TIMELINE is a surprisingly subversive nugget of sci-fi hokum.

Which other Hollywood blockbuster would dare to throw together America and France as allies in a bitter and bloody war against the sadistic British?

Or rather, the sadistic English - in Richard Donner's film, even the plucky Scots are determined to vanquish their stiff-upper-lipped neighbours.

The cause of all this trouble and strife is a 14th century war between dastardly toff Lord Oliver (Michael Sheen) and Gallic general Lord Arnaut (Lambert Wilson).

The two sides clash on April 4, 1357, in Castlegard, France, where the French storm the fortress La Roque and decimate the English forces. But not before Oliver and his second-in-command Robert de Kere (Marton Csokas) have hung Arnaud's beloved sister Lady Claire from the battlements.

Fast-forward more than 600 years, and American archaeology professor Edward Johnson (Billy Connolly) and his five best students Chris (Paul Walker), Kate (Frances O'Connor), Andre (Gerard Butler), Francois (Rossif Sutherland) and David (Ethan Embry) find themselves at Castlegard, excavating the remains of the battle.

Soon after, Johnson disappears and the eager students are approached by shady business magnate Robert Doniger (David Thewlis), who claims the professor has been sucked back in time.

Using Doniger's time-travelling device, the quartet ventures back to 14th century France to rescue Johnson, but the students are oblivious to Doniger's true motives.

Based on the flaccid best-seller by Michael Crichton, Timeline is an old-fashioned romp with little swash and almost no buckle.

The moral of Timeline seems to be that you can't change history.

However, you can change the film's future and wait until it comes out on video.

Rating: 4/10