Product Details

• Actors: Adrian Paul, Thekla Reuten, Cristian Solimeno, Peter Wingfield, Jim Byrnes
• Directors: Brett Leonard
• Writers: Gregory Widen, Mark Bradley, Stephen Kelvin Watkins
• Producers: Adrian Paul, B.J. Rack, Chris Chrisafis, Christian von Tippelskirch
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Lions Gate
• DVD Release Date: February 26, 2008
• Run Time: 86 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 1.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (96 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0010YVCAM
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,807 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #5 in	Movies & TV > Action & Adventure > Series & Sequels > Highlander
  #26 in	Movies & TV > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Sword & Sorcery

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
With spinoffs including live action and animated films and television series, comic books, and more, the Highlander franchise has yielded its fair share of noble moments over the years, starting with the original film in 1986. But while Highlander 5: The Source has some cool special effects work and enough video game violence to enthrall adolescent boys, longtime fans agree that this made-for-TV flick is, to put it mildly, no Oscar contender. Adrian Paul, reprising the role he played in Highlander: Endgame (2000) and the Highlander TV series, is Duncan MacLeod, the ageless Scotsman hailing from the 16th Century. The storyline isn't easy to decipher, but it has to do with the imminent cosmic alignment of the planets and other celestial bodies, which will lead to "the moment of the Source," wherein lies the secret to the origin of MacLeod and his crew's immortality. (A note about the film's tagline, "The quest for mortality begins": Seems that being immortal ain't all it's cracked up to be; not only can these guys die, but they are unable to breed, which is a big problem for Duncan and his mortal girlfriend, hence his plan to locate the Source and become, you know, a regular dude.) This is generic comic book stuff, taking place in a crumbling, Road Warrior-esque world populated by characters with names like The Elder, The Guardian, The Watchers, and The Ancient One. The script, by Stephen Kelvin Watkins and Mark Bradley, is fraught with big, portentous statements, while director Brett Leonard seems more interested in staging the next fight sequence than giving us a clue as to what's actually going on. If this is the end of the Highlander story, and many seem to think it will be, fans had every right to hope for a more dignified death knell than The Source. --Sam Graham

Product Description
SEEKING THE ORIGINS OF THEIR IMMORTALITY, THE LAST BAND OF ETERNAL WARRIORS, LED BY HIGHLANDER, EMBARK ON A DANGEROUS QUEST TO FIND THE SOURCE IN THIS THRILLING NEW CHAPTER OF THE LEGENDARY SAGA.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Beyond bad, January 19, 2008

By	N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you thought the original cut of Highlander II was bad, just wait until you see Highlander: The Source, the fifth (and hopefully final) installment in the beloved series. The Source begins sometime in the distant future (*yawn*) as Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul), Methos (Peter Wingfield), Duncan's ex-wife Anna (Thekla Reuten), Joe Dawson (Jim Byrnes), and a small band of immortals seek out "the source", which is said to be the origin place of the immortals. Standing in their way is the demonic Guardian (Cristian Solimeno), who is supposedly an all-powerful immortal that picks off our heroes one by one, leading to the inevitable showdown between him and Duncan. What ends up being the most infuriating about The Source for Highlander fans is how much the film ends up going against the mythology of the series, as well as Duncan and other character's motivations for seeking out "the source". The Jabba the Hutt lookalike in the film doesn't exactly help things out either, and the film as a whole is just one big jumbled mess, thanks to the lackluster, sloppily edited direction from Brett Leonard (Lawnmower Man, Man-Thing), and a cover-themed edition of the original Highlander soundtrack to boot (the version of "Who Wants to Live Forever?" is more annoying than anything else) just all amount to the worst sequel the series has ever seen. Adrian Paul seems to sleep through the film, and the ending is, well, see it for yourself if you're a Highlander fan, and decide which part of the film is the worst. All in all, Highlander: The Source is beyond bad, and no matter how much of a Highlander fan you may be, this should be avoided. If you are a fan though, you'll more than likely want to check this out anyway, but don't say I you hadn't been warned.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I wish I could give it no stars, March 2, 2008

By	Darren B. O'Connor (Norfolk, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There have been two really great parts to the whole Highlander franchise: the original movie, and the TV series (especially from its second season on, when they introduced the concept of the Watcher organization, and wrote stories about a subgroup of Watcher who developed a religious fanatic-type fear and hatred of immortals, and started hunting them). Both these version of the Highlander franchise featured great characters, marvellous flashbacks, interesting villains, and dealt with both the positive and negative aspects of immortality, such as unending youth and strength, and the experience of being able to see whole different ages, such as most people can only dream about, balanced off against the loneliness of watching everyone around you age and die, with only a handful of people with whom you can form lasting bonds -- and many of them are out to take your head. It was thrilling stuff, and as the first movie and series proved, this concept was a rich source from which really great stories could be mined again and again.

How sad then that with the exception of that first film, the makers of Highlander movies have failed so dismally. This movie actually rivals "Highlander II: the Quickening" in sheer awfulness, and I hadn't believed that possible. I had a terrible sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach when I found that this movie was set in a near future where society had broken down into chaos and anarchy. Why on earth did the producers of this film choose to borrow an element from the worst movie in the entire franchise? The villain was so ridiculous he wasn't even remotely menacing or scary. What could EVER make anyone think a villain who yells "Helloo Joe!" as he sails through the air hit by a car (in a stupendously unrealistic stunt/special effect) would play well? This was just one moment among many involving the villain that elicits unintentional laughter. The guardian was so horrendously, cringe-inducingly bad that if the Kurgan were in this film he would have killed him for bringing villains into disrepute.

And of course, on top of a poor story, a laughable villain, and the complete absence of any of the elements that made either the first film or the series a success, this movie suffers from a fault common to all Highlander films but the first: lack of continuity. Why, if they are going to make these things, do they insist on disregarding everything that came before? This is really frustrating to those fans who have delved into the world of the Highlander franchise and would like it to make at least some sense, and have some internal consistency. It's hard to stay interesting in something when they keep changing the ground rules on you.

But the above listed flaws barely scratch the surface of what it wrong with this movie. I read that this was intended to be the first of a trilogy. All I can say to that is that I hope not. As much as I am irritated at the lack of consistency and continuity in the Highlander movies, if they're going to do any more, they need to retcon this abortion out of existence. Having inexplicably copied concepts from the single worse installment of the whole franchise, they should also copy the follow up taken to that movie by the producers of the next one and write a new story that ignores this steaming pile of dog excrement and starts with a blank slate.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worst Film Of The Franchise!, January 11, 2008

By	Ervin Griffin (Bluefield, WV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Let me start off by saying that I am a big fan of the Highlander series. I liked the original film (especially in its Uncut form) and the last move called Endgame (in its extended form). I LOVED the TV show (that's what really drew me to the Highlander world)!

That being said, it really hurts me to give this film one star but I have to because that's all it deserves! I saw this on Sci-Fi and it nearly put me to sleep. When I went back and looked at it later, I could find nothing redeeming about it! I have underwear that's made of better material than this movie!

Let me put it another way. Highlander 2, the original cut with the planet Zeist, was better than this! That's how much The Source sucked! At least H2 had better action, a better villian and had the great Sean Connery as Ramirez to off-set an otherwise terrible film! In the words of David Chappelle, it sucked a**! Unless you must have everything Highlander, avoid this hot mess at all costs!