Customer Reviews

Highlander: Final Dimension [VHS]

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(83)
3 star:		(58)
2 star:		(37)
1 star:		(59)

 

 

Fans of Highlander will not be disappointed in this DVD. Here we have the two MacLeods, Duncan and Connor together, sharing so many aspects of their long lives with us. We watch, in superbly done flashbacks, their early years together, the humor, intense and passionate love, loyalty, passion, ethical conundrums, betrayal and tragedy. There is something for everyone - even humour, amidst the heart-breaking angst. And the music is to die for. It is particularly pleasing to see another incredible MacLeod woman - Connor's Mother.

I found myself laughing and crying at various times throughout the movie. There is no doubt that fans who have a deep knowledge of the Series will particularly enjoy this DVD. But even new viewers will not be disappointed.

This DVD will incorporate a number of scenes from the Workprint and this will flesh out the too short movie release. It is a must for those who have not been able to find another TV show or movie with the high production values, fascinating story concept, rounded characters, history, outstanding musical accompaniment, set design. clothes quality, sword and martial arts skill, tragedy, humor, farce, ethics, full-blooded eroticism, strong female and male characters - in short, Highlander: EndGamecontinues to deliver.

As an actor, Adrian Paul has always had a way of bringing out the best in those around him. This certainly seems to be the case here, with Christophe Lambert turning in an outstanding performance as Connor - a man wracked with guilt and pain. Some of the most intense moments in the film are scenes where Connor says little, but his expression says it all and we feel our hearts breaking. His love for his bonny Heather is one of the great love stories and spans centuries. His recounting of how he once saw his Heather, cutting her hair in order to preserve a part of her for Connor that would never age was heart-wrenching. It is the film's ability to keep posing these types of questions that delights. What *would* it be like to have a gorgeous lover who never ages - who cannot die...and who loves you so intensely that he promises to watching you age and wither, to care for you and to love you until his own dying day?

Lisa Babuscia is another real find for me. Her story was so tragic - so wasteful. Indeed, there is so much that speaks of wasted opportunities, immature judgments that come back to haunt and to ultimately kill.

Adrian himself turns in an outstanding performance as the ravaged and distraught Duncan. His continuing ability to work through the pain and the constant tragedy that surrounds him continues to inspire. Duncan's message is one of eternal hope for something better, that evil must be fought no matter the cost, and it is one that he never deviates from. There are a number of scenes in particular where his performance is excellent - in particular, the rooftop scene with Connor, and a harrowing scene with Kate.

Whilst there was a little too much in the way of gore for my taste, I always enjoy a good sword fight and outstanding martial arts - and yes, the martial arts sequence with Donnie Yen, I am reliably informed,is shown at actual speed! It is no technical trick - it really was that fast. Again, full credit to Adrian and Donnie - and F. Braun Ashe who admits that he knew enough to simply get out of the way of these two and let them choreograph and do what they do so well.

'There can be only one!" New viewers and long time fans will not be disappointed with this welcome addition to the Highlander universe. We have followed the journey of Duncan MacLeod for over six years - this film offers further insights into how painful that continuing journey is, for Duncan himself and those who love him and those who aspire to capture his spirit and his soul.

"Highlander - The Final Dimension" (aka Highlander 3) for all practical purposes should have been the direct follow-up to the original 1986 movie. It practically followed right after the first left off with a relentless New York cop in pursuit of "Russel Nash" (aka Connor MacLeod). In Highlander 3, Connor is also being pursued by a group of ancient [immortal] Mongal warriors led by Mario van Peebles. His band of merry warriors is taken down one by one by our hero Connor, well except one in which Mario dispatches himself for failure. But of course, the van Peebles character kidnaps Connor's son to use as bait for the final showdown.

For 1994, the special effects in this movie were pretty good. However, there's never really been a good DVD release of this movie. The OOP version was non-anamorphic with just 2.0 sound. There's another version coming out on 4.5.05 with no specs listed, let's hope that this is a brand new disc.

Now this leads me to the eye-rolling, hilarious review by ty7777 below. When ty7777 gives the disc a 1-star review because it's in widescreen instead of FOOLSCREEN. But then I guess some people are just too ignorant and ill-informed to enjoy film as an art form.

