Highlander: Endgame

This could have been easily renamed Highlander: Generations. This is the Highlander franchise's attempt to turn it over to a younger cast. Much like Star Trek: Generations, the baton got dropped a few times in the handover.

This is a series about unaging immortals. As such it was inevitable that Christopher Lambert would be shown the door. There just isn't enough makeup to make him look as young as he did in the earlier movies. Thus the baton is handed... make that fumbled, to Adrian Paul, star of the fairly popular Highlander TV series.

I come at this review from the unique perspective of having read a copy of the script in advance. With that in mind I have one question. What the hell happened? The basic plotline remains intact from that script, along with some of the scenes and dialogue but in general this is far from the same movie as laid out in that script. With one exception the changes were not for the better.

The script had an easy going pace similar to the original film. It took the time to set up scenes and introduce characters. I'm guessing that huge amounts of the footage shot hit the editing room floor at Dimension. This version clocks in at a very brisk 87 minutes. Instead of taking the time to develop the story and characters it has an almost hyperkinetic pace. Someone should cut off the editors' coffee supply because these people are getting way too much caffeine. In the early moments of the film I actually kept thinking "Woah, slow down!" My advice to the editors is pick up a copy of Chinatown and watch it carefully before tackling another movie.

The plot was rather severely cut down. I have never actually watched the TV series so I am only vaguely aware of the Duncan Macleod character. None of the other characters or orginizations in the series mean anything to me. In the script I had no problem following along. It provided brief explanations to each character so that I knew who they were. None of that made it to the final film. Methos, Jack, the Watchers? Who are these people? The movie provides no explanation to neophytes. That means this movie is for the fans of the series alone. Little to no effort is made to invite outsiders in to this party.

The movie's villain is a prime example of how badly this movie was edited together. In the script his identity is carefully masked until fairly late in the story. Because of that there is a real impact to his identity and his vendetta against Connor. The movie on the other hand makes it almost immediately clear who he is. It was as if it was decided that by hiding his face instead of his identity it would mean the same thing. It doesn't matter that we don't see his face because the way he appears in a scene makes it obvious who he is. Further more, many of his best lines and speeches were cut. As a result he has no weight and comes off as yet another cartoon villain. Somebody please explain to me the brief scene where he plays the harmonica. What was that supposed to be?

The saving grace of this movie is its swordfights. In particular one that involves Adrian Paul and Donnie Yen. Clearly these are talented men and they put on a good show. It would have been even better if the camera had pulled back to allow them to show off their skills.

Unlike Star Trek: Generations, this movie managed to send on its central figure with a degree of dignity. Connor exits on his own terms, manipulating an opponent to the very last.

My basic impression of the script was that it would make a solid movie with a weak ending. In the end they fixed my gripe with the ending but managed to erode the rest of the story at the same time. The end result is a movie that will probably satisfy Highlander fans but do little to expand interest in the franchise. On the bright side it is a superior film to the first two sequels. I still have to wonder about the trailer though. It showed things that were neither in the script or the final product. I'd be curious to find out why those scenes were added and then removed.

If you're a fan of the series you'll probably enjoy the movie. If you're unfamiliar with Highlander in general you'll probably find the whole thing too confusing to enjoy. Personally I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed. Much of the script's promise simply never made it to the final product.

- John Shea