# Crichton's "Timeline": Another Jurassic Park? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 19, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656 "2003-04-19T17:16:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kallisti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@Kallisti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallisti)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/1 "2003-04-19T17:16:39Z")
To me it reads very much like a screenplay that would make a cool fantasy/adventure movie. Thoughts? Casting? ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2003, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/2 "2003-04-19T17:30:00Z")
[Actually](http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hp&cf=prev&id=1808406273&intl=us) they have made it into a movie which opens November 23 of this year. My only worry is that Paul Walker is playing Chris Hughes. I can’t say that I’m a huge Paul Walker fan. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/3 "2003-04-19T21:24:00Z")
Woohoo! _Timeline_ is the book that made me a Crichton fan. Then _Congo_ and _Sphere_ cemented it. Hmm… wait a second… :dubious: _Congo_ and _Sphere_ were both great books but two of the worst movies ever. Crap! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2003, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/4 "2003-04-19T21:42:03Z")
re the OP when I read it I thought the same thing — it was almost written as if the book was one of those that follows a popular movie — like those Titanic “stories” _Roses Diary_ or the “further background” recapping of the Blair Witch project Books. BTW: The twice pushed back release of almost year + vying for release at non-traditional times and no trailer contrary to the review on the link : do **not** indicate that the studio has “great confidence” in it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Harrison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5ac83/32.png) [@John\_Harrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Harrison)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2003, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/5 "2003-04-19T22:26:17Z")
> [@](#): > > BTW: The twice pushed back release of almost year + vying for release at non-traditional times and no trailer contrary to the review on the link : do not indicate that the studio has “great confidence” in it. I’m hoping it’s not true in this case, since the setbacks were originally attributed to the SAG strikes, and after that the wet season began in Europe (which eventually pushed them to the US, IIRC). It does look like the last move is due to normal summer juggling for release dates, but I’m a bit worried as well. ☹ The trailer can be downloaded [here.](http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/t/timeline.php) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2003, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/6 "2003-04-19T22:53:30Z")
I read the book because I really like timetravel and also alternate history stories. I don’t consider this one of Crichton’s better works. It _does_ read as if it was written to be made into a movie, and I think that sort of thing, well, sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2003, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/7 "2003-04-19T22:55:11Z")
**Timeline** was widely noted as being the first novel sold as a screenplay before the book hit shelves. ---
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2003, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/8 "2003-04-19T22:55:17Z")
Timeline was great, but definitely reads like a book destined to be a movie, as do all Crichton novels really. It gets a little cheesy at times… paraphrasing: \ “Bad Guy draws back his bow and takes aim at Helpless Woman. She winces in expectation of her demise, but wait! Bad Guy stops abruptly and looks down at his chest as Good Guy’s sword pierces through!” \ I just hope “Prey” isn’t made into a film, that book downright stunk. Far and away his worst work. ---
**Author:** ![Kallisti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@Kallisti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallisti)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2003, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/9 "2003-04-19T23:02:40Z")
Thanks folks, I like the trailer. I like that I’m seeing fresh faces in the cast. I’m jazzed.🙂 🙂 🙂 Now it’s Timeline, Matrix Revolutions and Return of the King: what a harvest for the end of the year! ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2003, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/10 "2003-04-19T23:17:27Z")
> [@](#): > > I just hope “Prey” isn’t made into a film, that book downright stunk. Far and away his worst work. I thought _Airframe_ was his worst, and I actually enjoyed Prey. I mean, it wasn’t at all plausible, but it was entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![Semp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Semp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Semp)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/11 "2003-04-20T00:24:09Z")
I’ll agree that it read more like a screenplay than a proper novel. But I also thought that it was a screenplay for something that winds up as a “Sci-Fi Channel Exclusive Production” as opposed to something that should wind up on the big screen. That said, I actually enjoyed _The 13th Warrior_, so what do I know? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/12 "2003-04-20T01:43:30Z")
Pretty much all of his books are written to be movies. I recall a quote from an interview when he was writing _Jurrasic Park_. Q: What are you writing now? A: The most expensive movie ever made. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Payton\_s\_Servant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@Payton\_s\_Servant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Payton_s_Servant)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/13 "2003-04-20T02:51:05Z")
Crichton seems to alternate between writing a really crappy book and then a decent book, although they all seem to have been written with the movie already in his mind. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/14 "2003-04-20T02:59:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Payton’s Servant \* > \*\*Crichton seems to alternate between writing a really crappy book and then a decent book, although they all seem to have been written with the movie already in his mind. \*\* I guess I must have missed those “decent” books he wrote, darn the luck. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/15 "2003-04-20T03:05:37Z")
I have a question about what I think is a hole in the plot. It’s fairly early on in the book, so I don’t think a spoiler tag is needed. From what I remember of the explanation of the time machine (sorry, I lent my book to someone and don’t have it with me now), it doesn’t actually send people into the past, but into an alternate universe that happens to be identical to this one, but X years delayed. If that’s the case, how did the professor’s glasses and message end up in the excavation site, alerting the students to what was going on? Hole? Or did I just completely mis-read the explanation? ---
**Author:** ![Wearia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Wearia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wearia)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/16 "2003-04-20T03:13:40Z")
Hole. But if you can ignore it, it was a enjoyable read. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/17 "2003-04-20T03:21:46Z")
I tend to be a really passive consumer. I don’t get too deep into my pastimes and thus wind up overlooking all but the most obvious plot holes. I like it but I guess most would say that it means I like crappy stuff. Eh. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Protesilaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Protesilaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Protesilaus)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/18 "2003-04-20T03:58:36Z")
I liked the book, but I thought that it kind of dragged a bit in the middle, which is just the type of problem movie adaptations (hopefully) improve upon. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_of\_the\_CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Earl\_of\_the\_CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_of_the_CC)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/19 "2003-04-20T04:21:56Z")
I think the movie’ll be alright. The book was screenplayish. Take a look at the worst Crichton-adaptation. That was Sphere, which did NOT appear to be written with the movie in mind. It was too out there to make a good movie, and no surprise, the movie sucked major ass. ---
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656/20 "2003-04-20T04:35:48Z")
_Timeline_ was enjoyable, although not Crichton’s best, and I agree it did read as a screenplay. I think the movie will be mediocre as most action movies are (good on the big screen because of effects, costumes, and sound, and maybe a few "did you see Timeline yet? It was pretty good."s to your friends). I’m also in agreement that _Congo_ sucked ass as a movie, but made an awesome book. _Airframe_ was kinda blah. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crichtons-timeline-another-jurassic-park/169656.md?page=2)