Deep Space Rumble HIGHLANDER THE SOURCE

Review of the movie HIGHLANDER: THE SOURCE. (2007)

As is frequently the case, the movie is not as strong as the TV series it was based on. The Highlander TV series is one of my favorites, and as such, I have a lot of time invested in watching and following the characters. A season of television shows provides the viewer with over twenty hours of story, and this series ran for six seasons; so Highlander fans can be said to be very familiar with the characters and the rules of the fantasy universe their characters live in, having invested over one hundred hours watching the show. The two hour movie format puts very different constraints on story telling than does a continuing episodic television series, and because of that often leaves the fans feeling cheated. It happened with Star Trek, with Mission Impossible. The curious difference is that Highlander started out as a decent motion picture and transitioned to a superior television series. It was not so successful making the jump back to the big screen. And the reason is not because the crew making the movies had changed; they were the same people that made the series. I speculate that the cause has more to do with the pressure to make a knock-your-socks-off blockbuster are just too great for any creative team to surmount.

Now on to HIGHLANDER: THE SOURCE. This movie had been released months age in Russia and many fans have expressed their disappointment on this Russian version. The studio has claimed that this Russian version was not the final cut and that the fans should reserve judgment until it was released in the USA. I watched a recording a friend of mine made from the SciFi Channel with my expectations lowered. I was sometimes entertained by the film, although the criticisms were largely borne out. I tried very hard to like it, but the only good thing I can say is that it allowed me to see some of my favorite characters from the series in a new adventure. The movie has little to commend itself on its own merits. Only derogatory things come to mind when describing this movie. The opening sequences, which set up the story, are shot so dark that it is difficult to see anything. Only the dialog lets you know that things are happening. There are two gratuitous vehicle explosions; one is a BMW product placement SUV that explodes from a burning log falling on it. Duncan MacLeod seems to be in another funk from losing his latest woman, a victim of his idealized notion of love. He is not the strong victor he needs to be this late in the game. Duncan and Methos have had yet another, undepicted, falling out. I miss the old camaraderie they used to have. To pit them at odds with each other was a big mistake. I had envisioned them side-by-side at the end of time. In this film they are mere shadows of their former selves.

The TV series had several elements that defined it and kept me watching. The contrasts with the movie are striking.

(1) The TV series featured the immortals as people affected by their past, and demonstrated these past influences by showing us flashbacks of the characters in pivotal moments in their earlier lives.
The movie THE SOURCE does not have such flashbacks; other than some back story for the new character The Guardian, for whom we have no invested emotions.

(2) The TV series always provided worthy opponents for the featured characters.
THE SOURCE movie character The Guardian is whimsical in comparison, and seems to be a misguided attempt at comic relief in an otherwise brooding story. The big problem for the movie is that The Guardian is also supposed to be the chief antagonist, and having him prance and caper about like a court jester detracts from his ability to seem menacing.

(3) The TV series showcased the sword-fighting ability of Adrian Paul, whose grace and style with a katana was the highlight of the show for many viewers. Like the aria of an opera, Paul's swordfight was the climax of the performance. Adrian Paul is so good with a sword that on the show he frequently made even inexperienced co-actors look like sword fighting experts.
The movie has Adrian fighting only with long knives, in a rapid arm-waving manner that is foreign to his forte with the katana. And the final fight scene is depicted in a staccato visual style that obliterates all the fluid motions of the fighters.

(4) The TV series had a sort of simple formula: a) The rules of the game were inviolate; some heads were going to roll. b) Duncan MacLeod always tried to make things right; even when it was inconvenient and risked his own head. c) Methos was a bad guy gone good. d) We all make mistakes, and Duncan learns from his; and we get to see his past lessons in flashbacks. e) The forces of the universe are not capricious, but with a purpose are moving things to and end, and that end will be good. f) "There can be only one, let it be Duncan MacLeod" meant that Duncan would always rise to the occasion and not slip into being an irrelevant non-combatant.

(5) The TV series is fondly memorable.
The movie THE SOURCE is uncomfortably insignificant.

The movie THE SOURCE seems to have lost its way. The back story of the importance of The Source is incomprehensible. The fate of the world seems to hang on the back of an insane malevolent Guardian defending a sand trap lit by cosmic rays from the center of the galaxy. Then when Duncan refuses to take his head, supposedly the object of the quest, nothing catastrophic happens. It is like the whole premise for the movie has been invalidated within the confines of the movie itself.
The previous four movies did sort of put this latest, and presumedly last, Highlander installment in a bind. Highlander 2 made it look like the immortals are extraterrestrials; so they felt justified in incorporating planetary alignment into the story. Highlander 3 forced a post-apocalyptic setting on the sequels. But even with those constraints this latest did not have to break new ground and go even farther over the top than the others. The creators certainly knew that this was their last-hurrah. It would have been better to go out strong, ignore the failed movie predecessors, and return to the formula that made the TV series great. Instead they have left us with a parting shot of Highlander in disarray. Well at least we still have the TV series to remind us how good Highlander can be.
This was planned as the first installment on a new trilogy. If the next two are produced perhaps they will elevate THE SOURCE from its current state of confusion. We can only hope. There can be only one. Let it be Duncan MacLeod!