Highlander: The Final Dimension
(aka Highlander III: The Sorcerer)
There can be only one...decent sequel

"Throughout time they have hunted each other fulfilling the prophecy, that there can be only one."

out of


The Highlander world has always been interesting to me. It's one of the few "fan-based" fantasy series where die-hards sit around arguing, not about which one's the best, but which is the worst. The best is obvious. And so it comes down to this question - Which is the worst Highlander film? There can be only one...answer in my opinion (sorry, I had to do that). Part 3. Sure, this flick attempts to make up for the second, no longer saying the immortals are from outer space (what the hell was that, anyway?) But the ultra-cheap production values and lack of a decent screenplay make this a cheesy turd sandwhich.

The following is more of a list of complaints than actual review.

It seems each Highlander sequel jumps around from past to present - but THIS IS RIDICULOUS. Turns out that Connor McCloud (again portrayed by Christopher "heh" Lambert) studied Chinese sword techniques in the cave of Nero. Meanwhile, Kane (a very Oriental-sounding name), an angry Chinese warlord (played by noticeably African-American Mario Van Peebles) is destroying local villages. Anyway, Conner's trainer, Nakano (played by Mako!) is an immortal as well. Kane kills Nakano, is trapped in a cave for four hundred years and Connor escapes.

Fast forward four hundred years. Well, Kane finally decides to escape from the cave and head to New York City. Somehow, he KNOWS ENGLISH and HAILS A CAB. I enjoyed the part where Kane, who's been buried in a cave for hundreds of years, is DRIVING.

Moving on. There are a few decent sword fights - and Deborah Kara Unger is an oddly compelling/attractive love interest for Connor - but COME ON! There's no plot at all. In one particular scene, Conner stands on a mountain in Scotland. Out of the blue, Kara Unger shows up and Conner responds "I come from here, heh". Kara Unger's left to say, "I know". What the? HOW DID SHE FIND HIM THERE? Out of all the mountains in Scotland? And if she's there, she knows this already. DUH! I love the Highlander universe.

The low point: I'm embarrased to say that I actually enjoyed this cheese and hope there's a fifth!

The high point: This film makes a great drinking game. Every time Lambert mutters "heh", take a shot. You'll be drunk in no time.

The bottotm line: Rent it if you're a fan of the Highlander series. In the realm of fantasy films, you could do worse (Beastmaster 3, anyone?).
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