Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Beyond bad, January 19, 2008
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.
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
I wish I could give it no stars, March 2, 2008
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.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Horrible! Do not buy!, January 9, 2008
You will never see a worse movie, especially Highlander, than this steaming pile of fresh horse manure.
You are hearing this from someone who was an intense fan of the original movie, the television series, the third film and even gave Endgame (the fourth film) a chance. I hated that as well, but -NOTHING- and I mean NOTHING compares to how bad this is. This awful, wretched, steaming pile of waste makes even Endgame look like a viable film.
I cannot believe, for a second, that the actors agreed to this and let themselves be humiliated in this farce of a film. The director and producers should be strung up for this, if not worse. I cannot believe they are thinking of doing this as a trilogy and I hope, sincerely hope, that it doesn't ever go further. Highlander needs to be allowed to die off, because it seems the movies are getting worse and worse.
Please, please please do not buy this. Do not encourage them to produce more of this garbage and destroy the Highlander mythology and characters even further. What else can I say? If you like Highlander, do NOT buy this movie, because it will ruin it for you. It is beyond bad, it is beyond awful, it is something altogether wretched and vile. You will cry at how bad this movie is, so spare yourself the misery.
Shame on you Adrian Paul and everyone else involved, especially the producers, for making this awful, awful movie.
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