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Despite the distinguished alliance of director Richard Donner and writer Michael Crichton, this time-travelling fantasy is almost too daft to laugh at. Lesser talents might have treated it more lightly and successfully, but Crichton (Jurassic Park) and Donner (Lethal Weapon) press too heavily on the significance of events, leaving the absurdities to take over. It's saved from complete disaster, thanks to Billy Connolly, who plays a professor leading an archaeological dig in the Dordogne valley. When the professor gets thrust back in time by the shady corporation sponsoring the dig, his son (Paul Walker) and fellow students follow to try and rescue him and find themselves in a 14th-century war in which the villainous English are browbeating the saintly French. Despite the clunky dialogue and outrageous situations, the momentum maintains our interest, while the plot keeps us amused if not bemused. Even so, there comes an exasperating moment when you are grateful for Aldous Huxley's famous assertion that time must have a stop.

Risible adventure, so daft to be almost, but not quite, endearing; the performances are beyond redemption.