# Highlander: Endgame (2000)

### reviewed by
John Beachem

    HIGHLANDER: END GAME

    Review by John Beachem

    * * *

Directed by: Douglas Aarniokoski Written by: Gillian Horvath, William Panzer, Joel Soisson

Let me warn you, this plot summary is only going to make sense to those of you who have seen the television show. An immortal has broken the rules of the game. Jacob Kell (Bruce Payne), considered by the watchers council to be the most dangerous immortal alive, has killed on holy ground. Now Kell is out to destroy the life of Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), the man who killed his father centuries before. Kell's next target is Duncan Macleod (Adrian Paul), Connor's best friend and kinsman. Kell leads a group of immortals into battle (another rule which he broke), and one of them is Duncan's ex-wife from two centuries prior. His wife, Faith (Lisa Barbuscia), hates Duncan for having turned her into an immortal. She helps Kell because, as she says, he's the only person she's met who is capable of the level of hate she feels. Now Connor and Duncan have to find a way to stop the most powerful immortal alive, before he wins the game and the prize. Yet Connor knows that neither one of them is good enough to beat Kell on his own.

"Highlander: End Game" is one of those movies directed entirely at those who faithfully followed the television series. If you've never seen the series, you're in for a bumpy ride. In fact, if you've never seen the series, I'd recommend avoiding this movie. You're not going to know who the watchers are, or that there are now hundreds of immortals, or even who Duncan MacLeod is. Okay, that warning out of the way, the rest of this review is directed at those of you who have at least seen the television show once. I'm sorry to say that "Highlander: End Game" plays as nothing more than a slightly longer episode of the series. The effects are no more impressive, there have been no great changes in the characters of the series, and the production values are only slightly above those used in the show. Am I saying it has no features to elevate it up the show? That's exactly what I'm saying. If you've seen the show, you've seen the movie. If you enjoyed the show, you'll most likely enjoy the movie.

Christopher Lambert may have found some success in the first "Highlander" film, but that was back in 1986. Does anyone wonder why he hasn't found much work since then? If you've seen any of his performances, you wouldn't wonder. Lambert continues to display this lack of talent in "Highlander: End Game", shamelessly overacting at every turn. Adrian Paul is another story. While people may not know him from much besides the "Highlander" television series, the man is not an untalented actor. It's unfortunate that the dialogue in "Highlander: End Game" doesn't give him the chance to display his full acting ability. There are only two other important performances in the movie, and neither is much worth noting, but I'm going to note them anyway (I'm irritating like that). Bruce Payne ("Warlock III") plays the chief villain in such a gratingly over the top way, it will make your teeth hurt just listening to him. Lisa Barbuscia ("Almost Heroes") isn't quite that annoying as MacLeod's ex-wife, but she can't play the role requested of her. Faith is supposed to hate MacLeod with every fiber of her being, but we get the impression she just finds him vaguely annoying. Fans of the television series will be happy to see Jim Byrnes and Peter Wingfield make appearances as Joe Dawson and Methos, respectively. They'll be unhappy to see that the two fan favorites have about ten minutes of screen time between them.

The sad fact of the matter is, "Highlander: End Game" never should have made it to the big screen. As a direct-to-video release or a made for tv movie, the film would have worked quite well. Say what you will about "Highlander 2" (and don't get me wrong, it deserves all your slander and then some), but at least it had the production values of a big studio release. As a major motion picture, there are simply too many points against "Highlander: End Game". The pacing is so poor you'd think a twelve year old had directed it; the dialogue is bad, bordering on painful; the special effects could have been done on a home computer; and like the previous sequels, this one just doesn't fit in with the "Highlander" timeline. I've actually got a theory about that - I think each "Highlander" movie is supposed to be an alternate timeline. If you think about it, that's the only thing that makes sense since each film destroys the entire mythos of the film or films preceding it. I suppose there never should have been a sequel to begin with, since if ever there was a film that didn't leave room for a sequel it was the first "Highlander".

Now that I've stomped yet another film into the ground, I should probably point out some of the movie's good aspects. The fight choreography (at least in one scene) is really quite impressive. The character involved in that scene, played by Donnie Yen ("Iron Monkey"), could have been a very interesting character, but he is never developed . The soundtrack is quite nice, being a lovely mixture of classical and Scottish music. However, I was surprised to find that the traditional "Highlander" theme song by Queen is missing. I have one quick, last question to all you "Highlander" fans out there. How strong is the rule which says immortals cannot fight on holy ground? I always took this more as a law than a rule, and if an immortal broke it something horrible would happen to them. Yet the rule is thrown right out the window in this latest film. "Highlander: End Game" runs a quick 88 minutes. I'd recommend it to die-hard fans of the television series, though even they might find the poor production values a bit irritating. I give the movie three out of five stars.

Comments? Send to: johnbeachem@dependentfilms.net

Past reviews can be found at: http://www.epinions.com/user-elerad?public=yes or http://us.imdb.com/ReviewsBy?John+Beachem

* * * * * - One of the best movies of the year. * * * * - Great flick, try and catch this one. * * * - Okay movie, hits and misses. * * - Pretty bad, see it at your own risk. * - See this one only if you enjoy pain.

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