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Highlander: The Source | 
 enlarge | Director: Brett Leonard
Actors: Adrian Paul, Thekla Reuten, Cristian Solimeno, Peter Wingfield, Jim Byrnes
Studio: Lions Gate
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy Used: $3.44
You Save: $16.54 (83%)
New (51) Used (51) from $3.44
Rating:  85 reviews
Sales Rank: 8420
Format: Ac-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 86 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.7
MPN: LGED21789D
UPC: 031398217893
EAN: 0031398217893
ASIN: B0010YVCAM
Theatrical Release Date: 2006
Release Date: February 26, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Seeking the origins of their immortality the last band of eternal warriors led by highlander embark on a dangerous quest to find the source in this thrilling new chapter of the legendary saga. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 09/09/2008 Run time: 86 minutes Rating: R
Amazon.com
With spinoffs including live action and animated films and television series, comic books, and more, the Highlander franchise has yielded its fair share of noble moments over the years, starting with the original film in 1986. But while Highlander 5: The Source has some cool special effects work and enough video game violence to enthrall adolescent boys, longtime fans agree that this made-for-TV flick is, to put it mildly, no Oscar contender. Adrian Paul, reprising the role he played in Highlander: Endgame (2000) and the Highlander TV series, is Duncan MacLeod, the ageless Scotsman hailing from the 16th Century. The storyline isn't easy to decipher, but it has to do with the imminent cosmic alignment of the planets and other celestial bodies, which will lead to "the moment of the Source," wherein lies the secret to the origin of MacLeod and his crew's immortality. (A note about the film's tagline, "The quest for mortality begins": Seems that being immortal ain't all it's cracked up to be; not only can these guys die, but they are unable to breed, which is a big problem for Duncan and his mortal girlfriend, hence his plan to locate the Source and become, you know, a regular dude.) This is generic comic book stuff, taking place in a crumbling, Road Warrior-esque world populated by characters with names like The Elder, The Guardian, The Watchers, and The Ancient One. The script, by Stephen Kelvin Watkins and Mark Bradley, is fraught with big, portentous statements, while director Brett Leonard seems more interested in staging the next fight sequence than giving us a clue as to what's actually going on. If this is the end of the Highlander story, and many seem to think it will be, fans had every right to hope for a more dignified death knell than The Source. --Sam Graham
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| Customer Reviews: Read 80 more reviews...
 Long time Highlander fan November 18, 2008
W. Birch (Weston, Florida USA)
I am a long time fan of the Highlander - the movies and the series. This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It was cheaply and poorly made and the story line and special effects were TERRIBLE. I think they must have done it because they couldn't get jobs after the series ended. It was a huge disappointment.
Highlander - The Source - How To Kill A Franchise November 13, 2008
Mark (East Coast)
Highlander: The Source is probably going to be studied in film business master's degree programs eventually. Here they had a movie franchise of very loyal fans that would have watched almost anything with the name *Highlander* attached to it. Somehow, they managed to destroy that. This movie might very well be the guide to how to destroy a movie cash-cow.
Since most of the people who have watched the last quartet of Highlander sequels are hardcore fans, it's no surprise that that's mostly who sought out the latest sequel. And they decided, after a half dozen movies, to apparently target this movie towards people who know nothing about the Highlander story. I liked the first Highlander but I am more of a casual fan. Regardless, I can see where hard-core fans are coming from with their low ratings.
Recounting the plot is almost a complete waste of time. Like all Highlander movies, the various immortals are in factions battling it out to be *the one*. There are also some added story elements that involve the universe shifting for the ultimate showdown. The story attempts to weave all the sub-plots of the prior movies and tie them all into the conclusion of the movie.
Part of the intrigue with the original movie was the mystery and magic surrounding the premise. After all it is a fantasy movie, albeit one with a deeper premise than others. Explaining why and how there are immortals and why they battle each other for power is a hard sell. Leaving some of those things unsaid allowed fans to *fill in the blanks*.
Still, here not only have they decided to repeat lots of the back-story, to the point of nausea, they also decided that it was necessary to explain ALL the mysteries of the series and tie them in a neat little bow.
Overall they alienate core fans with this technique in two ways. First of all, many of the details of the series seem to be contradicted by some of what is done to conclude this movie. And second of all, all of the joy and mystery of the franchise has been eliminated by an oversimplified ending. But even still, getting there is not enjoyable because the dialogue and plot development are sub-par.
Another thing that makes this movie difficult to swallow are special effects that can only be described as lacking. In fact, some of the make-up and costumes make some of these characters look more comical than immortal. One of the characters (if you watch it, see if you can guess which one) looks as if he is wearing some kind of cheap wig.
Like I said, I liked the first Highlander, but wasn't a religious follower of all the sequels. The whole "There can be only one" theme seems to contradict the idea of six sequels to me. Still, some of those follow-up movies weren't bad, even with new actors and other changes. But this one almost feels like a completely different group of people were involved at every step of the process.
Conclusion
If you know nothing about Highlander or the back story and just want something to kill two hours with, this movie might satisfy your needs for mindless entertainment. Those who are looking for unintended humor might find something to like here too, though it's not universally bad start to finish.
If you are demanding and picky with sci-fi or fantasy movies and frequently notice when mistakes make it harder for you to accept the fantasy, you will probably want to avoid this. And if you are a die-hard fan of the Highlander series, you definitely want to avoid this one. Though it might be tempting to see it, it will only upset you.
Avoid.
What Were They Thinking? So Very Bad! November 1, 2008
CFH (Blue Ridge Summit, PA USA)
I am a huge Highlander fan and was very happy "Highlander: The Source" came out to bring closure to the movies and various series. All I can say is, what a disapointment. This movie deviates in almost every important way from everything that was good about Highlander.
Put this in the same pile as the second Highlander movie, and pretend it doesn't exist.
NOT RECCOMMENDED!
 DVD Highlander The Source September 7, 2008
Debbie (USA)
Thank you for having this dvd on hand. Now I have all 6 of the Hightlander movies. Fast shipper also. Again Thanks
 Very strange... August 14, 2008
Mad Max (Seattle, WA USA)
Sometimes I just wonder what the heck is going through the minds of some writers, directors, and producers.
This most recent installment of Highlander is so very odd. It added a few cool new elements to the Highlander mythology, including two new immortals who are completely outside the "game", some additional background, and a slightly futuristic spin. There were a few good special effects (and a lot of awful special effects). Some of the action sequences were pretty decent, others were awful.
Yet, after watching it, I still don't have any idea what the h*ll the movie was about. Truly bizarre.
To answer a common question, Adrian Paul stars in this installment, but Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery had the good sense to stay away from this one. Peter Wingfield, however, is an accomplished actor, and did a decent job here as an addition to the Highlander cast.
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