The first "Highlander" was a masterpiece, probably the smartest sci-fi film since "Star Wars."
Then came "Highlander II: The Quickening," which is regarded as the "Plan 9" of the 90's, though taken not too seriously, it was pretty good.
"Highlander: The Gathering" came next, a film made from splicing two episodes of the tv show together and releasing them as a full motion picture. It was a good effort, emphasizing on some new characters.
Now we have "Highlander: The Final Dimension," the latest installment in the "Highlander" film saga. It is truly a disappointment. I was really looking forward to this, since it was supposed to be a direct sequel to the first film. But instead, it's just plain disappointing. It doesn't even try to explain the movies' connection to the tv show, and it's basically a remake of the first film. Even the villain is a carbon-copy.
Christopher Lambert tries hard, but the plot is just too flimsy for anyone to take this seriously. The mentor characters are also dissapointing. "Highlander 1 and 2" had Sean Connery teaching Lambert, and his character was great. "The Gathering" had Lambert himself teaching a new guy, Adrian Paul. But the mentor in "Final Dimension" is played by Mako. He's a decent actor, but the character doesn't hold a candle to Connery or Lambert, and in a film about mentors and their students, he should have.
Beautiful Scottish footage (in the film's best scenes) and well-choreographed sword-fights can't save this from being disappointing. ** out of *****.
Then came "Highlander II: The Quickening," which is regarded as the "Plan 9" of the 90's, though taken not too seriously, it was pretty good.
"Highlander: The Gathering" came next, a film made from splicing two episodes of the tv show together and releasing them as a full motion picture. It was a good effort, emphasizing on some new characters.
Now we have "Highlander: The Final Dimension," the latest installment in the "Highlander" film saga. It is truly a disappointment. I was really looking forward to this, since it was supposed to be a direct sequel to the first film. But instead, it's just plain disappointing. It doesn't even try to explain the movies' connection to the tv show, and it's basically a remake of the first film. Even the villain is a carbon-copy.
Christopher Lambert tries hard, but the plot is just too flimsy for anyone to take this seriously. The mentor characters are also dissapointing. "Highlander 1 and 2" had Sean Connery teaching Lambert, and his character was great. "The Gathering" had Lambert himself teaching a new guy, Adrian Paul. But the mentor in "Final Dimension" is played by Mako. He's a decent actor, but the character doesn't hold a candle to Connery or Lambert, and in a film about mentors and their students, he should have.
Beautiful Scottish footage (in the film's best scenes) and well-choreographed sword-fights can't save this from being disappointing. ** out of *****.