Un chat domestique I don't hate the sequel. If it's ever rebooted it should be split into part 1 and 2 lotr style. But for it's time it's not bad. It's nowhere near Highlander 2
Bringing back Ramirez cheapened his death in the original movie. Changing the background of the immortals made it seem that this was made by people who had never seen Highlander.
In Noah Antwilers review, the back of his vhs copy actually says; "Packed with action and visual effects, HIGHLANDER II is the smartest sci-fi thriller since BLADE RUNNER." ....let that sink in for a minute.
Oh Noah. That guy was great back in the day. Too bad he seems to have had some sort of meltdown and quit making good content and had the whole donation scandal.
You got to love it when a review is of a much higher quality than a film! Another great review Oli, you made me glad I've never seen this dogs dinner of a film.
Not gonna lie. While this movie absolutely fucking butchers the lore of the Highlander. Its still a major guilty pleasure. Michael Ironside's little train ride and Sean Connery's banter with Christopher Lambert are easily my favorite parts of the film.
She had Candyman the year after this, so this wasn’t a permanent blow (I don’t think anyone’s career was truely damaged by this film actually, apart from Russell Mulcahy’s) And yes she looks great in this film, though there are other films that have her in and are good as well (The Hot Spot, Sideways, Her Smell, the aforementioned Candyman)
HIGHLANDER II is one of my guilty pleasures. We know about the various problems and inconsistencies in this sequence, but I can see some positive points. The film has a dystopian science fiction atmosphere that I think is fantastic. The whole issue of the destruction of the ozone layer, the creation of that protective shield for the planet and the decadent, stagnant society, living in terrible conditions under that red "sky"... I think it's very good! The problem was that they mixed this great plot with all the fantasy of immortal warriors! And on top of that presenting them as aliens! The plot could follow in a similar way, with an eco-terrorist group contacting one of the scientists who created the shield. And they discovered that the ozone layer had already been restored. And so, organizing an attack on the corporation that controlled the shield.
You know what I like about your reviews? Your tone. After seeing so many critics rant and rave about things (it's fun to watch thou), it's refreshing to see someone who lacks cynisism. So, keep up the good work. :)
Thanks buddy, The shouting and ranting type of reviews can be funny but its hard to take them seriously when they're acting like a 'Man Child', you have to find the right balance so the review is fair.
Just wanted to big you up as a reviewer. These are insightful, well paced, thoughtful reviews. The best thing is you don't make yourself the star of the review you just get on with it. I also like that you obviously love the material - like as bad as Highlander 2 is you give it its dues as it was an important movie considering how much we all love Highlander (eeeeeeverbody loves Highlander). I've watched a few of your reviews and I'm going to mine your channel for a bit. Thanks man.
I've commented several times Oliver over many of your videos but I can't help again applauding your skill with commentary, editing, and choice of films, which suits my tastes down to a tee. I sincerely hope you begin to make a proper living from your efforts as, in my eyes, you've really found something special in your craft.
Nice touch at the end with the Queen theme. Strange how this fairly simple idea was beyond the guys who made the film. I only ever seen this film on a laserdisc copy on VHS and felt that it was very difficult to watch and - even worse - a complete betrayal of the original.
I think the immortality, just like the Force in Star Wars, gets less interesting the more you explain it. They could have set it in the future, where suddendly a bunch of new immortals start popping up, restarting the game.
They should have made Highlander 2 as a prequel instead of a sequel which explores Connor's backstory even further throughout the centuries and only set in the past before 1985. This would have added a better continuity to the TV Series.
I honestly think there should've just been a prequel so the story didn't have to be changed that much like a movie about the kurgan. Since it would be so awesome to see Clancy brown return.
The first Highlander was such an action/fantasy masterpiece. Hard to believe how badly they screwed it up with the sequel. Great documentary, great series in general -- thanks! What's interesting too (at least to me) is that Russell Mulcahy directed just about any iconic 80s MTV video you can think of. Rio, Hungry Like the Wolf, Total Eclipse of the Heart, Gypsy, Turning Japanese, Video Killed the Radio Star, various Elton John videos, and lots more.
I cut school to see this in theaters. When the Zeist thing happened you could hear the simultaneous WTF!! come from the audience. LOL. We all proceeded to make fun of the film the entire time during that showing. Everyone in the auditorium was laughing their asses off.
When the OG Highlander had "There can be only one!" as its tagline, I'm pretty sure that also pertained to the number of Highlander films there could be. Unfortunately, Hollywood did not listen lmao
14:24 interesting trivia when Stuart Copeland mentions the soundtrack was made on a Fairlight computer, Brad Fiedel made the score for Terminator 2 also on a Fairlight computer.
"...Than they have sex in the street, which comes from nowhere..." Reminds me of a line from Seinfeld. Elaine: No! It’s an isolated, sexual incident. We are not back together! Jerry: Then what do you call it? People don’t just bump into each other and have sex. This isn’t cinemax.
+〈YellowDevil I've always found it quite amusing about that scene is she's only known Connor for like ten minutes at most and immediately after he regains his youthful immortality she immediately rides his dick! Wtf! It seems as though the immortality of an immortal gives them an irresistible sexual attraction. But I guess I can't complain since Virginia Madsen is such a beautiful woman.
I had the original version on VHS. Never had the part with Brenda though, just opened with a monologue saying the ozone layer was failing. Had no idea they’d re-cut it. Will have to try and get a hold of the new version.
Man I HATE all of the sequels to the Highlander movies. How could you make such a cool movie with such a cool concept and almost ruin it with shit sequel after shit sequel is beyond me. But I will say Yoshiaki Kawajiri's Highlander anime movie kicked ass. You should check that out if you havent already Oli.
i have this on vhs and i remember both the red to blue shield light thing and just though it was day and night kinda thing. also the vhs has the ending where they both go to zist. i have to admit that i like this movie as a "turn off your brain and have fun" kinda movie.
