There
have been a few sequels to Highlander now, and the peculiar thing is that the
original wasn't even that big of a hit. Through the years, however, it's become
quite a cult classic and even inspired a much more successful television series.
Here's the deal. Highlanders are mythic beings also known as immortals. The only
way a Highlander can be killed is if another immortal chops off his head. The
reason why they're so eager to decapitate one another is because the last remaining
Highlander is to be blessed by living out the rest of his days as a mortal human
being. Endgame is truly aimed at veteran Highlander fans. Connor Macleod (Christopher
Lambert from the movie franchise) stars along side Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul
of TV fame). They are distant brothers and part of a dying breed, as there are
only a handful of immortals left, including a typically ruthless villain played
by Bruce Payne. Endgame tries to bridge the film franchise and the television
series together and it will no doubt confuse the hell out of newcomers to the
story.
In it's
attempt to bring Connor and Duncan together (ala Kirk and Picard in Star Trek:
Generations), it loses plot points from both storylines, but hardcore fans will
probably be able to follow it. This Highlander suffers from clumsy directing.
The action sequences are choppy, many of the quickening sequences (a phenomenon
that takes place after an immortal loses their head) are downright laughable,
and the ending is less than powerful, but still, Endgame manages to be the strongest
film in the franchise since the 1986 original. Perhaps that's because it attempts
to be bigger in scope and offers a Shakespearean type scenario. On the other hand,
there is so much going on and so many characters in Endgame, that maybe if it
were longer, and more informative, it could have been the best in the series.
This outing could have also benefited from a stronger villain (such as Clancy
Brown in the original). As it stands, Highlander: Endgame is disjointed and convoluted
but it was hardly the dud I was expecting.
