Timeline Blu-ray - Paul Walker

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Richard Donner
USA 2003

A group of archaeological students become trapped in the past when they go there to retrieve their professor. The group must survive in 14th century France long enough to be rescued.

***

"Timeline" is inspired by on a Michael Crichton story that's not so much about travel between the past and the present as about travel between two movie genres.

After opening on an archeological dig (evoking memories of "Indiana Jones," "The Exorcist" and "The Omen"), it's a corporate thriller crossed with a medieval swashbuckler. The corporation has discovered a way to beam objects from one place to another and has big plans: It wants to put Federal Express out of business. Alas, its teleportation machine intersects with a wormhole and inadvertently sends a group of scientists back into 14th century France.

Excerpt from Roger Ebertlocated HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: November 19th, 2003

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Review: Imprint - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Imprint - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:55:28.963
Video	1.78:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,079,811,187 bytes Feature: 34,714,386,432 bytes Video Bitrate: 31.95 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	DTS-HD High-Res Audio English 3840 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3840 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Imprint 1.78:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,079,811,187 bytes Feature: 34,714,386,432 bytes Video Bitrate: 31.95 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • “Making Their Own History” Featurette (06:50) • “Setting Time” Featurette (17:25) • “Textures of Timeline” Featurette (18:20) • “The Nights of La Roque” Featurette (20:58) - • “Ambushed: Inside The Goldsmith Score” – An interview with Jerry Goldsmith biographer/film music historian Jeff Bond (13:49) • “History Will Change: Composing Timeline” – An interview with composer Brian Tyler (17:31) • Theatrical Trailer (01:25) • Limited Edition slipcase on the first 1500 copies Blu-ray Release Date: May 7th, 2021 Transparent Blu-ray Case inside slipcase Chapters 12

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Imprint Blu-ray (May 2021): Imprint have transferred Richard Donner's star-studded 2003 "Timeline" to Blu-ray. The film is housed on a dual-layered Blu-ray, featuring a high bitrate. As to what source this transfer comes from, it's only listed as a "1080p high definition presentation from Paramount Pictures''. There is a certain amount of noise to the picture, especially when in motion. At first I considered this to be grain but upon further inspection, it seems to be digital noise. Certain shots look out-of focus, or rather soft, yet feature this digital grain. Colors seem to be faithfully represented, with a decent enough contrast during the nighttime / dark interior / candlelit scenes.

Imprint provides 2 audio choices for Richard Donner's "Timeline". The first choice is a 5.1 24-bit DTS-HD Master audio. This surround track features some moderate channel separation, resulting in a more immersive experience. Brian Tyler's playful score is just as effective, regardless of which audio option one chooses. There is also a 2.0 linear PCM track (also 24-bit) that keeps the action and music well balanced in stereo. There are optional English subtitles on this Region 'Free' Blu-ray from Imprint.

Imprint gives us a handful of vintage featurettes, as well as some newer interviews. “Making Their Own History” starts out the vintage featurettes, spending 7-minutes looking into the production of the film. This is followed by “Setting Time”, a similar behind-the-scenes 18-minute piece. “Textures of Timeline'' is a 19-minute featurette looking at the wardrobe, early animatics, armor, sets, and scoring of the film. “The Nights of La Roque'' is yet another vintage featurette that focuses on the film's fight choreography. “Ambushed: Inside The Goldsmith Score'' is a newer extra, a 14-minute interview with Jerry Goldsmith biographer/film music historian Jeff Bond. Bond talks of this, Goldsmith's 2nd to last picture, as well as Brian Tyler's usage of an artificial (synthesized) version of the medieval instrument 'the serpent'. This antiquated instrument sounds like a foghorn and Goldsmith used the serpent for "Alien" to emphasize part of the soundscape of that character. Also of interest is the “History Will Change: Composing Timeline'' featurette, which spends 18-minutes exploring how composer Brian Tyler came to work on "Timeline". Tyler had just scored a few Paramount Pictures titles, "The Hunted" and "Star Trek: Enterprise'' and director William Friedkin had recommended him, getting the gig partially thanks to his period-piece appropriate resume ("Children of Dune"). Tyler speaks of how they used his work as a temp track before he climbed aboard the productions. Tyler was also under some serious time restraints, without time to have mock-ups Tyler was forced to record with the orchestra directly from what he had written on paper. Interesting that he was able to provide a melodic stamp on the film, while at the same time escalating the story musically, he talks of the last 35 to 40-minutes of the picture being something he is very proud of. The film's theatrical trailer rounds out this Blu-ray from Imprint.

Richard Donner's "Timeline" is based on a Michael Crichton novel. Imprint's Blu-ray provides a number of interesting extras, as well as the vintage featurette stuff. The image suffers a tiny bit from some digital noise and occasional minor blips of damage, though it surely improves on any older SD DVD versions. Fans will want to seek this one out, unless a newer restoration ever takes place.