Timeline

[Heretic Apostate]

But how many of the movies followed the book?

For instance, there were huge, gaping changes made in Lost World.

And I don't recall him writing a Jurassic Park 3. Did he?

 

[Wombat]

Like everything else Crichton writes, Timeline is a mediocre volume that was briefly hugely popular that gets turned into a movie that will also be briefly hugely popular. And then more or less forgotten.

Hack writing, bad sense of history, corny plot -- yep, all the elements of another cheesey summer blockbuster that will be forgotten by the next summer...

 

[Mistwell]

Like everything else Crichton writes, Timeline is a mediocre volume that was briefly hugely popular that gets turned into a movie that will also be briefly hugely popular. And then more or less forgotten.

Hack writing, bad sense of history, corny plot -- yep, all the elements of another cheesey summer blockbuster that will be forgotten by the next summer...

Your opinion notwithstanding, Crichton is known in the industry for being one of the most fastidious researchers of his subjects. His research of airline assembly and maintenance for one of his novels, for example, is legend. You can dislike his novels all you want, but don't try and claim he has a bad sense of history - his sense of history about a subject is superb. Far above almost any other author.

Nor are his movies "forgotten". If you look at the gross receipts after the first 8 weeks for his movies, you will note they are some of the best sellers for an entire year after they are made, as are the VHS and DVD copies once they come out.

I think you just don't like the guy, and are letting that opinion sweep away your desire to actually look up the facts that back up your assertions.

 

[Wombat]

His vision of the Middle Ages in Timeline is well-researched in certain regards (armour, castle design, etc.), but he also comes to the subject with his usual blinkers firmly in place -- the church is EVIL, the whole of the land is constantly wartorn, disease ridden, and stupid, etc. In other words, even while individual details are correct, he gives a view of the Middle Ages that people expect rather than what truly was. Even what was, in my opinion, the best of his works, Eaters of the Dead, suffers from the desire to represent matters not as they were, but as will sell.

Personal prejudice from someone with a degree in medieval history.

 

[Tsyr]

Whatever else you might think of him, Wombat, I think "hack writing" is grossly unfair. Crichton is one of the most readable authors I know.

 

[JoeBlank]

Andromeda Strain (1969) and the Great Train Robbery (1975), among others, have certainly not been forgotten.

Crichton creates a nice compromise between factual accuracy and readabilty. I've enjoyed many of his books, but do agree that a few of the movies have been weak.

 

[reapersaurus]

I'm pretty certain Michael Crichton didn't write Jurassic Park 3...

 

[Tsyr]

I'm pretty certain Michael Crichton didn't write Jurassic Park 3...

As far as I know, nothing... JP3 was a mix of scenes cut from JP1 and JP2 with a little extra garbage thrown in.

 

[Dreeble]

Heya:

the whole of the land is constantly wartorn, disease ridden, and stupid, etc.

Okay, just to be clear, did you read Timeline? I have to admit that I read it right when it came out and so don't remember all the details, but the impression I got was the Crichton actually claimed the current day perceptions of the middle ages were way off. For example, that "knights" and such were actually extremely healthy, physically fit, etc. Also, he certainly didn't portray the natives of the time as stupid, they actually (from what I remember!) seemed to be just as cunning and devious as people today (not really a surprise, of course). No offense intended at all here. And I'm not expecting the movie to be great art, just a bit o' fun.

Take care,
Dreeble

 

[Dagger75]

I liked this book and am looking forward to the movie. Granted anything with castles and knights in it I generally go see. They aren't all good but I see them.

As for his books, I usally get those as well. Timeline was entertaining, time travel was sort of "Flux Capacitor" type science but hey Back to the Future was pretty good.

I read Prey, his latest book( I think) and that will probably be made into a movie soon.