Hey Oliver, another great review. I really enjoy your channel and reviews. You explain so much that I love to hear about movies. Your attention to detail and showing the many aspects about the film is really inspiring. I am wondering if you ever saw the Highlander: The Animated Series? It came out after the second film and was loosely inspired by it. It was actually very good. I have fond memories watching it when I was young. They had concepts like the quickening happening if an immortal chopped off another’s head or just passing on knowledge nonviolently but the immortal loses his sword so can only pass the knowledge onto one other person. I liked how there was choice. Have you ever seen any episodes?
I bought the soundtrack on vinyl a few months ago for about 10 euros. I guess i was very lucky that i got it so cheap. The 1 scene i love from this film is the first quickening Macloud gets. All the visuals look great especially when Macloud walks out of the fire it still looks very convincing. As a kid i never understood how they filmed that! Great review. I love your work.
As a single movie without any conection to any other francise at all, Highlander II would have been a decent and long forgotten low-budget-movie from the 80s and some collectors would own old VHS-versions of it. But beeing Highlander II it was doomed to be a total trainwreck.
The original theatrical cut just turned up on for streaming on Prime. I watched it again. It was like that scene in The Dark Knight where that giant pile of money gets set on fire.
Stewart Copeland, formerly of the rock group The Police composed the score for Highlander II. he previously composed the score for the TV series, The Equalizer using drums and the Fairlight CMI.
Classic example of Hollywood making an unnecessary sequel to a film that had wrapped everything up the first time. I remember watching this in the early/mid nineties after seeing the first and being horrified. Worst sequel ever.
As goofy as the Zeist plot was, it made a lot more sense than the time traveling edit. Especially when they're watching Connor in 2024 and he doesn't want to wait for him to die so he sends assassins to the future. If you're looking into the future, why 2024? Why not skip straight to when he dies of old age, get your rocks off on it and call it a day.
As ridicolous, as this movie was, it was crucial to my childhood. I was a fan of TV show and, I think, ot really influenced me in different ways. This movie is still quite stylish from visual point of view. And I was really scared by the ozone layer depletion as a kid))))
Another insightful and entertaining retrospective, even for such a hoax of a film. Yet, my dear Oliver, I would like to ask a favour. Please do one for one of my favorite underrated movies, "Mars Attacks!". Since all the disks out there are rubbish and no extra content can be found elsewhere, it would be fun to see some insight to this. Keep up the good - and fun - work.
You can still find DVD copies of the original Highlander 2 cut in various stores. I bought one at a shop here in Australia for just $5.00, hahaha. It was distributed by 'Avenue One'.
I live in the u.s.a. and I remember the scene where McCloud takes his new love interest to his old planet. I also remember them being from another planet. I just watched the edited version. It's a big leap from what I remember
I remember this movie having lots of cool sets. I just love that 80's dark scifi look, it reminds me a lot of Escape from New York. But the story just felt like a bunch of random scenes thrown together. For instance, the scene of Ironside driving a subway train is only there to show his power madness, nothing else.
Here’s how they could have made a sequel: After Macleod wins “the game” a new stock of immortals are granted immortality. And because it would be starting in the 20th Century, there would be news reports of people dying and coming back to life. From this Macleod realizes what has happened and he starts to seek out some immortals and train them in the ways of the game. Ideally there could be some spirituality aspect added to make it even deeper
Or just did highlander 3 instead of 2. It's kinda like dbz, they can't sense the other if there in a state of death so being in that cave made sense and so you could of add other immortals in a death state coming back. I don't like the idea of a new batch of them, I like it reflecting the song, that they are cursed kings reincarnated from a long time ago and would of kept the magic minimum and just left it with more questions that never get addressed.
I'm glad you mentioned Superman IV here! It sure would be interesting to see a cut including all of the intended footage some day, but I doubt it even exists. As for Superman II: TRDC, it wasn't impressive BUT the whole idea was it was a fan edit. A fan with a budget, but still a fan... who just so happened to get Donner's blessing. It was never meant to be a "finished" picture. It's an odd experiment that you have to either take as-is or ignore, in my opinion. I personally like the story much better, despite the obvious unfinished parts.
Highlander could have had hundreds of prequels set in any century from after his birth. Hell they could have even done a "The Game is a lie" storyline where like most games after Connor is the winner the game resets and new immortals are born. If he is the last immortal he could have mortals head hunting him for the prize of immortality. That's three what-ifs I came up with in 30 seconds that would be better then what we got.
There was a way there could've been a Highlander 2 without screwing up the lore. At the end of the first, the Prize made Connor mortal. Put the sequel in the future after Connor's death. New Immortals are born/chosen, & the cycle begins again. That plan would've worked, but it would've had to leave out Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery except for maybe flashback cameos.
Quick note: the alternate ending was in fact used in the German theatrical version. Thus far it's the only version available here, still with the red shield, with some violence cut and the alternate ending attached.
I think we should get a Highlander prequel, but not for Connor, but for Ramirez, and even the Kurgan. Yes we'll know that the character's will end up just fine in the end, but we can still get a better understanding of their motives. Review Nash pointed out that the Kurgan and Ramirez don't really have clear motivations for their motives. I think a prequel could fix that.
the visual effects for the renegade version of Highlander II were done by Stargate Studios who later did their work on Power Rangers Lost Galaxy with the model of TerraVenture and Lightspeed Rescue with the model of the Lightspeed Aquabase.
I love you said "stuff just happening". I say that to people when I critique narratives all of the time. No one seems to understand what I mean when I say it.
06:55 “It’s actually very difficult nowadays to find a copy of the original theatrical cut...” - Praise the heavens! With everything else we’ve had to put up with in 2020 that’s the first bit of decent news I’ve heard!
Yeah it's not on DVD or Blu Ray at all, only the Special Edition version. I managed to get a ripped VHS to DVD copy of the original version years back. Definitely prefer the Special Edition though.
