Highlander: The Source (2007)

Duncan MacLeod and his fellow Immortals quest to locate the Grail of their world.

Director:

Brett Leonard

Writers:

Stephen Kelvin Watkins (screenplay), Mark Bradley (screenplay)

Stars:

Adrian Paul, Thekla Reuten, Cristian Solimeno

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adrian Paul	...	Duncan MacLeod
Thekla Reuten	...	Anna Teshemka
Cristian Solimeno	...	The Guardian
Peter Wingfield	...	Methos
Jim Byrnes	...	Joe Dawson
Stephen Rahman Hughes	...	Zai Jie
Stephen Wight	...	Reggie Weller
Thom Fell	...	Cardinal Giovanni
Patrice Naiambana	...	The Elder
Sakalas Uzdavinys	...	Security Guard
Laurynas Jurgelis	...	Boy in Stadium
Geoffrey T. Bersey	...	Brother Radu (as Geofry Bersey)
Antanas Surgailis	...	Monk 1
Leonas Ciunis	...	Monk 2
Rolandas Boravskis	...	Jurgis

Storyline

The world is falling into chaos. As he roams a crumbling city, Duncan MacLeod, the Highlander, remembers happier times before the love of his life left... Hopeless and alone, MacLeod finds his way to a band of immortal companions, including his mysterious friend Methos, and a mortal, Watcher Joe Dawson. Together this small group sets out on a quest to find the origin of the first Immortal and The Source of their immortality.

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Plot Keywords:

immortal | quest | love | chaos | immortality | 

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Taglines:

The Quest for Mortality Begins.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Davis.Panzer Productions Official site

Country:

UK Lithuania

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 August 2007 (UK)

Also Known As:

Highlander 5

Filming Locations:

Kaunas, Lithuania

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Davis-Panzer Productions, HandMade Films, IAC Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min 99 min (DVD) 94 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joel Soisson's version of the script featured Duncan MacLeod living in a gas station in the middle of the desert, next to a run-down airplane. Also in the script, MacLeod smoked, wore cowboy boots and a hat, and had a pet monkey named Connor.

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Goofs

The Elder says that as the immortals get closer to the Source, they will grow weaker and lose their immortality. However, when Duncan reaches the Source, he suddenly gains super-speed. This is even dumber because the Guardian flat-out states that the Source is filling him with energy.

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Quotes

The Guardian: I like you, MacLeod, MacLeod!
Duncan MacLeod: Enough of the bullshit, bullshit.

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Alternate Versions

Several cuts of the film existed prior to the US DVD release. The earliest version released officially in Russia (the "Moscow Cut") is the longest (in English with Russian subtitles), including many many scenes that were trimmed or re-scored for the US DVD release. A second cut released on Dutch DVD is much closer to the US cut. A third version exists that was shown on the Sci Fi Channel before the US DVD release, which had the profanity censored.

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Connections

Follows Highlander: The Raven (1998)

User Reviews

A Bitter Disappointment.

"Highlander: The Source" is to "Highlander: Endgame" what "Highlander II" is to "Highlander".

I really liked "Endgame", I thought it was a good way to continue the story set by the TV Series and Adrian Paul proved a more than worthy successor to Christopher Lambert. However, "The Source", which has been in the vaults of Lionsgate since late 2006 is a bitter disappointment.

The first cut of the film has been released on DVD in Russia. I ordered a copy from XploitedCinema.com (a great website, BTW) and watched it last night.

Initial fears were realised when it was revealed that the film was set "In The Near Future", which stirred up bad memories of "Highlander II". The premise of the movie and the motivation of the characters is poorly explained and the execution is rushed, which is very disorientating for the viewer. However, I will try to sum up the plot as succinctly as I can.

A group of Immortals, led by Methos (Peter Wingfield) are trying to locate and verify the existence of The Source, which is believed to be the origins of the Immortals. Methos is reluctant to involve his former good friend, Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul), but is forced to when Duncan encounters The Guardian, the Immortal Anti-Christ, while searching for his ex-wife, Anna, who is somehow drawn to The Source.

The Source, good. The Guardian, bad. Got it? Speaking of The Guardian being bad, it's really hard to fear a villain when they talk in a funny voice and act like a complete tool.

The Director, Brett Leonard, overuses trendy editing techniques that modern filmmakers are so eager to apply, giving it a "music video" style, essentially making the direction seem trite and cheap.

The sad thing is that this film has/had potential. While I'm glad to hear that it is currently being re-edited before a general release, I fear that without some re-filming, which I believe is not happening, certain flaws can never be rectified.

Overall, "Highlander: The Source" is a great disappointment, especially to a fan of the Movies and the TV Series.