Endgame has really taken a beating by critics and reviewers alike for everything from Higlander-immortal story/origin/legend inconsistencies to the lack of the dvd version maintaining same integral story elements faithful to the theatrical release (different ending, etc.). I don't care about such technical and trivial things when the acting and action for this type of film goes beyond my expectations. Adrian Paul has come along way with his skill,craft, and talent for the martial arts and swordsmanship. He's not the same actor when first introduced through the syndicated and now defunct Highlander t.v. series almost 10 years ago.The Duncan character is not the same either. Both are more mature and the incredible knowledge Paul brings to the screen in his expertise in the martial arts is not just entertaining but exciting. He exemplifies true showmanship. Lambert's not so shabby himself as Connor despite his character's weary and tired disposition on the whole immortal take. Actress Lisa Barbuscia adds that sexy feminine smoldering touch as Faith/Kate and serves as a counterpoint to all the macho adrenaline characters and semi-brutal fight sequences. You could say she's the pearl in the rough sea.Her serious and intelligent demeanor add the strength that was lacking with previous Highlander female characters in both the t.v. series and theatrical releases. She's intelligence,strength, and beauty all in one neat package...

The only problem was the all-too-simplistic plot or main story which is practically no different than what we were used to seeing on the t.v series;How to get rid of an evil pesky immortal pest who's as arrogant as he is deadly !And there's always one immortal who's more evil and potent than the other (the there's-always-a-bigger-fish theory).Also, there is much symbolism in the film dealing with religion and power. The three silver crosses embedded into the back heel of the evil Kell's shoes to me signified that Kell in the middle cross thought of himself as an all powerful God-like undeafeatable figure while the crosses on each side of the middle one signified Connor and Duncan as nothing more than powerless opponents. It's the cinematic and scenic historical flashbacks, the introduction of Connor's mother, and other minor subplots or unexpected story elements of surprise that also save the film...In the end, there can only be one decent ending (or two, if you've seen both theatrical and dvd versions like me)...

Some fans will strike me for this, others will clap me on the shoulder, but in my opinion, HIGHLANDER III: THE SORCERER is the only trustworthy, even average sequel to HIGHLANDER. Let's face it - HIGHLANDER II can't even be considered a sequel, while HIGHLANDER: ENDGAME was a complete waste of potential.

Released in the U.S. as HIGHLANDER: THE FINAL DIMENSION, H3 has immortal Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert, back and better than ever) realizing that he didn't win The Prize, and that some immortals still remain: one of whom is evil sorcerer Kane (Mario Van Peebles). After Kane is freed from a 400-year slumber, he journeys to New York City seeking the Highlander. There MacLeod must do battle again. The game may have changed, but the rule remains the same: in the end, there can be only one.

First of all, let me say that while it's nowhere near a good movie, HIGHLANDER III is very entertaining and actually quite fun to watch. It's almost even a remake of the first film. Everything we want to know is explained (including why we have HIGHLANDER sequels!), and ... *sigh* Deborah Unger is included ...

Surprisingly, the film was also the only HIGHLANDER movie to get a PG-13! (The director's cut, however, is back to an R for a couple of sex scenes)

HIGHLANDER III also bears the most resemblance to HIGHLANDER: THE SERIES, which was, at the time, being filmed. It also features Loreena McKennit's "Bonny Portmore", one of the most beautiful songs ever written, which was featured in H:TS and later in HIGHLANDER: ENDGAME.

For every 1 good review of this film there are 10 bad ones. I think you'll just have to rent it yourself (Director's Cut, only) and see what you think. I thought it was the only reliable HIGHLANDER sequel yet.

The rule still remains: there can be only one. And so far, it applies to the sequels as well.

