A few weeks ago, I decided to try something new for the
Sunday “Bad” Movies. I wrote a script
for a short scene where two people sat in a diner and talked about Bigfoot vs. Zombies. It was my way to bring a refreshing new post
style, and a way to work on my screenwriting skills. This week, I’m going to take another swing at
that sort of post. I will once again be
writing a script and through that script, I will write about the movie.
This week’s movie is Timeline. Something about it inspired me to write a
script again. The main difference is
that this time, I’m actually going to look over the script and fix it up
somewhat. It also won’t be two people
talking at a table. That’s a little
boring. Let’s get something more than a
conversation going on. So, without
further ado, here is my script inspired by Timeline. I’ll be back at the end to give a few
comments before ending the post.
INT. CAVE - NIGHT
JESSE is kneeling on the ground with a brush in his hand. He sweeps the
dust off of a pair of glasses and lifts them up. With a quick sniffle of his
nose, he turns around and signals to his digging partner.
JESSE
Joe! Over here! I
found something!
JOE places his brush on the ground next to a half unearthed lantern.
JOE
What is it?
JESSE
It looks like a pair
of glasses.
JOE
Good find.
Joe turns and begins walking back to the lantern.
JESSE
But Joe. That's not
all. They're
bifocals.
Joe stops and stands motionless.
JOE
Bifocals? That can't
be. Nobody has
been in this part of
the cave for
years.
JESSE
I know.
Joe returns to Jesse's side and takes the glasses in his hands. He
looks them up and down before turning his head to Jesse.
JOE
You're right. They're
bifocals. How
can they possibly be
down here?
JESSE
I think we've
stumbled on some sort
of Timeline type of
situation.
JOE
Timeline?
JESSE
Yeah. Like the movie.
JOE
What movie?
JESSE
Timeline. It came out
in 2003. Paul
Walker, Gerard
Butler, Michael
Sheen, Frances
O'Connor. They went
back in time to the
middle ages.
JOE
What does that have
to do with
this?
JESSE
Near the beginning of
the movie,
they found a pair of
glasses, much
like this pair. They
found it in
the ruins of a
monestary that
nobody had been in
for centuries.
How did they get
there? Someone
went back in time,
that's how! We
have discovered time
travel!
JOE
And my lantern over
there proves
that the time travel
in Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles
three was
real. Sure.
JESSE
This isn't a time for
jokes. We
need to figure out
how the glasses
got here.
Joe throws his hands up in the air and storms off to where he left the
lantern.
JESSE
If these bifocals
were left for us,
that means that they
were left for
us for a reason.
Someone is stuck
in the past and we
need a team of
historians and
archaeologists to go
find them.
JOE
What are you
blathering on about?
JESSE
The movie. Timeline.
A team was
sent back in time to
retrieve
someone who had been
lost in the
past.
JOE
And you think we're
going to go
back in time?
JESSE
That's the only way
to save whoever
is stuck back in
time. We could be
saving ourselves
here. Or we could
die. That is a
definite
possibility. It
happened to the
French guy when the
English king
guy thought he was a
spy.
JOE
Time travel is
impossible.
JESSE
Not according to
these glasses. The
lenses are too new
for time travel
to not exist. Next
we're going to
find a sarcophogas of
a man with
one ear, and we'll
discover that
one of us will be
that man. Please
don't let it be me. I
like my ears.
Joe sighs and continues to brush his lantern. The handle begins to form
shape as the dirt is swept away.
JESSE
I wonder what the
middle ages were
like. Was it a glorified,
beautiful
place like Middle
Earth or was it
grungy and ugly like
an In the Name
of the King sequel?
Was it like
Timeline, somewhere
in between?
JOE
Our studies show
that...
JESSE
Forget our studies!
We're going to
go back in time and
find out!
Joe turns to Jesse. He puts his brush on the ground in front of him and
stands up.
JOE
For the last time,
time travel does
not exist. You can't
just go back
in time.
Joe bends over and lifts his lantern from the ground.
JOE
If time travel
existed, we would
already know about it
because
someone would have
already gone
back in time and
shown the world
that it...
The lantern begins to hum and glow. Joe turns his head and stares at it
in horror as the entire cave lights up with a bright white light.
JOE
What the--
JESSE
The lantern is
glowing!
JOE
I can see that!
With a loud popping sound, the light of the lantern vanishes and it
falls to the ground, shattering on impact. Joe is gone.
