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Highlander - Endgame

Highlander - Endgame

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $11.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: could of been better.
Review: This Could of been better, adrian paul is best on the series. but when it comes to a movie. that takes the cake. if this was in the series. he would of kicked his but long ago. and won the Endgame anyhow.
we all know that he is the only one.. best role model and lives his life good. I'm trying to live his way. I recommend. watch the series. is the best show Ever. he is the 1# person.
P.S I also have his original sword. is awesome....

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Unfulfilled potential, skip unless Highlander series fan
Review: I'm a fan of the Highlander series, and have also seen the original Highlander (the one with Connor and his mentor, played by Sean Connery). I did find this film enjoyable. However, the plot-line was difficult to understand, and much was left up to the viewer to piece together by himself.

The real problem with this movie is that it should never have released in the theatres, and should have been expanded into several prequel episodes for the Highlander Series. There are many interesting plot-lines here which are completely unexplored or dropped.

For example, the evil immortal, Jacob Kell, was apparently a mortal fanatic, who Connor killed after Kell had Connor's mother burned at the stake for heresy. Then, apparently, because whenever an immortal kills a mortal, he or she becomes an immortal, Jacob became and immortal. Apparently, Kell was after vengeance against Connor, because Connor killed Jacob's fanatic father (who was also responsible for having Connor's mother burned at the stake). Oh yea, there is an inconsistency there. How exactly did Jacob become and immortal, but not his father? Or was Jacob and immortal all along, but didn't know it? Just one of the many unexplained inconsistencies in this movie that you'd be not try to think about if you want to enjoy the film. All of this is up to the viewer to figure out. This is the main plot-line that drives the movie: Kell's desire to cruely avenge his mentor's death, by tormenting Connor, and then Duncan. He does this by killing everyone that they love (as Jacob Kell apparently cared for his menter, this was eye for an eye).

There are also some other plot-lines that could have been promising, but weren't developed fully. For example, Duncan's relationshiop with Kate Delaney. Kate is Duncan's long-lost lover, whom he killed to make immortal on their wedding eve. Shocked by his actions, and startled by her own immortality, Kate ran from Duncan, hating him for giving her no choice in the matter, though still loving him. She's now seeking revenge on him. ***Note: There are two versions of this movie. One of them has a happy ending for Kate and Duncan, the other does not...watch the longer one with a happy ending*** That's one sub-plot that was worthy of a much lengthier and more coherent treatment.

There's also the interesting sub-plot of the Methos (the oldest immortal, and unbeknownst to Duncan, probably one of the most deadly, and at one point one of the cruelest) and the Watchers was mentioned, but hardly given enough worthy treatment.

Now, if you want to enjoy this movie, you'll have to put logic aside a little bit. Each sequel to the first film completely negates the other sequels. Each sequel also partially negates the original, though leaving enough of it intact to be called a "sequel" (except for #2). This one is no different. It's probably the best sequel, and you'll have to look at it as a direct sequel to the first movie. In no way can it be logically viewed as a sequel to the 3rd installation of the franchise.

My general impression of this film is that people who aren't fans of the Highlander franchise already (both the original and the series) will not like it. They will be way too confused to extract any pleasure from watching this film. Fans of the original and the sequel will also be confused, but may be able to piece things together and enjoy it. This is a movie that could have been much better, but is still good enough to be enjoyable to fans.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The End Game
Review: Wow, I sad Dvd but great! There are a ton of flash backs in this movie of Connors past amd how his time as an immortial has really played out and how he meets Duncan. The turn of the event is at the start of the movie when Connor's Beloved daughter Rachel is killed in a fire and it makes Connor so sad he puts himself in a scared place so he can be taken out of the game this is a truly sad movie I hope the Highlander fans enjoy it

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The beheading is my favorite part of the whole movie
Review: Highlander endgame is a very good movie. actually it is my favorite movie. all the electricity flashing is really raw. i like the way the movie ended. The one that was killing all those immortals was a very smart person. And the one that killed an unarmed man should of killed the one guy when he had the chance because if he did he wouldnt have to die. i think it was stupid. honor or no honor he should of killed him.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Highlander fans hate it, too; wonder what that says.
Review: The Highlander series has always been catered to the fans, but even to them, this is as confusing as movies get. I'm hardly a follower of the series, but I have seen the movies (been a while since parts 2 and 3, memories of which don't serve me well at all) but I get the feeling watch those two wouldn't have made this any more comprehensible. As a matter of fact, doesn't each movie negate the one that came before it?

So what we have here is a tale of two immortals, Connor and Duncan MacLeod (Christopher Lambert and Adrian Paul), who apparently are out to stop an even more powerful and evil immortal (Bruce Payne) who holds a grudge against Connor. That's the basic premise, but getting into details would only be confusing, to me and whoever's reading this.

