his face. Instead, he just claimed they were working on something that would generate billions. But after years of the project dragging on without completion, shareholders are starting to panic and demand their money back. On top of that, the CEO is portrayed as a ruthless, uncompromising perfectionist who refuses to reveal the discovery to the world until the project is absolutely flawless.

Fearing bad press, the CEO finally hints at the true nature of the project to the lead archaeologist. When the man demands to see it for himself—traveling back to the past only to be captured by the English—the company, still unwilling to expose its secrets despite risking a life, chooses to send the archaeologist's own colleagues on a rescue mission to medieval France. After all, they know that era better than anyone, and since they are technically employees, the company can easily force them to sign NDAs.

A few interesting nuances: unlike the film, the book mentions the CEO claims they discovered the possibility of quantum time travel, but they won't admit they stumbled upon it purely by accident and actually have no idea how they pulled it off.

Furthermore, in the novel, the scientists lack sufficient knowledge of that specific battle and period. They mistakenly believe the English nobility was quite progressive (when they were actually total monsters). Meanwhile, the French commander is a former monk who, after looting a local monastery in the book, kneels before the altar to pray amidst the bodies of the abbots he had ordered executed.

Unlike the movie, the novel is very much... George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. 😁

Look, I never said the concept was bad. I’m obsessed with time travel movies—honestly, I think I’ve seen pretty much every single one out there—but this execution was just lazy. It’s expensive, yet totally forgettable. I haven't actually read the book, but based on what you're saying, that nebula thing makes sense logically. For some reason, it just didn't land that way in the movie. 😉

nimblemarlin17 said:Expensive and incredibly forgettable. I haven't actually read the book, but based on what you're saying, that whole nebulous plot point makes sense. Though, I didn't catch it in the movie. 😉

I haven't either. And I actually READ THE FREAKING NOVEL! 😲

No, it’s honestly a shame. The concept was cool, but the movie itself is just completely mediocre.

The same logic applies to Sphere and Congo, both adaptations of Michael Crichton novels.

Sphere possesses an incredible premise, yet it remains an incredibly poor film, particularly given that Barry Levinson was at the helm. They likely assumed that pairing three heavy-hitting actors with a famous author and a decent director would be enough to guarantee a box office hit.

The movie is a disaster, though compared to Congo, it’s practically a masterpiece...

The book is actually really solid—honestly, quite good. But the movie? It’s a total mess...

Anyway, I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn't read Prey by the same author. If they ever decide to adapt that one, I just hope they hand it over to someone who actually knows what they’re doing...

Richard Howard2 said:The same logic applies to Sphere and Congo, those adaptations of Michael Crichton novels.

Sphere boasts an incredible concept, yet it remains an equally incredible failure as a film, particularly given that Barry Levinson was at the helm. They likely assumed that pairing three heavy-hitting actors with a famous novelist and a decent director would be enough to guarantee a box office hit.

While the movie is a disaster, compared to Congo, it’s practically a masterpiece...

I watched Congo once, though I feel as if I never saw it at all. Even 13th Warrior felt superior to it, though I admit that's a subjective take since I play D&D and have a soft spot for seeing old-school combat styles in action.😁

Sphere starts off strong enough, but I recall the narrative spiraling downward as it approached the end, getting progressively worse. It's airing on FOX soon, so I might give it another watch just to refresh my memory. Honestly though: the cast included Samuel L. Jackson, Sharon Stone, and Dustin Hoffman. How on earth did they manage to mess up a film that badly?

The whole resolution is just unconvincing and plain stupid. I felt the exact same way watching Sniper. The first half is great—it's promising, it keeps you hooked... and then BAM! The writers completely lose the plot and pivot to some mindless alien nonsense. Honestly, movies like that should be legally banned from theaters. The second half isn't even worth the money they wasted on it.

Honestly—the Sphere starts off strong, establishing the rules and setting up a concept that feels totally believable—and then, out of nowhere, it just falls apart. It hits this point where everything becomes incredibly implausible, starting with dialogue so cliché it makes Scooby-Doo look sophisticated, and moving into these nonsensical technologies that I can't even wrap my head around anymore... essentially, the tension builds and builds, only to pop like a soap bubble.

I checked out the bio today, and since this movie is currently airing on ABC, I decided to give it a shot. Given that the book is an absolute masterpiece—just look at the sheer depth of the bibliography at the end—I figured it was worth my time. The fact that I’m sitting here posting instead of watching should tell you everything you need to know.

It is... a total disaster. Right off the bat, you realize these people aren't actual historians; they're just glorified tour guides showing models to idiots in France. Then Chris starts calling the professor "Dad," and honestly, I nearly gagged. I don't even know how to describe it. Within the first twenty minutes, the film left such a foul impression on me that I physically couldn't continue watching.
Whoever directed this deserves to be publicly shamed; I can't think of any other way to put it. The characters are incredibly shallow. I loathe every single one of them.

I see some of you have also mentioned Sphere. Much like the book, which is a genuine work of art (it nearly scared the life out of me the first time I read it), the film is nothing more than a pathetic excuse for cinema.

that movie was absolute garbage