JESSE
Joe?
Jesse looks around the dimly lit cave. The light hanging from one of
the stalactites is the only source of light.
JESSE
Joe? This isn't
funny, Joe. You
broke an artifact.
The sound of Jesse's voice echoes through the caverns but there is no
response.
JESSE
He's gone.
Jesse kneels down and picks up the pieces of the lantern. He turns them
over in his hands. As he turns one of the pieces over, he reveals a message.
The message reads "Help me, Jesse! I'm stuck in middle age France!"
JESSE
I knew it! Time
travel is possible!
But that still
doesn't explain
whose glasses those
are. They're
not Joe's.
Jesse lets the pieces of the lantern fall to the cave floor. He takes
another look at the glasses.
JESSE
These glasses are my
only way of
figuring out how to
save Joe from
the past.
Jesse blows the leftover dust off of the lenses and puts the glasses on
his face.
JESSE
Ow. My eyes hurt
looking through
these. This is
definitely not my
prescription.
The vision through the lenses slowly changes from the inside of the
cave to the inside of a tunnel.
JESSE
It worked! I went
back in time!
EXT. CASTLE COURTYARD - DAY
Jesse walks into the open area. Soldiers are training with their swords
as ladies watch from balconies. He looks around and sees Joe among the fighting
soldiers.
JESSE
Joe!
Joe turns and looks at his friend. He has a fresh scar down one cheek,
and the beginnings of a beard growing from his face.
JOE
Jesse! How did you
get here?
JESSE
The Timeline way!
JOE
What Timeline way?
You discovered
time travel?
JESSE
No. The same way that
you got here.
JOE
That was more the
Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles Three
way.
JESSE
Not with the lantern.
With the
glasses.
JOE
The glasses got you
here?
JESSE
Yeah.
A large man approaches Joe from behind and taps on his shoulder. Joe
spins around. The man punches him in the face and turns away.
LARGE MAN
That's what you get
for stepping
out of battle
practice.
JESSE
Battle practice?
Joe turns back to Jesse, a small stream of blood flowing from his nose.
JOE
The only way to
survive around here
is to risk your life.
You're going
to find that out
quickly.
JESSE
I'm going to find a
way back to our
own time, actually.
JOE
Good luck with that.
I've been here
for two weeks and
can't find a way
to get back to 2017.
JESSE
There has to be some
way. The
glasses got me here.
They'll get me
back.
JOE
Where are the
glasses? They
disappeared when you
time traveled,
didn't they? That's
what happened
with the lantern.
JESSE
The lantern broke
when you
disappeared. I don't
know about the
glasses, but they
have to be here
somewhere because
they were in that
cave. They need to be
left in that
cave.
JOE
What?
JESSE
It's like in
Timeline. The reason
that the glasses were
there, the
reason there was a
help note, the
reason that the wall
was broken...
Someone did that in
the past so
that they could find
it in the
future. Someone has
to leave the
glasses in that cave,
in the
hallway I showed up
in. The glasses
and the lantern have
to be here
somewhere!
People begin running frantically around the courtyard area. Joe looks
from one to another. Suddenly his face grows grim.
JESSE
What is it?
MAN ON CASTLE WALL
The barbarians are
coming! Everyone
to your fighting
positions!
JOE
Go! Quickly! Find
something to get
us back to our time!
Jesse runs off, dodging soldiers who are preparing for battle.
INT. CASTLE DINING HALL
Jesse bursts through the door. He runs around the side of the long
dining table, searching among the plates, bowls, and other dining materials.
The door on the opposite side of the room opens and a maid walks in.
MAID
What are you doing in
here?
JESSE
Um...
MAID
You should be out
with the
soldiers.
JESSE
I was sent to warn
everyone about
the battle. Find all
of the women
and children and get
them into the
pantry!
The maid stares at him with disbelief in her eyes.
JESSE
Now! Go! The safety
of the castle
depends on it!
The maid nods and hurries out of the dining hall. Jesse follows behind
her and runs down the first hall he sees.
INT. CASTLE BED CHAMBER
Jesse walks in the open door and speeds to the wardrobe. He pulls the
clothes out and throws them on the floor. One of the pairs of pants makes a
metallic thud as it hits the floor.
JESSE
I think that's it!
He lifts the pants and digs his hand into them. He pulls out a pair of
bifocals. A voice sounds behind him.
