Highlander: The Source

Rating R Formats DVD Genre sci-fi Starring Adrian Paul, Thekla Reuten, Peter Wingfield, Jim Byrnes Directed by Brett Leonard Publisher Lionsgate External Links Lionsgate Website

“There can be only one!”

So, why are there two through five? Putting the television series aside, there really is no need for any of the Highlander films beyond the first. Frankly, it’s the only one that makes any bit of sense anyway. The best that Highlander: The Source could ever offer would be some sort of “closure” to the goings-on of the television series. For those who have not seen the series, myself included, this film is an exercise in absolute futility.

I’ll spare you the details. Planets align, immortals become mortal, and there’s some pale white guy in piece armor that runs really fast. Add to that Adrian Paul’s brooding coolness and you have the majority of the work. The only serious saving grace of Highlander: The Source are the characters, save the villain. Every other character that plays a role in this play is so fleshed out it’s unreal. It’s worth watching strictly to get an idea of how a good character should be constructed and portrayed, whether starring role or bit part.

Without a doubt, this has got to be the worst villain ever conceived. For one, he likes to be a blur almost ninety percent of the time. Not only is the villain’s dialogue sub-standard, but also the delivery of said dialogue is weak at best. The actor alone cannot be blamed completely for this failure. The ineffectiveness of the villain as a character is equally as disappointing as the premise of the film. The whole issue of immortals having children was settled at the end of the first Highlander. All this movie does is act as if that verdict didn’t exist.

To top it all off, Connor’s classic katana breaks and he is forced to wield these dirks with runes. Basically, almost everything that fans love about Highlander is being systematically dismantled in order to come to a rather anti-climactic finish. Everything in between is nothing more than unremarkable filler. The first time I watched the movie, I fell asleep for about fourteen minutes of footage. I didn’t miss anything. That right there should be speaking volumes.

My only hope, and by extension the hope of the world over, is that this is the absolute LAST Highlander film. There’s nothing else to explore and the modern audience may not have seen any of the previous films or the series. A majority of those who watched the series and/or the original movie anyway would roundly reject this as an actual part of the story anyway.