There are a LOT of subplots at work here, individual scenes that don't really seem to mesh with the main story, and if they do, they're never concluded satisfactorily. Example? How about when Connor is kept locked in a room with an iron mask covering his eyes; how exactly did he end up there and how did he even escape? What about those people who keep track of the immortal kills; who are they, how do they do it, and considering there are tons of rules these immortals have to follow in combat, how come these people never enforce the rules? For that matter, considering the evil Kell (the film's villain) isn't even following these rules, why shouldn't Connor and Duncan team up to take him down?

Those are only a few of the movie's numerous head-scratchers, suffice to say if this is the first and only Highlander movie you've seen, don't worry, I'm as every bit as confused as you are. The series never follows a singular mythology, which simply means if you watch the first film, each of the individual sequels plays as a follow-up to that film, and certainly not the one that came before it (i.e. part 2 sort of follows part 1, part 3 negates part 2 and follows part 1, part 4 negates part 3 and follows up to part 1).

But even that rule isn't completely sound. Even Highlander: The Quickening chose to negate much of what occurred in the first film, done in such blatant manners that you can't help but slap your forehead when you witness what a true mess this series became. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about; Connor and Ramirez are really from another planet called Zeist and they've known each other from then (which makes their "first" meeting in Scotland in the original film a headscratcher). I haven't even gotten to the fact that all these immortals are fighting to return to Zeist, even though they were banished there for being rebels (doesn't this mean they should all, I dunno, work together?) According to the Renegade version, immortals are from the past, which is still almost as mucked up.

But I digress, the point here is to review Endgame, and for what it is, it might please Highlander fans, if they prefer Paul to Lambert, as the former is the true star of the picture, and is highlighted in most of the action sequences. The action itself is relatively decent, the climactic swordfight could have been better filmed, but it's not like I was expecting a lot from the action in this movie in the first place.

When it comes to the series, I'm a casual open-minded viewer and what keeps me coming to each sequel is the hope that finally, someone will capitalize with the grand ideas at work. Instead, this quartet is mostly viewed as an embarrassment to sci-fi/fantasy/action filmmaking, an insult to lucid storytelling, and a spit in the face to those who enjoyed the first movie. I didn't absolutely hate Endgame, it's had enough watchable moments to keep my attention, but it's definitely a bad movie, and doesn't have the awe-inspiring kitsch value of The Quickening.

I have one more thing to complain about and that's the amount of effort put into marketing this picture. Obviously, Dimension films wanted to milk the series for all it was worth, but they actually gave us trailers that featured cool scenes that were never even meant to be in the film. Alternately, when we have a great sci-fi action film like Equilibrium left to die at the box office, I'm only further upset at what Dimension believes is or isn't worth marketing.
[one half out of five stars].

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: the first true sequel
Review: This is in my opinion the first true highlander sequel out there. We have a combination of the movie and the TV series and overall have a very entertaining movie.

The story is that Conner McCLoud (Lambert) decides to go into the immortal sanctuary after an immortal he once knew kills his adoptive daughter in a terrorist attack. Along with many other immortals it guarentees that the prize will never be claimed. However when an immortal goes Renegade and slays all of those in the sanctuary (except for Lambert) it is up to Conner and Duncan (Adrein Paul) to stop this mad man.

What makes this movie (as well as the TV series and other filsm) entertaining is that it not only packs sword and sorcery action, with a little bit of comedy (transfered from the series), add a little romaticism, with very good orchestrated music and you have one excelent movie.

The problem many will have is that it is a little cheesey. Because this is an adaptation from the TV series it also takes on some of the elements from that. However that is not a bad thing as this movie is very well made. Overall if you are a highlander fan, get this, if not still check it out. You never know you may enjoy it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Nothing to do with the other movies
Review: This one was not made to be a sequel, because they wanted everyone to understand the story and the legend well. It disturbs me that Christopher Lambert look so old in the movie, but he looks young on the cover. However, that doesnt make the movie bad. This was the first movie I saw Donnie Yen. His remarkable choregraphy of the martial arts scenes made me start watchng other of his movies, but in this one he only has a minor role. This is supposed to be the end of the highlander legend, which has been on forever it seems. all three sequels follows only the first one, not each other.

Best sword fighting scenes of all the movies, and the added martial arts gives another star. The only thing that I wonder about, is if Kate survived? in one version, she dies and in the other she survive. Whats the real truth?

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Great Idea, Poor Execution
Review: The concept: reunite Connor MacLeod of the original Highlander movie and television series pilot episode with the TV series icon Duncan MacLeod. Capitalize on both the popularity of the original film and the more fully-developed world of the television series. Pre-production rumors and the promise of a film to make up for Highlanders 2 and 3 made this a highly anticipated film for all Highlander fans.

The problem? The film simply doesn't execute on its idea at all. Understandably due to abrupt changes and budget cuts during production, the final product leaves much to be desired.

