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Back in 1991, the producers of the original Highander movie, starring Christopher Lambert as immortal Scottish swordsman Connor MacLeod, were at a crossroads. They could leave well enough alone and simply try to capitalize -- to whatever extent possible back in those prEbay days of yore, when fanboys and -girls were still congregating face-to-face rather than digitally -- on having made a decent sword-and-sorcery epic that found a considerable cult following on video. Or they could make a sequel to a movie whose story seemed to leave not the slightest opening for continuation (unless they opted to head off in a completely different direction with something like Highlander vs. Godzilla, or Star Trek: The Wrath of Connor) and make some easy money.
Surely it will come as no shock that they took roughly the space of time equal to the life of an antideuteron, which in our universe is about 40 billionths of a second, to decide to go for the easy money. Thus were born two follow-ups most notable for providing film students everywhere with textbook examples of the lamest, cheesiest, sequels since Plan 10 from Outer Space.
But in the meantime a syndicated TV spinoff starring Adrian Paul as Connor’s kinsman Duncan spawned its own fandom, presenting fresh opportunity to bilk the faithful. Sure, it would require yet another rejiggering of the original’s seemingly airtight sensibilities, but Patrick Duffy came back to “Dallas” in the shower and blew off a whole season, so why not.
Highlander:Endgame discards almost everything from the first three movies except the basic notion of immortal warriors striving to behead each other. This time Lambert and Paul (by the way, here’s a little spoiler: if you want to know how it turns out, take note who gets top billing in the opening credits) team up to battle a powerful blond renegade immortal (as my buddy Bill, himself of Celtic blood and sympathies, noted, “They always pick the most un-Scottish people to play Scots.”) and his clanz-in-the-hood immortal gang for the future of humanity, or something. Lots of pretty word/swordplay ensues, freshly injected with Hong Kong hyperkinetics, while Connor and Duncan bounce around centuries and continents like a ginsu-swinging Bill & Ted. And it might have been marginally entertaining if it didn’t have to measure up to the original.
As to whether this is truly the saga’s final chapter, do you think anybody who would stoop to casting Mario Van Peebles in Highlander 3 would be beyond doing Highlander:The Tiebreaker? D+
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