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Highlander: The Source
R2 - United Kingdom - Momentum Pictures Review written by and copyright: Leigh Riding (21st February 2008). |
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The Film
 You know, it just doesn't pay to be a "Highlander" fan these days. Much like being a "The Crow" (1994) fan, you are graced with a first film that is a minor classic, with a huge and enduring cult fan base, but unfortunately these films are often backed by a phalanx of independent producers. Of course what then happens is, this gaggle of producers then tries to create a franchise, which sticks stubbornly to the laws of diminishing returns and increasingly muddled sequels, created by committee by a group of people who all have their own individual thoughts of what the films should be. And as the series goes on, we the audience realise that not a one of them ever knew what the original film was all about. Despite this, fan boys still insist on buying these patchwork knock-offs. So technically, it's all my fault. Sorry. "Highlander: The Source" is the prime example of this, the nadir of a once (and only once) great premise. For no discernable reason, this episode is set in a (presumably cheap to film in) Eastern Europe on the brink of apocalypse, and follows the Immortal's quest of being the 'Only One' and therefore winning 'The Prize', which judging by the fact that after 20 years and around half a dozen 'final' Immortal enemies, we can assume 'The Prize' has been lost in the post. Although this time around, there is also a previously unheard-of Source to chase, adding another unwanted thread to an already incoherent story. This is also being pursued by The Guardian (Cristian Solimeno), an overly stylised super villain who zips round the screen like a pasty Flash. Bizarrely, the film's main character, Duncan Macleod (Adrian Paul), is incredibly underdeveloped, and it is quite clear that the series is sorely missing Christopher Lambert, who was killed off a sequel ago. The script is far more concerned with a prominent but unexplained (in this film) group called 'The Watchers', a carry-over from the Paul-starring TV show, which is OK if every viewer has a working knowledge of a plotline that was axed a decade ago. The problems with this particular entry need well over a handful of fingers to count. Firstly the tone is so inconsistent, not only in the film itself, but in relation to the rest of the series. The biggest thing missing from this film is, ironically, the Immortal thread. There is NO sense of Macleod's history, and whoever had the idea to take the series-defining scenes from the past out of this episode just don't understand the franchise. Also, the villain is so out of context with the other films, that it no longer resembles Highlander. In fact, if it resembles anything, given the super-baddie and second half of the film, this is more "Mortal Kombat" (1995) with swords instead of kung fu. When it comes to the actual nuts and bolts of the film, there are so many schoolboy errors that this feels more like a fan film. It's hard to believe this was directed by Brett Leonard, who was helming visually accomplished studio projects only a handful of films ago. Aside from an admittedly impressive and lovely looking fight sequence at the beginning, the swordfights are both scandalously few and poorly put together, suggesting that Leonard just didn't get the coverage he needed for the editing room. Another problem is the huge shift in production values halfway through the film. The first half looks great, with great sets, model work and cinematography. Then all of a sudden, around halfway through it seems to swap to unlit, poor quality DV and shoddy camerawork, and never looks back. The film looks so disjointed it seems to be made entirely from stock footage. Of course, the film winds up open-ended, which means in a couple more years we will have another increasingly grainy Xerox of the original film, which I will no doubt be squinting at, lesson unlearned. Maybe there should only ever be one.
Video
The film is given a solid transfer, which is as much blessing as curse. The first half of the film really pop with colour, and looks very stylish, with the tower fight scene in particular being very LCD-friendly. However, the transfer also brings up the deficiencies of the more rough and ready section of the film and the drop in footage quality is jarring. Also the decision to crop the image from the OAR of 2.35:1 to the 1.78:1 offered here is crippling. Fight scenes feel terribly boxed in, which is the kiss of death for an action film.
Audio
A 5.1 mix is offered here, and it is apparent the full effort hasn't been put in here. The rears are sorely under-utilised, we get a criminal lack of bass (an early exploding tower block sounds underwhelming), and there is little effort put in to really get those swords ringing. A very unimaginative mix.
Extras
Momentum has included a featurette, the film's theatrical trailer and a bonus trailer as extras on this disc. Below is a closer look. A "Making of" featurette is present, and is fairly informative, moving from press conferences announcements, through principal photography, but not really getting into post production, apparently quite a tough time for this film, and potentially the more interesting subject. Never mind, we still have the great sight of star Adrian Paul not being able to look the audience in the eye as he tries to promote the film at a convention conference. Also, aside from the theatrical trailer, we get a bonus trailer for "Highlander: The Game", so it's nice to see the producers are now raping the "Highlander" name in multiple mediums.
Overall
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