Official Synopsis:
Immortals, they have secretly dwelt among us for thousands of years but their origins have been shrouded in mystery. The answers, Prophets say, are to be found in The Source. The last band of eternal warriors, lead by Duncan MacLeod, the Highlander, have set out on a treacherous quest to find the origin of their immortality. But to learn the truth, they must first defeat The Guardian of the Source, a powerful killer who will destroy all who seek its secrets.

  
Our Take:
I’ve stuck by the Highlander saga through thick and thin over the years (Heck, I saw the abysmal Highlander 2 in theaters), but it’s been through so may ups and downs in that time that it’s hard to really call myself a true fan anymore. The original movie is still one of my favorite films, but there’s a lot of bad that followed it. I always enjoyed the TV show when it was on, but I never watched it regularly. With Highlander: The Source, I was excited to see a film that I thought could either bring a nice conclusion to the saga or relaunch it in an all-new direction.

To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure what the movie ended up doing. It’s such an incomprehensible mess that I don’t know if even the most obsessive Highlander fan could follow the “plot.” There are two really good action sequences and some nice character moments between Duncan MacLeod and his wife, but the rest of the film is completely disjointed. It takes place in a dystopic future (and didn’t we learn our lesson about that from Highlander 2?) and it’s so dark and disturbing that it actually plays out almost like a horror film. You’ve got cannibals, bloody beheadings, albino immortals and a demonic bad guy; if the tone was a little bit darker, you would have the first Highlander horror flick.

Speaking of tone, besides the darkness of it, the film fails to capture the feel of the series at all. Where are the period-era flashbacks? Where’s the humor? Why is Duncan MacLeod so incredibly pissed off that he’s almost unlikable? And why did the producers think it was a good idea to bring back a beloved character from the TV series only to see them killed?

Highlander: The Source comes to DVD with some extra features that are actually better than the film itself:

* Highlander: The Process (81 minutes) – Described by the studio as a “mega-length behind-the-scenes documentary,” this in-depth making-of is a pretty good companion piece to the film.
* Storyboard to Scene Comparisons (6 minutes).
* Photo Gallery.
* Tribute to Bill Panzer (15 minutes) – A memorial for the creator and producer of the Highlander series.
* Highlander Video Game Sneak Peak.

Ultimately, Highlander: The Source isn’t the worst movie ever, and there are some fun swordfights and stuff for the Highlander die-hards, but the lack of period-era flashbacks coupled with Duncan MacLeod’s incredibly sour persona and the film’s dark tone will likely leave fans frustrated. I know I was.

Overall Picture:
Movie: C-
DVD: B

- Mike Spring
Editor