“Highlander End Game” leaves impressive immortal impression

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Being immortal has got to suck. Killing another immortal by decapitating them
to gain their strength has got to suck even more. But what does not suck is how
these graphic images are brought to roaring life in “Highlander End Game.”
“End Game” promises to be the final installment of the ground-breaking
series, from which came the legendary line, “There can only be one.”
However, for die-hard fans of the movie series, it will not disappoint.
In this promised to be last chapter, newcomer director Douglas Aarnokoski teams
the icon of “Highlander” movies Christopher Lambert with the television
series star, Adrian Paul, as immortal members of the Scottish MacLeod clan. Together,
they battle the evil Jacob Kell (played devilishly by Bruce Payne) who has gained
the power of over 600 immortals by removing their heads from their bodies.
But, remember, in the game of “Highlander” there can only be immortal
fighting another. Rabid fans already know the outcome, but non fans will also
get a kick out of the encompassing story of immortality and the traumas those
who cannot die live with on a daily basis.
Even if you know the outcome of the fight, there are still more surprises to come
in the story that weaves through time, starting back in 16th century Scotland,
when Conner (Lambert) finds Duncan (Paul) on a bloody battlefield.
Lambert is starting to show some signs of aging. He is not the same chizzled-faced
actor he once was in 1985 for the first “Highlander.”
Like his mostly computer generated character in “Mortal Kombat,” the
immortal Lord Rayden, to the mortals fighting for the continuation of human survival,
he takes Conner MacLeod and makes himself a father figure to Duncan.
They train together throughout the centuries, live many lives together, but one
gets a sense that they both know someone will have to lose their life.
Paul makes the leap to the silver screen well. He shows he has true gift for martial
and dramatic arts, even when the script (written by William N. Panzer) tries too
hard to be melodramatic.
“Highlander End Game” is a movie that ignites the theater from the opening
sequence to the final fade to black.
With its complex story line and some times cheesy dialogue, “End Game”
proves again why this movie series will always be immortal.
It allows non fans to be embraced by immortality, something we’ve all felt
from time to time in our lives.
As Edge of the WWF might say, “It’s a totally electrifying experience
to see ‘Highlander End Game.’”
4/5 stars