The original script explained why Connor and Ramirez were immortal on Earth when they were sentenced. JUDGE : "I sentence you to exile from Zeist. You will be transported to the planet Earth. Each of you to a different time and place. There to be reborn. Once you have grown to the age you are now, time itself will take on a new meaning for you. One year on Earth is like one day on our planet. So on Earth you will be immortal. Furthermore, your memory of this planet and your lives here will be gone. Until the time of the Gathering. For years, we have sent men to Earth, scattered throughout their history. Men like you who have no place here in Zeist. They will find you. And Try to kill you. You will fight each other down through the centuries. In Our traditional way with this (he holds up a sword). The only realize from your Earthly immortality will come if your head is cut off from your body. And when one of you is finally the last of us on Earth, he will claim the Prize. He will have the choice to growing old and dying on Earth, or returning to Zeist."
Oddly enough, this explanation is in the cut they used to show on TV in Greece. Also the Greek TV cut has the "fairy tale ending", where Connor takes the female lead (sorry, I forgot her name) with him to Zeist
I find your reviews mostly enjoyable, not so much, to be honest, for the movies you discuss, as for the discussion itself being well-structured, nicely paced, and informatively rich. I especially enjoy the relatively broad (descriptive) background against which you situate your (subjective) judgments, including info on the movie's production process, its general reception, gaming offshoots, etc. And it's always a nice thing when a movie reviewer duly considers a movie's soundtrack as both a standalone piece and as one of the essential ingredients of its overall merit. Well done indeed! Still, there are at least two things that I believe unnecessarily reduce the quality of your reviews. I'll list them here for your consideration, and hope you will take them for what they are intended to be: constructive criticism. 1. Intonation. You have an excellent speaking voice, with excellent diction and phrasing. Yet you tend to use the same intonation or 'melody' for just about every sentence, which can make your reviews sound oddly robotic. Listen closely, for example, to the 'note' you end your sentences in: it's almost always the same. Most likely you are trying to avoid a flat and monotonous reading of your material, but the way you are doing it now sounds unnatural in the other extreme. The moments you seem to veer off-script -- when expressing, for example, a strong personal feeling about something -- are actually the moments your voice sounds most natural. I think your reviews would be far better if you somehow manage to un-script your voice and start using your natural intonation. 2. Overly detailed plot summaries. You tend to provide overly detailed plot summaries, sometimes even retelling what the characters say to each other, and what happens in the next shot, and the shot after that. (One example that springs immediately to mind is your summary of the Ghostbusters plot, which lingers amongst other things far too long on the library scene, where you recap which characters are there, why they are there, what happens when they are there, and how how they react to what happens to them while they are there -- half a minute of non-essential summarizing). Your recap of Highlander II's plot runs for over four minutes, while all of the essentials could have easily been provided in a summary of less than half that time. I suggest not rephrasing Wikipedia's entire plot synopsis, as you appear to have done in this instance, but to take a IMDB-type short summary as a starting point, and add plot points that you deem to be essential. Summaries of the length provided by you now unnecessarily slow down the pace of your reviews; those already familiar with the story and those who aren't have equally little use for this much info. I hope you find my commentary as helpful as it is meant to be. In any case, keep up the good work!
Hi, sorry for the late response. Thanks for the constructive criticism. In regards to my voice over. I certainly agree my voice overs certainly sounded more scripted in the past but I think for over the past year I believe the flow and tone has been to a good level. This has all been a learning experience for me. I disagree about the the advice on the tone of my voice adding further rising and falling intonation will sound fake and forced in my opinion. You should also bear in mind that not everyone listening to my videos speak perfect English, therefore I need to be clearly spoken and make sure everything is heard perfectly. In regards to the story discussion, I have said before I've gone into too much detail about a film's plot and I try to keep it under 2 mins but with Highlander II I wanted to address the plot points of both cuts and also not everyone has seen the film and they do find the plot parts interesting, it really is down to personal preference, I can't please everyone unfortunately. Also claiming that I took the ENTIRE wiki plot synopsis is false. I have personally admitted borrowing a paragraph from wiki and changing it to suit my style for some reviews but my plot summary for HL2 is a lot different to wiki's.
I actually enjoyed the cut I have of this movie on DVD. Making a sequel was unnecessary, but the two things I did enjoy personally were some of the action scenes and the fact that the filmmakers tried something different with the story and not recycle the same plot as the original. I wouldn't really consider it "So Bad it's Good", that's a rare title for bad movies. Films like "Plan 9 from Outer Space", "Troll 2", and even "Birdecmic" earned that title. "Highlander 2" was a bad movie, but there are, as I mentioned things I liked about it. I think it is a bit better then the other sequels, especially "Highlander:The Source".
I remember having this on while I was doing something else, and when I looked up to watch it a little I thought I just missed some key story beats, so I watched it again later and turned out I hadn't missed anything it was just a mess
Clancy Brown dodged a bullet by avoiding this trainwreck. I'm sad his character lost in the original because he brought in so much evil and raw fun as the end baddie (I could honestly not give less of a fuck about Macleod), but the Kurgan is better-off now for just having stayed dead in all the sequels.
Great review, Oliver. When I was little, I would always watch this film on t.v. for some reason. You should have a Christopher Lambert month and review Fortress.
I believe it was TheSpoonyOne who accurately described this film as a cataclysmic fall from grace by having as series start off with the absolute best and then slowly become the absolute worst thanks to this movie. Thus now the damage has been done now and forever. It is interesting though looking back on this movie as well as it's troubling history especially since it went through so much against it. You really can't help though that this movie is in many ways a gold mine for comedy and how much alot of fun can be had with Highlander II regarding it's sheer and utter stupidity with the change to the story.
My dad showed me the first movie and tv series when I was little. He always told me to ignore the 2nd movie because it made no sense. But holy shit what fever dream of a plot did I just hear.
Oliver Harper Nice one Oliver, I remember renting the Fortress as a in kid in the mid 90's, The video shop I used, would rent films regardless of age ratings lol That would be a very interesting review
Oliver Harper Fun and silly? O, then I recommend reviewing the British science fiction film Split Second starring Rutger Hauer and Kim Cattrall (from Sex in the city, Big Trouble in Little China and Star Trek VI). It does not get fun and sillier than that.
