_Highlander:_Endgame_ (R) * (out of ****)
I had never seen a _Highlander_ film nor an episode of its spinoff television series in my life, so perhaps I'm not exactly not the most qualified viewer to review the fourth and presumably (hopefully?) final big screen installment of the cult sci-fi franchise. However, having little to no familiarity with the material perhaps makes me an ideal person to review it--after all, part of an ongoing series shouldn't only play to the converted. But that, in a nutshell, is the problem with _Endgame_. If you're a fan, there could be something here to keep you involved and maybe leave you satisfied. But for newcomers, it's an uphill battle to make sense of it all and just about impossible to care.
_Endgame_ is a landmark film for the _Highlander_ faithful for it brings together for the first time Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), the lead character of the features _Highlander_, the critically lambasted _Highlander_2:_The_Quickening_, and misleadingly titled _Highlander:_The_Final_Dimension_; and Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul), the star of the syndicated _Highlander_ television series. As anyone can deduce from the character names, Connor and Duncan are related, but exactly how will only be clear to followers of the series. A throwaway line of exposition to spell out their relationship is never offered in _Endgame_. The film's poster says that they are brothers, and while the two use the term "a brother" once or twice, the context suggests a more figurative meaning (as in close friend) than a literal one. This idea supported by one flashback scene where we see the two's first meeting; Connor has to introduce himself to Duncan by name. If the two were true brothers, shouldn't they know who the other is? (OK, maybe they were separated at birth, but no explanation is ever offered.)
Maybe I'm dwelling a bit too long on that point, but that's just about the only thing in _Endgame_ that commands any thought; the plot is your basic good guys versus bad bit. Duncan and Connor are Immortals, but that doesn't mean they are indestructible; Immortals can be killed by decapitation, and when one is killed, the slain's lifeforce is absorbed by his or her killer (called a "quickening"). The baddie that Duncan and Connor must do battle with Jacob Kell (Bruce Payne, criminally overacting), the Immortal whose father was responsible for the death of Connor's mother some four centuries ago. But as is standard issue for stories like this, Jacob--having well over 600 quickenings to his credit--is far more powerful than Duncan and Connor combined.
But this fairly simple story is muddled by the murky _Highlander_ mythos, which scripter Joel Soisson makes no effort to make accessible to non-cultists. There is some mumbo jumbo about the Watchers (who, as the name implies, watch Immortals); every now and again a character or two that perhaps would be recognizable to those familiar with the series pops up. So while non-fans can be superficially amused by director Douglas Aarniokoski's fast-paced assemblage of basic set pieces--a swordfight scene here, a gratuitous sex scene there--none of it really adds up to anything of worth.
_Highlander_ fans, of course, would argue otherwise. The film's numerous flashbacks, which show the heretofore unseen shared past of Connor and Duncan, should alone be enough to get them worked up, while the uninitiated will struggle to comprehend what the big deal is all about. _Highlander:_Endgame_ is a film made for the devotees, and I'm sure I speak for everyone else when I say that I am more than happy to simply let that select group have and keep it.
Michael Dequina twotrey@juno.com | jordan_host@sportsmail.com | mrbrown@iname.com Mr. Brown's Movie Site: http://www.moviereportsite.com CinemaReview Magazine: http://www.CinemaReview.com on ICQ: #25289934 | on AOL Instant Messenger: MrBrown23
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews