Rating: R
Starring:
Adrian Paul as Duncan MacLeod
Thekla Reuten as Anna Teshemka
Cristian Solimeno as The Guardian
Peter Wingfield as Methos
Jim Byrnes as Joe Dawson
Stephen Rahman Hughes as Zai Jie
Stephen Wight as Reggie Weller
Thom Fell as Cardinal Giovanni
Patrice Naiambana as The Elder
Geofrey Bersey as Brother Radu
Rolandas Boravskis as Jurgis
Saulis Siparis as Man in Tyres
Buckley Norris as Captain
Special Features:
A Tribute to Bill Panzer
Highlander: The Process
Storyboard Comparisons
Highlander Video Game Sneak Peek
Other Info:
Widescreen (2.35:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 86 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD cover:
“Immortals, they have secretly dwelt among us for thousands of years but their origins have been shrouded in mystery. The answers, Prophets say, are to be found in The Source. The last band of eternal warriors, lead by Duncan MacLeod, the Highlander, have set out on a treacherous quest to find the origin of their immortality. But to learn the truth, they must first defeat The Guardian of the Source, a powerful killer who will destroy all who seek its secrets.”
“Highlander: The Source” is rated R for violence and some language.
The Movie:
I was a big fan of the first “Highlander” film. I hated the subsequent sequels and I was never able to get into the TV series. Despite this, I was hopeful that “Highlander: The Source” could deliver. Unfortunately, it didn’t. In fact, it utterly failed on every front.
The story makes very little sense. It fiddles with much of the Highlander lore and pretty much ditches everything that made the first film appealing. It’s also quite difficult to follow. It introduces a new character, The Guardian, that seems like a reject from “Resident Evil” and an S&M film. He zips around in fast forward motion and it looks incredibly stupid. It’s supposed to represent him being inhumanly fast, but it ends up being absurd. The Guardian does speak in a variety of accents which was an interesting touch, but there’s nothing else about him that is appealing. Matters aren’t helped by the poor supporting cast and rather flat performances.
The icing on the cake is a terrible rendition of Queen’s “Princes of the Universe”. It was a great part of the first film, but here it’s quite lame and used as background music as the character drive a small car around the countryside. Not exactly inspiring.
This film is only for fans of the “Highlander” TV series, and even then they might be very disappointed by the final product. It’s a shameful end to a mismanaged franchise.
Among the bonus features you’ll find “A Tribute to Bill Panzer,” one of the producers of “Highlander” from the beginning. He died recently and this shows footage of the flamboyant producer. “Highlander: The Process” is your standard making of video and it shows the cast and crew putting a lot more thought into the movie than you would expect. You’ll also find Storyboard Comparisons and a Highlander Video Game Sneak Peek. Unfortunately, this sneak peek doesn’t show any game play, just background environments.