This movie is a guilty pleasure of mine, even as an avid fan of the original. I shouldn't like it at all, but it's so pathetically funny. And it's funny, I actually see more copies of the pan and scan Theatrical Cut of Highlander 2 in thrift stores than the Renegade Cut. Three copies of Highlander 2 just at the same store in the past year and exactly one DVD of the Renegade Cut in the past four years.
I've already said all I need to in my Forever Cinematic reviews, mainly the written one, but there is indeed no defending this movie as a whole. However, I do give it credit for its gorgeous cinematography from Mulcahy's inspiring eye for visuals. But yeah, the academic aspect ratio really seems to work right for Mulcahy, mainly due to his wide angle lenses like in Highlander and The Shadow. It really seems to suit his signature style. Also, Copeland's score, while I've never loved it, I will contend that it is very operatic and lush. And I do very much love the Lou Gramm track "One Dream." Regardless, the film is fundamentally flawed from its concept, and no amount of editing can rectify its script problems. So much is lost from the characters from one film to the next draining out all the mystique and fascinating traits of MacLeod, but at least it seemed like everyone on screen was having a good time. If Lambert can crack a smile and a chuckle on screen, it does add to the entertainment value for me. But yes, Highlander: The Source is god awful. At least The Quickening has a few technical elements and fun performances to give credit to. The Source has jackshit going for it. I despise that movie as the worst I've ever seen. I'd suggest watching Spoony's review of that load of crap. He sums up everything atrocious quality of it better than anyone probably could. I will never watch that movie again, it's so horrendously shit.
First. Thanks for the review! I do like this movie. Maybe nostalgia talking tho. I was very young when I saw Highlander II in theaters. I remember seeing the preview and wanting to see a new action movie. I was told afterward about the original, watched it, and made plans to go see the sequel in the theater. Being so young I had no idea it was a bad movie. I loved the soundtrack, Michael Ironside, and the action. The story gave me pause. The Highlander mythology was not what interested me. I was so impressionable that I just took it as exactly what it should be and believed the story as cannon. My pause was for the future. "O-zone" was a new topic for environmentalists. "Is this our future?" I thought. I am surprised that people forget the cautionary tale aspect of this movie: Destruction of the O-zone. Large Corporate control of the Earth's resources in the form of every government paying power to keep the Earth's citizens from death. Science having good intentions and ultimately destroying our way of life. My praise for this movie is from the thought provoking ideas warning us all of putting our faith in a company who sole purpose is profits and not the welfare of the human race. Yeah, and I loved that action scene with the flying, train, and decapitations. There weren't that many people in the theater as I recall. PS BTW- Nothing to do with this review: Best time at a movie theater. Midnight showing of Batman Returns with my older brother. We were the only ones in the theater. It was awesome. What was your best time in a theater?
Get Highlander II on Blu-ray here goo.gl/O8wDiY
Oliver Harper why would I want to do that ? lol :)
Arcade Ted haha
Buy it?? You have to be kidding it’s total shite😂
y tho?
Nah.
Highlander: There SHOULD only Be One :)
And the Neverending Story should have ended. Those two are always paired in my mind by childhood bewilderment at the change in quality.
Un chat domestique I don't hate the sequel. If it's ever rebooted it should be split into part 1 and 2 lotr style. But for it's time it's not bad. It's nowhere near Highlander 2
Agree! Movie! The series was great too! 👌🏻
Bringing back Ramirez cheapened his death in the original movie. Changing the background of the immortals made it seem that this was made by people who had never seen Highlander.
No Highlander 2 means no tv Series. The movie was totally worth it with that perspective,
The good Highlander films can best be summed up by one phrase alone: "There can be only one."
First time I ever saw this on TV, I didn't even know it was a sequel to Highlander. I thought it was just a generic Blade Runner rip-off.
I can totally see that you would mate, the Tim Burton Batman feel stood out to me too. Batrunner? Just trying it out.
@@ModernRelik wel, it did introduce that concept of space imortal and Chris and Sean gotnto work again
In Noah Antwilers review, the back of his vhs copy actually says;
"Packed with action and visual effects, HIGHLANDER II is the smartest sci-fi thriller since BLADE RUNNER."
....let that sink in for a minute.
Even I was speechless when I saw that.
i came here from noah's review of the source.
i will watch the highlander 2 review before i get to that one LOL
Oh Noah. That guy was great back in the day.
Too bad he seems to have had some sort of meltdown and quit making good content and had the whole donation scandal.
This is a more professional review, but Spoony's is the best.
How 'Paul Ross' of him
You got to love it when a review is of a much higher quality than a film!
Another great review Oli, you made me glad I've never seen this dogs dinner of a film.
You can't polish a turd, but you can sure roll it in glitter!
This comment is hilarious! I'm still laughing 5 minutes after I first read it!!
:DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
"We´ll remember that day for 1000 years - the day, we ruined the Highlander-franchise!" :-P
Not gonna lie. While this movie absolutely fucking butchers the lore of the Highlander. Its still a major guilty pleasure. Michael Ironside's little train ride and Sean Connery's banter with Christopher Lambert are easily my favorite parts of the film.
Virginia Madsen was so damn hot back in the day. She still looks good now. It's unfortunate she was in all these flop movies in her career.
She had Candyman the year after this, so this wasn’t a permanent blow (I don’t think anyone’s career was truely damaged by this film actually, apart from Russell Mulcahy’s) And yes she looks great in this film, though there are other films that have her in and are good as well (The Hot Spot, Sideways, Her Smell, the aforementioned Candyman)
@@rsfilmdiscussionchannel4168 wel her she did get um fuckbchrstopher lambert
HIGHLANDER II is one of my guilty pleasures. We know about the various problems and inconsistencies in this sequence, but I can see some positive points.
The film has a dystopian science fiction atmosphere that I think is fantastic. The whole issue of the destruction of the ozone layer, the creation of that protective shield for the planet and the decadent, stagnant society, living in terrible conditions under that red "sky"... I think it's very good!
The problem was that they mixed this great plot with all the fantasy of immortal warriors! And on top of that presenting them as aliens! The plot could follow in a similar way, with an eco-terrorist group contacting one of the scientists who created the shield.
And they discovered that the ozone layer had already been restored. And so, organizing an attack on the corporation that controlled the shield.
You know what I like about your reviews? Your tone.
After seeing so many critics rant and rave about things (it's fun to watch thou), it's refreshing to see someone who lacks cynisism. So, keep up the good work. :)
Thanks buddy, The shouting and ranting type of reviews can be funny but its hard to take them seriously when they're acting like a 'Man Child', you have to find the right balance so the review is fair.
Compared to The Source, this movie is a masterpiece.
Compared to The Source, The Quickening is a faithful sequel, no hyperbole.
Source was utter garbage..you're right on this one.
Oh crap you're right.
We dont talk about that...
Even compared to Endgame!
Just wanted to big you up as a reviewer. These are insightful, well paced, thoughtful reviews. The best thing is you don't make yourself the star of the review you just get on with it. I also like that you obviously love the material - like as bad as Highlander 2 is you give it its dues as it was an important movie considering how much we all love Highlander (eeeeeeverbody loves Highlander). I've watched a few of your reviews and I'm going to mine your channel for a bit. Thanks man.
Kyle Titterton Thank you very much Kyle!. I hope you enjoy mining the rest of my channel ;)
I've commented several times Oliver over many of your videos but I can't help again applauding your skill with commentary, editing, and choice of films, which suits my tastes down to a tee. I sincerely hope you begin to make a proper living from your efforts as, in my eyes, you've really found something special in your craft.
Had completely forgotten about anything that happens in this film. And now I see why
"There can be only one."
Well.....there should have been.....
Highlander 2: The Sickening. There should only have been one.
"I don't know why anyone would return to ziest. It looks like a shit hole"...that line had me laughing so hard
Great review! Loved your explanation of the films production.
"I don't know why anyone would want to return to Zeist, it looks like a shi.t.hole..."
Haha, I just spat my drink everywhere. You're a poet Oliver.
Nice touch at the end with the Queen theme. Strange how this fairly simple idea was beyond the guys who made the film.
I only ever seen this film on a laserdisc copy on VHS and felt that it was very difficult to watch and - even worse - a complete betrayal of the original.
I think the immortality, just like the Force in Star Wars, gets less interesting the more you explain it. They could have set it in the future, where suddendly a bunch of new immortals start popping up, restarting the game.
They should have made Highlander 2 as a prequel instead of a sequel which explores Connor's backstory even further throughout the centuries and only set in the past before 1985. This would have added a better continuity to the TV Series.
I honestly think there should've just been a prequel so the story didn't have to be changed that much like a movie about the kurgan. Since it would be so awesome to see Clancy brown return.
"Highlander 2: The Uncalled-For"
The first Highlander was such an action/fantasy masterpiece. Hard to believe how badly they screwed it up with the sequel. Great documentary, great series in general -- thanks!
What's interesting too (at least to me) is that Russell Mulcahy directed just about any iconic 80s MTV video you can think of. Rio, Hungry Like the Wolf, Total Eclipse of the Heart, Gypsy, Turning Japanese, Video Killed the Radio Star, various Elton John videos, and lots more.
I cut school to see this in theaters. When the Zeist thing happened you could hear the simultaneous WTF!! come from the audience. LOL. We all proceeded to make fun of the film the entire time during that showing. Everyone in the auditorium was laughing their asses off.
You plan to do a retrospective on Highlander III? The most forgotten of the Highlander films.
When the OG Highlander had "There can be only one!" as its tagline, I'm pretty sure that also pertained to the number of Highlander films there could be. Unfortunately, Hollywood did not listen lmao
14:24 interesting trivia when Stuart Copeland mentions the soundtrack was made on a Fairlight computer, Brad Fiedel made the score for Terminator 2 also on a Fairlight computer.
It is maddening Oliver how you don't have a least a few hundred thousand Uruh Hai subscribers to your channel. It is fantastic.
the plane safety video is the best scene in the movie
"...Than they have sex in the street, which comes from nowhere..."
Reminds me of a line from Seinfeld.
Elaine: No! It’s an isolated, sexual incident. We are not back together!
Jerry: Then what do you call it? People don’t just bump into each other and have sex. This isn’t cinemax.
〈YellowDevil〉 haha nice Seinfeld reference!
+〈YellowDevil I've always found it quite amusing about that scene is she's only known Connor for like ten minutes at most and immediately after he regains his youthful immortality she immediately rides his dick! Wtf! It seems as though the immortality of an immortal gives them an irresistible sexual attraction. But I guess I can't complain since Virginia Madsen is such a beautiful woman.
9:14 is that the A-bomb dome from Hiroshima in the background??
I had the original version on VHS. Never had the part with Brenda though, just opened with a monologue saying the ozone layer was failing. Had no idea they’d re-cut it. Will have to try and get a hold of the new version.
Dr. Cox controlled the shield? :D Nice review. I'm gonna watch all the other reviews. Lots of interresting facts. Thx :)
Man I HATE all of the sequels to the Highlander movies. How could you make such a cool movie with such a cool concept and almost ruin it with shit sequel after shit sequel is beyond me. But I will say Yoshiaki Kawajiri's Highlander anime movie kicked ass. You should check that out if you havent already Oli.
Well, Highlander 4: Endgame is what introduced me into the series so....
i have this on vhs and i remember both the red to blue shield light thing and just though it was day and night kinda thing. also the vhs has the ending where they both go to zist. i have to admit that i like this movie as a "turn off your brain and have fun" kinda movie.
Hey Oliver, another great review. I really enjoy your channel and reviews. You explain so much that I love to hear about movies. Your attention to detail and showing the many aspects about the film is really inspiring.
I am wondering if you ever saw the Highlander: The Animated Series? It came out after the second film and was loosely inspired by it. It was actually very good. I have fond memories watching it when I was young. They had concepts like the quickening happening if an immortal chopped off another’s head or just passing on knowledge nonviolently but the immortal loses his sword so can only pass the knowledge onto one other person. I liked how there was choice. Have you ever seen any episodes?
I bought the soundtrack on vinyl a few months ago for about 10 euros. I guess i was very lucky that i got it so cheap. The 1 scene i love from this film is the first quickening Macloud gets. All the visuals look great especially when Macloud walks out of the fire it still looks very convincing. As a kid i never understood how they filmed that! Great review. I love your work.
Thank you for introducing me to Steward Copland. Wow, he is a superstar of the classical music world.
1:50 - The reaction of anyone being forced to sit through a second viewing of this movie. :-)
As a single movie without any conection to any other francise at all, Highlander II would have been a decent and long forgotten low-budget-movie from the 80s and some collectors would own old VHS-versions of it.
But beeing Highlander II it was doomed to be a total trainwreck.
Strangely, I still got my vhs copy of this one which I bought in the early 90s.
The way you edited the last 3 minutes makes highlander 2 look epic.
The original theatrical cut just turned up on for streaming on Prime. I watched it again. It was like that scene in The Dark Knight where that giant pile of money gets set on fire.
where this 20:30 scene is in such good quality? a bonus on the DVD is not.
Stewart Copeland, formerly of the rock group The Police composed the score for Highlander II. he previously composed the score for the TV series, The Equalizer using drums and the Fairlight CMI.
Classic example of Hollywood making an unnecessary sequel to a film that had wrapped everything up the first time. I remember watching this in the early/mid nineties after seeing the first and being horrified. Worst sequel ever.
As goofy as the Zeist plot was, it made a lot more sense than the time traveling edit. Especially when they're watching Connor in 2024 and he doesn't want to wait for him to die so he sends assassins to the future. If you're looking into the future, why 2024? Why not skip straight to when he dies of old age, get your rocks off on it and call it a day.
As ridicolous, as this movie was, it was crucial to my childhood. I was a fan of TV show and, I think, ot really influenced me in different ways. This movie is still quite stylish from visual point of view. And I was really scared by the ozone layer depletion as a kid))))
Best quote ever. “I don’t know why anyone would return to Zeist. It looks like a shit hole.”
Another insightful and entertaining retrospective, even for such a hoax of a film. Yet, my dear Oliver, I would like to ask a favour. Please do one for one of my favorite underrated movies, "Mars Attacks!". Since all the disks out there are rubbish and no extra content can be found elsewhere, it would be fun to see some insight to this. Keep up the good - and fun - work.
I want a Crow City Of Angels review
Besides that Ramires phrase when he sacrifices himself is the movie s heart -theme and core makes sense of the story. Pluss true that phrase.
You've done it! I never thought I'd see anything interesting pertaining o Highlander II, but this was a thoughtful, if depressing, recap.
Huge fan of your retrospectives @oliver. They are compelling viewing.
thanks Brian!
You can still find DVD copies of the original Highlander 2 cut in various stores. I bought one at a shop here in Australia for just $5.00, hahaha. It was distributed by 'Avenue One'.
Liam Guy Was it a crappy Pan and Scan release?.
Oliver Harper Russell Mulcahy directed some great Duran Duran videos.
Oliver Harper upon doing some research, yes it was.
I live in the u.s.a. and I remember the scene where McCloud takes his new love interest to his old planet. I also remember them being from another planet. I just watched the edited version. It's a big leap from what I remember
Great review!
I'm from Argentina... wow what a trouble was the production of this movie!
I remember this movie having lots of cool sets. I just love that 80's dark scifi look, it reminds me a lot of Escape from New York.
But the story just felt like a bunch of random scenes thrown together. For instance, the scene of Ironside driving a subway train is only there to show his power madness, nothing else.
Immortals are NOT called “Highlanders”. The ONLY reason MacLeod is called “Highlander” is because of where he hails from:the Highlands Of Scotland.
Michael Ironside what an amazing vice all i hear is Darksead and when hes finished speaking i exspect the reply "yes master" etc anyone else?
Here’s how they could have made a sequel:
After Macleod wins “the game” a new stock of immortals are granted immortality. And because it would be starting in the 20th Century, there would be news reports of people dying and coming back to life. From this Macleod realizes what has happened and he starts to seek out some immortals and train them in the ways of the game. Ideally there could be some spirituality aspect added to make it even deeper
That's just as lame.
What fan fiction forum did you dig that up from?
@NICK OEFFINGER i like your idea
I would have gone further into the future, and have immortals from other planets seeking each other out.
Or just did highlander 3 instead of 2. It's kinda like dbz, they can't sense the other if there in a state of death so being in that cave made sense and so you could of add other immortals in a death state coming back. I don't like the idea of a new batch of them, I like it reflecting the song, that they are cursed kings reincarnated from a long time ago and would of kept the magic minimum and just left it with more questions that never get addressed.
I'm glad you mentioned Superman IV here! It sure would be interesting to see a cut including all of the intended footage some day, but I doubt it even exists. As for Superman II: TRDC, it wasn't impressive BUT the whole idea was it was a fan edit. A fan with a budget, but still a fan... who just so happened to get Donner's blessing. It was never meant to be a "finished" picture. It's an odd experiment that you have to either take as-is or ignore, in my opinion. I personally like the story much better, despite the obvious unfinished parts.
Highlander could have had hundreds of prequels set in any century from after his birth.
Hell they could have even done a "The Game is a lie" storyline where like most games after Connor is the winner the game resets and new immortals are born.
If he is the last immortal he could have mortals head hunting him for the prize of immortality.
That's three what-ifs I came up with in 30 seconds that would be better then what we got.
There was a way there could've been a Highlander 2 without screwing up the lore. At the end of the first, the Prize made Connor mortal. Put the sequel in the future after Connor's death. New Immortals are born/chosen, & the cycle begins again. That plan would've worked, but it would've had to leave out Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery except for maybe flashback cameos.
Quick note: the alternate ending was in fact used in the German theatrical version. Thus far it's the only version available here, still with the red shield, with some violence cut and the alternate ending attached.
I think we should get a Highlander prequel, but not for Connor, but for Ramirez, and even the Kurgan. Yes we'll know that the character's will end up just fine in the end, but we can still get a better understanding of their motives. Review Nash pointed out that the Kurgan and Ramirez don't really have clear motivations for their motives. I think a prequel could fix that.
the visual effects for the renegade version of Highlander II were done by Stargate Studios who later did their work on Power Rangers Lost Galaxy with the model of TerraVenture and Lightspeed Rescue with the model of the Lightspeed Aquabase.
I love you said "stuff just happening". I say that to people when I critique narratives all of the time. No one seems to understand what I mean when I say it.
have you done a video for the third one?
+andy mcclure I have indeed! ruclips.net/video/OAjdYcG4yF8/видео.html
+Oliver Harper thanks will have a look
06:55 “It’s actually very difficult nowadays to find a copy of the original theatrical cut...” - Praise the heavens! With everything else we’ve had to put up with in 2020 that’s the first bit of decent news I’ve heard!
Yeah it's not on DVD or Blu Ray at all, only the Special Edition version. I managed to get a ripped VHS to DVD copy of the original version years back. Definitely prefer the Special Edition though.
If you think the US theatrical cut is hard to find, try getting your hands on the European theatrical cut with the "fairy tale" ending!
I totally forgot about that ending, I saw it once as a child on TV like 24 years ago
The original script explained why Connor and Ramirez were immortal on Earth when they were sentenced.
JUDGE : "I sentence you to exile from Zeist. You will be transported to the planet Earth. Each of you to a different time and place. There to be reborn. Once you have grown to the age you are now, time itself will take on a new meaning for you. One year on Earth is like one day on our planet. So on Earth you will be immortal. Furthermore, your memory of this planet and your lives here will be gone. Until the time of the Gathering.
For years, we have sent men to Earth, scattered throughout their history.
Men like you who have no place here in Zeist. They will find you. And
Try to kill you. You will fight each other down through the centuries. In
Our traditional way with this (he holds up a sword).
The only realize from your Earthly immortality will come if your head
is cut off from your body. And when one of you is finally the last of us
on Earth, he will claim the Prize. He will have the choice to growing old
and dying on Earth, or returning to Zeist."
Why not put that in the film. Crazy.
Oddly enough, this explanation is in the cut they used to show on TV in Greece. Also the Greek TV cut has the "fairy tale ending", where Connor takes the female lead (sorry, I forgot her name) with him to Zeist
Still stupid.
It was on the original theatrical version, fat chance finding that one now days.
This movie may suck but it’s great seeing Connor and Ramirez together.
I find your reviews mostly enjoyable, not so much, to be honest, for the movies you discuss, as for the discussion itself being well-structured, nicely paced, and informatively rich. I especially enjoy the relatively broad (descriptive) background against which you situate your (subjective) judgments, including info on the movie's production process, its general reception, gaming offshoots, etc. And it's always a nice thing when a movie reviewer duly considers a movie's soundtrack as both a standalone piece and as one of the essential ingredients of its overall merit. Well done indeed!
Still, there are at least two things that I believe unnecessarily reduce the quality of your reviews. I'll list them here for your consideration, and hope you will take them for what they are intended to be: constructive criticism.
1. Intonation.
You have an excellent speaking voice, with excellent diction and phrasing. Yet you tend to use the same intonation or 'melody' for just about every sentence, which can make your reviews sound oddly robotic. Listen closely, for example, to the 'note' you end your sentences in: it's almost always the same. Most likely you are trying to avoid a flat and monotonous reading of your material, but the way you are doing it now sounds unnatural in the other extreme. The moments you seem to veer off-script -- when expressing, for example, a strong personal feeling about something -- are actually the moments your voice sounds most natural. I think your reviews would be far better if you somehow manage to un-script your voice and start using your natural intonation.
2. Overly detailed plot summaries.
You tend to provide overly detailed plot summaries, sometimes even retelling what the characters say to each other, and what happens in the next shot, and the shot after that. (One example that springs immediately to mind is your summary of the Ghostbusters plot, which lingers amongst other things far too long on the library scene, where you recap which characters are there, why they are there, what happens when they are there, and how how they react to what happens to them while they are there -- half a minute of non-essential summarizing). Your recap of Highlander II's plot runs for over four minutes, while all of the essentials could have easily been provided in a summary of less than half that time. I suggest not rephrasing Wikipedia's entire plot synopsis, as you appear to have done in this instance, but to take a IMDB-type short summary as a starting point, and add plot points that you deem to be essential. Summaries of the length provided by you now unnecessarily slow down the pace of your reviews; those already familiar with the story and those who aren't have equally little use for this much info.
I hope you find my commentary as helpful as it is meant to be. In any case, keep up the good work!
Hi, sorry for the late response. Thanks for the constructive criticism. In regards to my voice over. I certainly agree my voice overs certainly sounded more scripted in the past but I think for over the past year I believe the flow and tone has been to a good level. This has all been a learning experience for me. I disagree about the the advice on the tone of my voice adding further rising and falling intonation will sound fake and forced in my opinion. You should also bear in mind that not everyone listening to my videos speak perfect English, therefore I need to be clearly spoken and make sure everything is heard perfectly.
In regards to the story discussion, I have said before I've gone into too much detail about a film's plot and I try to keep it under 2 mins but with Highlander II I wanted to address the plot points of both cuts and also not everyone has seen the film and they do find the plot parts interesting, it really is down to personal preference, I can't please everyone unfortunately. Also claiming that I took the ENTIRE wiki plot synopsis is false. I have personally admitted borrowing a paragraph from wiki and changing it to suit my style for some reviews but my plot summary for HL2 is a lot different to wiki's.
I saw HII before seeing HI back in the days, so I didn’t think it was a bad movie. The whole immortal highlander concept was intriguing.
I like how one of Katana minion spoke out the plot points
I'm amazed at the amount of research Harper puts into his reviews. Bad movie good review.
that what makes the movie better, shit, i want to own now
Incredible; an in-depth review of a movie that does not exist, complete with clips and interviews! How did you do it?
Blimey ! Look at the building in the back 9:10 Heroshima bombing dome.
I actually enjoyed the cut I have of this movie on DVD. Making a sequel was unnecessary, but the two things I did enjoy personally were some of the action scenes and the fact that the filmmakers tried something different with the story and not recycle the same plot as the original.
I wouldn't really consider it "So Bad it's Good", that's a rare title for bad movies. Films like "Plan 9 from Outer Space", "Troll 2", and even "Birdecmic" earned that title. "Highlander 2" was a bad movie, but there are, as I mentioned things I liked about it. I think it is a bit better then the other sequels, especially "Highlander:The Source".
A superior review, Oliver. Thank you and subbed!
The only bad thing is the the name of the character one called "Captain ", for me.
I remember having this on while I was doing something else, and when I looked up to watch it a little I thought I just missed some key story beats, so I watched it again later and turned out I hadn't missed anything it was just a mess
Clancy Brown dodged a bullet by avoiding this trainwreck. I'm sad his character lost in the original because he brought in so much evil and raw fun as the end baddie (I could honestly not give less of a fuck about Macleod), but the Kurgan is better-off now for just having stayed dead in all the sequels.
Great review, Oliver. When I was little, I would always watch this film on t.v. for some reason. You should have a Christopher Lambert month and review Fortress.
I believe it was TheSpoonyOne who accurately described this film as a cataclysmic fall from grace by having as series start off with the absolute best and then slowly become the absolute worst thanks to this movie. Thus now the damage has been done now and forever. It is interesting though looking back on this movie as well as it's troubling history especially since it went through so much against it. You really can't help though that this movie is in many ways a gold mine for comedy and how much alot of fun can be had with Highlander II regarding it's sheer and utter stupidity with the change to the story.
Very interesting review! Thanks for uploading!
"Heaven's Gate," by Michael Cimino, was one of them.
My dad showed me the first movie and tv series when I was little. He always told me to ignore the 2nd movie because it made no sense. But holy shit what fever dream of a plot did I just hear.
I have no doubt that this is a bad movie but when Conner comes out young again, and it zooms in on his face that is bad ass
you should do other Christopher Lambert movies like: Resurrection and The Fortress
Yes I will be covering The Fortress in future.
Oliver Harper
Do we have a Lambert fan here?
jabarbadi haha not really but The Fortress is a fun silly film.
Oliver Harper Nice one Oliver, I remember renting the Fortress as a in kid in the mid 90's, The video shop I used, would rent films regardless of age ratings lol That would be a very interesting review
Oliver Harper Fun and silly? O, then I recommend reviewing the British science fiction film Split Second starring Rutger Hauer and Kim Cattrall (from Sex in the city, Big Trouble in Little China and Star Trek VI). It does not get fun and sillier than that.
Now i finally understand the background story.
Always wondered why everything was so dark.
Should have watched it again since i was a kid... or not.
Why would anyone from an alien planet give a shit about holy ground?
This movie is a guilty pleasure of mine, even as an avid fan of the original.
I shouldn't like it at all, but it's so pathetically funny.
And it's funny, I actually see more copies of the pan and scan Theatrical Cut of Highlander 2 in thrift stores than the Renegade Cut. Three copies of Highlander 2 just at the same store in the past year and exactly one DVD of the Renegade Cut in the past four years.
Ollie you should check out the Highlander anime by manga entertainment if you haven't done so already. It's pretty good.
Will do!
I've already said all I need to in my Forever Cinematic reviews, mainly the written one, but there is indeed no defending this movie as a whole. However, I do give it credit for its gorgeous cinematography from Mulcahy's inspiring eye for visuals. But yeah, the academic aspect ratio really seems to work right for Mulcahy, mainly due to his wide angle lenses like in Highlander and The Shadow. It really seems to suit his signature style. Also, Copeland's score, while I've never loved it, I will contend that it is very operatic and lush. And I do very much love the Lou Gramm track "One Dream." Regardless, the film is fundamentally flawed from its concept, and no amount of editing can rectify its script problems. So much is lost from the characters from one film to the next draining out all the mystique and fascinating traits of MacLeod, but at least it seemed like everyone on screen was having a good time. If Lambert can crack a smile and a chuckle on screen, it does add to the entertainment value for me.
But yes, Highlander: The Source is god awful. At least The Quickening has a few technical elements and fun performances to give credit to. The Source has jackshit going for it. I despise that movie as the worst I've ever seen. I'd suggest watching Spoony's review of that load of crap. He sums up everything atrocious quality of it better than anyone probably could. I will never watch that movie again, it's so horrendously shit.
First. Thanks for the review! I do like this movie. Maybe nostalgia talking tho.
I was very young when I saw Highlander II in theaters. I remember seeing the preview and wanting to see a new action movie. I was told afterward about the original, watched it, and made plans to go see the sequel in the theater. Being so young I had no idea it was a bad movie. I loved the soundtrack, Michael Ironside, and the action. The story gave me pause. The Highlander mythology was not what interested me. I was so impressionable that I just took it as exactly what it should be and believed the story as cannon. My pause was for the future. "O-zone" was a new topic for environmentalists. "Is this our future?" I thought.
I am surprised that people forget the cautionary tale aspect of this movie: Destruction of the O-zone. Large Corporate control of the Earth's resources in the form of every government paying power to keep the Earth's citizens from death. Science having good intentions and ultimately destroying our way of life.
My praise for this movie is from the thought provoking ideas warning us all of putting our faith in a company who sole purpose is profits and not the welfare of the human race.
Yeah, and I loved that action scene with the flying, train, and decapitations.
There weren't that many people in the theater as I recall.
PS BTW- Nothing to do with this review: Best time at a movie theater. Midnight showing of Batman Returns with my older brother. We were the only ones in the theater. It was awesome.
What was your best time in a theater?
if you liked it then it wasn't a bad movie.
@@MephProduction Sure, but I like lots of bad movies. I like Highlander 3 as a second movie better than watching 2. Just skip Ramirez coming back.
@@vorpal120 maybe he can be a clone