MAN 2
Put down my glasses.
Jesse turns and looks at an old, bearded man. The sound of swords
hitting one another comes through the bedroom window.
JESSE
These are bifocals.
OLD MAN
I know.
JESSE
That's impossible.
They haven't
been invented yet.
OLD MAN
You're very
perceptive.
JESSE
And you know that.
OLD MAN
Yes, I do.
JESSE
That means...
OLD MAN
It means...
JESSE
You must be from the
future!
OLD MAN
Bingo.
Jesse looks back and forth between the glasses and the man.
JESSE
I need your glasses.
OLD MAN
No.
JESSE
That wasn't a
question.
OLD MAN
I know. But you can't
have my
glasses. They're...
Special.
JESSE
That's why I need
them.
OLD MAN
You don't understand.
JESSE
I understand
perfectly. They are a
time travel device.
OLD MAN
You know?
JESSE
Of course I know. Do
you think I'm
from this time? I
knew they were
bifocals. Why would I
know that?
OLD MAN
Well...
JESSE
And my clothes. Do
these look like
the clothes of this
time?
OLD MAN
No, but...
JESSE
Exactly. You can stay
here and
Gerard Butler it up
for all I care.
You might like it
here instead of
your real time, but I
want to go
home. Your glasses
are the only way
for me to go home.
OLD MAN
I hear what you're
saying. You need
these glasses to be
returned to the
future where you came
from.
JESSE
That's what I said
but in different
words.
OLD MAN
I'll give you my
glasses if you
promise me something.
JESSE
What?
OLD MAN
Tell the world that
Frank Peterson
invented time travel.
I'm not there
to tell them myself.
JESSE
Fine!
Jesse grabs the glasses and runs toward the door. He stops at a table
and grabs a small piece of paper. He scratches a note on it. "Help me,
Jesse! I'm stuck in middle age France!" He throws the note in his pocket
and runs out of the room.
EXT. CASTLE COURTYARD - DAY
Swords clash against one another and blood splatters across the ground
as Jesse runs out of the castle. He ducks under a sword that nearly cuts his
ear off as he looks through the crowds of fighting soldiers for his friend. A fire
breaks out as a torch falls into a barrel of oil.
JESSE
Joe!
JOE
Jesse!
Joe jumps down from the roof of a shed, sword slashing at an attacker
who is ready to kill Jesse. He slashes a few times then kicks the opponent into
a pile of wooden boxes.
JOE
Did you get the
glasses?
JESSE
Yes!
JOE
Then let's get to the
tunnel!
The two friends run off into one of the castle hallways that borders
the courtyard.
INT. CASTLE HALLWAY
Jesse and Joe hurry into the dark room. The only light comes from a
couple of lanterns hanging on the wall.
JESSE
Okay. It's time to
put on the
glasses.
JOE
What? There's only
one pair of
glasses and there are
two of us.
JESSE
Yeah, but if they
work like before,
they'll be left
behind and you can
use them right after
me.
JOE
Why do I have to wait
for you to go
first?
JESSE
You have the sword.
JOE
I've been risking my
life here for
two weeks. You've
been here for two
minutes.
JESSE
It's been more than
two minutes.
JOE
You get my point
though.
JESSE
You're still better
prepared to
fight off any bandits
that try to
kill us.
JOE
Barbarians.
JESSE
Whatever. Grab that
lantern over
there.
Joe reaches for the lantern on the wall. As he puts his hand around its
handle, it begins to glow brighter and brighter until Joe vanishes. Jesse dives
to the ground to catch the lantern before it breaks. He places it on the
ground.
JESSE
There's the lantern.
The echo of footsteps pound into the hallway. Jesse looks at the
lantern and looks at the glasses. He reaches for the lantern before stopping
himself.
JESSE
Shit. If I use the
lantern, I might
end up taking the
glasses with me.
He takes the note out of his pocket and shoves it into the lantern as
well as he can. He pulls the bifocals onto his face and closes his eyes. The
sound of footsteps grows louder until he can hear the feet within inches of
him. An arm grabs him.
JOE
Come on! The cave is
coming down!
Jesse opens his eyes and sees pieces of rock falling to the floor of
the cave around him. They run through the caverns toward the entrance of the
cave.
EXT. ENTRANCE OF CAVE - DAY
The two comrades dive through the entrance of the cave as rocks tumble
down, blocking the hole in the stone wall. They stand up and shake themselves
off.
