Promo: Highlander: The Watcher
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fandom5k, I should probably promo this here. Highlander: The Watcher is a fan made movie set in the world of Highlander: the Series, featuring original characters. It was made and distributed with the permission of Davis/Panzer, making it more-or-less canon (to the same extent that anything is canon in HL, IMO).
4 stars
This is a fan made movie that has official sanction to fit within the Highlander universe. It’s also set within the TV series universe, so if you’re expecting more Connor MacLeod, you’re going to be disappointed.
Because it’s fan made, it’s lower budget than the other movies and that does show, especially in the special effects, but also in the other ways one should expect. However, considering “The Source” was an official movie done on a Hollywood budget and managed to be a complete disaster, “The Watcher” only goes to prove that budget isn’t the most important part of telling a good story.
What really struck me about the movie is that it really is fan made. The people involved in this project love Highlander and it shows. I’ve seen far too many fan productions (and official remakes) that seem to be more interested in thumbing their metaphorical noses at the source material than in celebrating it, that are trying to take the source material and “do it right” without seeming to understand that same material. The actual story is fairly typical; I know I’ve read many versions of it in the fanfic world. What makes this one work is the respect the participants show to the source material. There are frequent nods to the TV canon, but without any sense of oneupmanship. The mythology is applied without any self-conciousness or apology. And there’s just enough world-building to keep the story from being nothing but a rehash. All-in-all, it’s a fun movie. I’ve already watched it twice in full and plan to see it again.
One caution: the violence is more explicit than in either the other movies or the TV shows. The decapitations and healing from extreme injuries are directly shown, which took me by surprise since I’m used to them being mostly off-screen. I’m still undecided on whether that directness adds anything to the story.
I am happy to consider “The Watcher” as a component in the Highlander canon, and I hope the people involved will find their way to continuing David’s story.
fandom5k, I should probably promo this here. Highlander: The Watcher is a fan made movie set in the world of Highlander: the Series, featuring original characters. It was made and distributed with the permission of Davis/Panzer, making it more-or-less canon (to the same extent that anything is canon in HL, IMO).4 stars
This is a fan made movie that has official sanction to fit within the Highlander universe. It’s also set within the TV series universe, so if you’re expecting more Connor MacLeod, you’re going to be disappointed.
Because it’s fan made, it’s lower budget than the other movies and that does show, especially in the special effects, but also in the other ways one should expect. However, considering “The Source” was an official movie done on a Hollywood budget and managed to be a complete disaster, “The Watcher” only goes to prove that budget isn’t the most important part of telling a good story.
What really struck me about the movie is that it really is fan made. The people involved in this project love Highlander and it shows. I’ve seen far too many fan productions (and official remakes) that seem to be more interested in thumbing their metaphorical noses at the source material than in celebrating it, that are trying to take the source material and “do it right” without seeming to understand that same material. The actual story is fairly typical; I know I’ve read many versions of it in the fanfic world. What makes this one work is the respect the participants show to the source material. There are frequent nods to the TV canon, but without any sense of oneupmanship. The mythology is applied without any self-conciousness or apology. And there’s just enough world-building to keep the story from being nothing but a rehash. All-in-all, it’s a fun movie. I’ve already watched it twice in full and plan to see it again.
One caution: the violence is more explicit than in either the other movies or the TV shows. The decapitations and healing from extreme injuries are directly shown, which took me by surprise since I’m used to them being mostly off-screen. I’m still undecided on whether that directness adds anything to the story.
I am happy to consider “The Watcher” as a component in the Highlander canon, and I hope the people involved will find their way to continuing David’s story.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-24 01:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-24 02:14 am (UTC)