Look, most people that saw this movie were critics that dubbed the original Highlander movie "the worst movie of 1986." But even non-Highlander fans loved the original movie. You do not trust a critic with a Highlander film. What most people dont understand is that Highlander 1 and 3 were the only two films that truly connected. They both ended with Conner Macleod being the last immortal. If you watch Highlander 2, dont try to compare it to the other films. The series is based on a totally different character named Duncan Macleod and has Conner Macleod in it also. But it is a separate story! People keep trying to connect all of the films and the series together. It does not work that way. Keeping that in mined, Highlander Endgame is like a 2 parter of the series. It shows just how good Adrian Paul and Christoper Lambert are as actors. This movie made me extreamly sad when i walked out of the theater. But i felt satisfied. The world of immortals is not a happy one. Highlander Endgame does not have a happy ending. But it is still a good ending that makes it worth watching. Word of the wise, if you have never seen The original Highlander, watch it before you watch this movie. It wouldent hurt to watch some of the series also. The best Highlander movie is the original one. But this movie is still worth watching. Enjoy the movie and watch it with an open mind.

The Highlander "Series" are an extremely creative saga that I hope never dies. I am a female and even with all the fighting scenes there is enough romance and fantasy for the ladies to ponder and wish for in real life. I really enjoy the past/present switches throughout the movie, they keep you tuned into the whole picture and whole centuries long storyline. This movie is not for the analytical mind, nor for the right brainers out there, your left brain needs to be turned on to reach for the fantasy of these movies and series. I hope you enjoy as much as I do, the movie is very entertaining and I hope to see more films in the future.

Highlander: Final Dimension is a very good movie. Some complain that it is too much like the original but I found it very good. Its way better than part 2 and Endgame. To be honest they should've just let Connor MacLeod rode off into the sunset instead of bringing him back for Endgame.
The action in this movie is very good and so are some of the special effects. As always the soundtrack is great with the talented Lorenna McKennit singing Bonny Portmore. There's even a poor man's version of Motley Crue's Dr. Feelgood during the final battle! I always like this movie because it brings us back to Connor in a realistic way. None of this futuristic or Sanctuary garbage. This is really the second best movie in the whole series.

Several people reviewing this film don't seem to realize this film actually has nothing to do with the first film but is meerly a film based on the TV series where the Kurgan and Conner did not fight for the prize but it was just another Immortal duel! Geez comparing this to the first film is like apples to oranges. I loved the first film the subsquent sequals do not exist in my mind. BUT THIS FILM IS NOT A SEQUAL!!! If you watched the series and liked it, I did, you will like this film, I did. Is it great cinema? No. Is it the fabulous acting? No. But then neither was the series so get over it people and just see the movie for the fun of it as modern sword and sorcery camp! *SIGH*

I consider this film a missed opportunity to bring the original concept back on track after the diabolical Highlander 2. The villain of the story - Mario van Peebles - was to similar to Clancy Brown in voice and mannerisms of the first "Highlander" story that after yet another scene where he does more gymnastics with his tongue while talking (why do they do that????) that after a while you stopped believing in the character. Another incident in the final sword fight where he is cut in half along the waist and the bottom half walked along to join the top half reminds you of the "Tom and Jerry" cartoons, this scene had no place in this movie. It has been often said - with some justification - that Christopher Lambert walks through his movies without putting to much emotion into the roles, this I'm afraid is another one. Having said that the script was so dire that even Lawrence Olivier would be hard pressed to do anything with the story----that more than anything was the main culprit. On the plus side the film is saved by it's "moments" between Christopher Lambert and Deborah Unger (a much underused actress) while he prepares to meet Mario van Peebles, the Celtic music running through the movie especially "Bonny Portmore" by Loreena McKennitt which was played through a good part of the movie (it even made me by the CD "the Visit") and the Scottish scenery which made this an okay film rather than a total washout.

I had missed the chance to see the movie in the theatres so I spent half a year waiting for it to come out on DVD. As soon as it did, I went out and bought it. I had been watching the series for a while a few years ago up until cancellation, and now it plays re-runs on Sci-Fi Channel, and I try not to miss those. The series was always awesome and brought back the better feel of how and why the immortals were on Earth, not the alien BS that the second one brought about and the vague and pointless reasons a third movie was made...but End Game just basically brought Highlander back into "The Game" so to speak as far as a genre goes. You shouldn't have to watch the 2nd or 3rd movies to have to understand End Game, but the first movie is helpful...and some knowledge from the series as well. A must-have film for any sci-fi action fan and definitly for any Highlander fan. There can be only one...and this is it.