Highlander: Final Dimension

Christopher Lambert returns as Scottish swordsman Connor MacLeod, this time battling an ancient warrior with sorcerous powers who's been unleashed after being buried in a mountain and is terrorizing modern-day New York. Wild special effects and expert fight sequences are featured; Deborah Unger co-stars. 99 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English.

One must assume that Christopher Lambert signed a contract forcing him to make this second sequel to the 1986 cult film Highlander. Unless he was paid an enormous amount of money, there is no explanation for his appearance in this abysmal movie. The original feature, which was graced with the presence of Sean Connery, was a critical yawn but attracted a cult following on the strength of its supernatural story line. An overproduced and muddled sequel followed, as well as a syndicated TV series and a video flick spliced together from the series. One would think audiences had had enough of this clansman who can die only if decapitated. This installment begins 400 years ago, when Lambert is in Japan perfecting his swordsmanship with the aid of another immortal, a wizard who soon loses his head to a scenery-chewing Mario Van Peebles. The ebb and flow of warring energies cause the wizard's cave to close in on itself, sealing the evil Peebles inside a mountain for four centuries. Flash to the present: Peebles escapes his rocky prison and immediately goes in search of the lethargic Lambert. Though shot on location in Canada, France, Morocco, and Scotland, this has all the production value of a student film. Under the helm of music-video director Andy Morahan, the movie is jumpy and jumbled, leaping from one ridiculous scene to another. --Rochelle O'Gorman