JOE
That was close.
JESSE
That didn't happen in
Timeline.
JOE
Will you shut up
about Timeline
already? We just went
back in time!
JESSE
Like in Timeline! We
ended up in a
castle, there was a
time traveler
who stayed behind
like Gerard
Butler did, and we
got back to the
present as we were
about to be
killed in the battle.
It's the
same!
JOE
Okay. There were
similarities.
JESSE
Yes! There were!
A loud crack erupts through the air. Jesse and Joe's heads whip around
to see a giant vehicle pushing its way through a forest surrounding the cave. A
large speaker sits above a reflective windshield.
VOICE ON SPEAKER
Halt. Intruders.
JOE
Uh-oh. We're in the
wrong place.
A door opens up on the machine and a man clad in futuristic clothes
steps out.
JESSE
Or the wrong time.
Line.
THE END
That’s the script I came up with. I’m much more satisfied with that than my
previous attempt at writing a script post.
I put more effort into it and told a more complex story. In that way, this exercise was a success. It showed improvement over what I had written
before. It showed that I can do better. That doesn’t mean there weren’t flaws.
The main issue with the script is that it didn’t cover the
movie enough. It covered certain plot
points, but didn’t have discussion about the quality of the movie. All that you guys get from the story that I
told was that Timeline was a movie
and I wrote a script about a couple of characters living the movie. That’s it. Thus, I need to take some time to write about
the quality of the movie. Other than
that, I’m happy with the script. It’s
not perfect, but it’s a good step forward.
So, onto how I feel about Timeline. I had never heard
great things about it. In fact, it was
suggested to me for this blog. That was
one of two things in my mind going into the movie. The other was that I had read the book a
couple years back and enjoyed it. So my
expectations were right in the middle. I
liked the source and had heard the movie was underwhelming. What I got was exactly where my expectations
were. The movie wasn’t great but it
wasn’t terrible. It was in that middle
ground.
Fitting of the Sunday “Bad” Movies, it did have some bad
aspects. The one that I would feel bad
leaving out is that the foreshadowing was some of the most bizarrely hilarious
that I’ve seen. The setup at the
beginning that there was a sarcophagus carved to show that the man inside had
lost an ear was brought back in a laughably bad way. A character had his ear cut off during the
climax and began yelling “It’s me! It’s me!”
Though the majority of the movie was a decent time travel tale mixed
with an entertaining medieval war tale, this foreshadowing was some of the
worst that I’ve seen.
That does it. Timeline is now in the past like Gerard
Butler’s character. It was an okay movie
that I was entertained by. I wouldn’t
necessarily watch it again, but I don’t regret the time I spent watching the
movie. There are worse ways to spend two
hours than seeing Paul Walker and Gerard Butler fight it out in the Middle
Ages.
There are worse ways to spend a few minutes than looking
through these notes:
- Timeline was suggested by @Mimekiller, who also suggested Gymkata and Gnome Alone.
- This post mentioned Bigfoot vs. Zombies, In the Name of the King, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.
- Timeline featured two people from the movie Death Race. They were Danny Blanco Hall and Christian Paul.
- Gerard Butler was in one of the early movies covered. He was in Playing for Keeps.
- Neal McDonough isn’t a first timer to the Sunday “Bad” Movies. He was previously seen in The Marine 3: Homefront.
- One of the actors in Timeline was Rana Morrison, who was also in Torque.
- As a child, Paul Walker was in a movie called Monster in the Closet. As an adult, he was in Timeline.
- Skin Trade had an actor named Patrick Sabongui, who was also in Timeline.
- Rossif Sutherland had a role in Timeline. He also had a role in Dead Before Dawn 3-D.
- Finally, Timeline saw the return of Lambert Wilson, who was in Catwoman.
- Have you seen Timeline? What did you think? You can share your comments about this post or the movie below.
- What movies should I watch for the Sunday “Bad” Movies? Let your voice be heard by leaving suggestions in the comments or on my Twitter timeline.
- Sometimes when I’m watching bad movies, I will share clips of them. If that sounds interesting to you, you can add me on Snapchat. Jurassicgriffin
- Next week, I’ll be going into the future while thinking about the past. There will be dinosaurs in a futuristic America, as seen through the eyes of the mid-1990s. That’s right. I’m going to be discussing the movie Theodore Rex. Come back in seven days and see what I have to say about it.
