Many questions crop up during the 85 minutes that is “Highlander: Endgame.” For instance: “What’s going on here?” “Didn’t he die in the first movie?” “How does a movie so awful receive theatrical release?” And, “What the hell are those people doing three rows back?”
To make a short story shorter, the two immortal MacLeod brothers, Connor(Christopher “direct-to-video” Lambert) and Duncan (Adrian “direct-to-7-Eleven” Paul) team up to fight power-hungry “Highlander” wanna-be, the evil Kell (Bruce Payne).
Connor is seeking vengeance for the death of his mother at Kell’s hands. Duncan must assist Connor because Kell’s demise can only occur at the hands of both brothers. According to “Highlander” lore, “there can only be one.” But if that’s the case, why do they keep making sequels?
The other villains are of the standard ragdoll henchmen variety. Some of the contending creeps drive motorcycles, dress punkish; draped in bones and chains. They look like rejected extras from the set of “The Hills Have Eyes.”
Director Douglas Aarniokoski finds all his delight in the “Highlander” trademark act of beheadings. It’s all gory and no story. Having his head in the MacLeods, he has little time for character development.
After viewing “Highlander: Endgame,” it’s obvious that Aarniokoski has no idea how to make a film. His crosscutting between time and place is so reckless and constant it results in film jet lag. Is there an answer to why this film is so confusing? Personally, I can only come up with the following theory. The film’s editor has a vendetta against the director. So, he sabotages the original print, places all the reels in a hat and presents them in the order in which he draws them out. Unbeknown to the director, this version is released nationwide to audiences.
The only reason why this film earns one-half of a star instead of zero is due to some unintended laughs. It’s funny to see what passes as acting in this movie. There’s also a closing moment in which a character “quickens” (a sort of victorious channeling of energy in which an actor is surrounded by cheap-looking special effects) that is unintentionally hilarious.
Amidst all the unanswerable in the leading contender for worst film of the year (and this time I mean it), there is one bit of dialogue with congruity — as a character makes his introduction early on, delivering the foreboding line: “Welcome to your worst nightmare.”