The opening scene, with its raid by machine-gun wielding immortals on a secret facility run by the mortal Watchers group, promises a thrill ride of big screen proportions. Soon we see the familiar faces of Duncan's watcher Joe and the oldest immortal of them all, Methos. The bad guys seem ready to break all the rules, from fighting on holy ground to teaming up against the good guys in forbidden 2- and 3-on-one fights. Most of the back story presented in flashbacks is good as well and does a decent job establishing the backgrounds and relationships of the main characters.

The door is opened for Duncan and his mentor Connor to unite in an epic battle to save the world from yet another K-named villian, yet that is where the movie falls flat. Being good guys, they apparently cannot break the rules and join forces, which leads to Connor challenging Duncan so that one or the other will gain the strength necessary to defeat their foe. The interesting cadre of villians is reduced to one following a basically unexplained slaughterfest by the chief bad guy--what a waste of great potential. It was as if the movie simply lopped off the heads of all its promising plotlines to reach an abrupt climax. And whatever happened to Joe & Methos? They simply vanish from the film as if the producers forgot to pay them to finish it out.

The DVD does offer a few interesting features, including an alternate ending that will leave TV-show fans scratching their head over Duncan's new love interest.

If you enjoyed the TV show, you will likely get something from this film, albeit more a feeling of a two-part TV movie snack than a proper cinematic feast. If you are a fan of the films (or even simply the first one--dislike of the others is rather excusable), then you won't enjoy this movie.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Highlander the series jumps to the big screen
Review: Highlander: Endgame is the fourth movie starring Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod, a centuries-old Scotsman who must regularly battle to the death with other immortals who seek the Prize, mystical powers granted to the one immortal left standing at the end of the Game. It's not a bad movie; in fact, it's actually pretty good. But it suffers from a convoluted history.

When the first movie came out in 1986, Connor was just discovering that he was immortal, that the only way he could ever die was if his head were to be removed from his body. The story was self-contained - Connor fought other immortals in swordplay, and in the end, won the Game and earned himself the prize. End of story. Except for the new immortals who showed up in Highlander: The Quickening, and then another batch in Highlander: Final Dimension, each time robbing him of the Prize and making him have to fight for it all over again.

None of the subsequent movies are as good as the original, including Highlander: Endgame, but the fourth and (hopefully) final installment is better than the two movies in the middle.

What did follow the original Highlander movie that was most worthy of praise was an excellent but short-lived television series that debuted in 1993. When Christopher Lambert turned down the series, the producers did something astounding - instead of recasting Connor MacLeod, they hired Adrian Paul to play Connor's slightly younger clansman, Duncan MacLeod, also an immortal regularly challenged for the Prize. Except for a brief appearance by Lambert in the pilot as Connor, the series focused solely on the exploits of Duncan, establishing a new Highlander legacy separate from the movie franchise. Unfortunately, Highlander the television series just sort of ended, without any real closure, and the storylines of Connor and Duncan never crossed paths again. Considering that the Game required all immortals to battle until only one immortal was left standing, the chapter in which Connor or Duncan would lose his head so the other could advance was never written. Until Highlander: Endgame.

Frankly, fans of the TV series would be the ones more interested in seeing this movie than would fans of the movie franchise. It plays out really like an expanded episode of the TV series than as one of the previous movies. Then again, each subsequent movie in the Highlander series seemed to completely ignore the ones that came before (i.e., Connor won the prize as the last immortal standing in the first movie, so how is it new immortals keep popping up?), and Highlander: Endgame is no exception. Without giving too much away about how this movie plays out, do know that the end of Highlander: Endgame completely negates the first Highlander movie (and the second and the third).

But it does stay true to the television series. For example, the Watchers - an organization of mortals who observe, track and record the exploits of the immortals but never interfere - were a critical element of much of the Highlander television series, and completely absent from the first three Highlander movies, but they are in Highlander: Endgame.

So what is this movie about? It seems an evil immortal has formed an alliance with other immortals to help him collect heads (with each immortal's head one removes, the more powerful you become), making him considerably stronger than any other immortal standing. Connor has disappeared as well, and when Duncan goes looking for him, he discovers that Connor and several other immortals have gone underground, hiding out, under the control of the Watchers. The thought is, the end of the Game looks inevitable, with the evil uber-immortal taking the Prize and ruling the mortal world with his new powers. But the sanctuary is compromised and the immortals slaughtered. Connor miraculously survives the slaughter, and it becomes apparent that the only way to defeat this evil force is for Duncan and Connor to join forces (and I do mean "join") for the one last showdown.

Like I said, if you are a fan of the Highlander movies, this one probably won't impress you. But if you are a fan of the Highlander series (which, lets be honest, was the real jewel in the Highlander crown), you'll want this one in your collection.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A review for the ladies.
Review: It was horrible, just horrible.

Let me put it this way... not even the scenes with Adrian Paul's naked butt could redeem the movie.

Yes, it was that bad.

Do not waste your money on this one. Just wait for it to come out on cable. It shouldn't be too long now.


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