This film introduced Queen to a little poor black kid growing up in the projects in the 80's. I went to school and asked my teacher what the hell the Steppes of Russia were and what was a Kurgon. My older cousins were cool kids and after seeing heads rolling, they ended up watching this shit too. Mafter fact, me and my boys spent Saturday afternoons pretending to be immortals, play fighting with sticks and speaking in faulty Scottish accents... This was way before it was cool to be a sweaty geek and THAT is the power of good, cult classic cinema.
FUNNY! This Movie made we want to Join the Local Ren Faire where I met my friend Nick who PORTRAYED "Connor MacLeod" so we often walked through the Ren Faire as "Immortals". Later a friend of ours Mark this Six Foot Eight HUGE Guy portrayed "THE KURGAN" and I even made a Paper Mache and Resin Animal Skull Helmet and armor for him! MAN was he MASSIVE and Looked VERY Impressive in his "KURGAN" Costume! He even got the VOICE Down! He even went and contacted a blacksmith make an almost EXACT COPY Of the Kurgan Sword for him! Often there would be Impromptu "BATTLES" between The Kurgan and Connor and I! It took TWO of us to be able to take him on! Kurgan would Pop out and start going after "Connor" and then I would show up and he had to face the TWO of us! And when he realized he couldn't WIN he would run away saying, "Another Time MacLeod! There can BE ONLY ONE! We Really gave people a GOOD SHOW! MAN those were FUN DAYS! :D
@@rossl5908 Hey at least he tried another accent as great an actor as the late great Sean Connery was he never managed to do the accents his characters were supposed to have 🤔🤣
"Heeeerreee We are.. Born to be kings!" .. Don't even tell me the moment you hear that song doesn't make you wanna whip out a sword & cut off someone's head haha. Personally I think Highlander is one of the most entertaining films ever made, Definitely makes my top 10 list. I never even knew Lambert was French until recent years so I think he did particularly well with the Scottish accent even though to those of us from the UK especially, it does sound rather ropey lol. The sequels as you rightfully point out are terrible though, what was they thinking when they added that 'from another planet' shit in the 2nd movie? I mean really? It's got to be one of the biggest cop outs for a sequel ever.
Ohh AND the "ALIEN PLANET" was called... are you READY for THIS... "ZEIST"! YEP! Look it up! It's Just SOOO CHEESY!!! There is a reason it's CALLED "Highlander II The SICKENING!" Yea... it should NEVER EVER Have been made! It was just meant to be a cheesy Cash Cow to ride on the coat tails of the Original movie! Just SO SAD! Some movies don't NEED "SEQUELS"! They are WHAT THEY ARE! PERIOD!!!
MisterTutor2010 I saw them in order myself. I didn't even know there was a 5th one until I was visiting my cousin in LA and we watched it on the Sci-Fi channel. Oops, I mean SyFy channel :P
MisterTutor2010 yup - couldn't agree more. I loved the first movie - it's one of my all time favorite movies - the second one was a horrible abomination! The third one I never even watched because of trauma caused by the 2nd :D :D and the TV show....well..... I never watched that one either.
+MisterTutor2010 How did they screw it up so badly, there immortal they fight each other for the prize. The second film could just be a round two or a new game with a bunch of new immortals. What to dont do is make the prize geteing old or dieing.
alucard ex Unless you hadn't noticed, these are retrospective reviews of films from the 80's/90's...films...80's/90's. Spice and Wolf and Deathnote are both modern day cartoons...modern day...cartoons. So mister xe dracula, it would seem rather out of place to review either of the shows you mentioned as neither of them is that old or even a film. Sure they might have feature length episodes, but were the produced on budgets of millions like the films he has been reviewing? No. If he was going to review any form of manga, then surely it would need to stick to his already set up perameters of classic films from the 80's and 90's. Do I even need to tell you what 2 manga to movie adaptations would be best suited to this situation?, because it certainly isn't tripe like Deathnote and Spice and Wolf. Heck, why not ask him to do Pokemon and Digimon the movie while you are at it! At least ask him to review something which he might actually consider and fit in with what he has allready been doing for so long.
alucard ex unfortunately I haven't heard of those titles. If i cover anime in the future it will be on AKIRA and Ninja Scroll. Two movies I loved as a kid.
Another excellent look back at a classic film. Finding out that Chris knew barely any English before shooting the film was a revelation and deepens my respect for his performance. Thanks again Oliver :)
Great review. Queen's 'Princes of the Universe' is really great, and for just tugging at the heart strings, 'Who Wants to Live Forever' is just beautiful. I'm surprised you didn't mention it in your review.
Spongebob Highlander, anyone? (Krabs/Kurgan finds in the end that he can't take Spongebob's head off because Spongebob doesn't really have a discrete head.)
Made me think of that bully episode haha. Spongebob puts on blindfold "okay you can hit me" ............ "What are you waiting for you can hit me" ................. Spongebob peeks under blindfold "haha that tickles" cue montage of mr. krabs trying to kill spongebob with a sword .
Another underrated classic. A mesmeric, dark fantasy with wonderful music, cinematography, and excellent chemistry between Lambert and Connery. "I cannot swim, you Spanish peacock!"
@@KabukiKid Sheep's Stomach Stuffed with meat and barley. It's BASICALLY the European/Scottish version of "MEAT LOAF"! It's Ground up Meat, Spices and Barely stuffed into the Sheep's Stomach as a casing! So many people wretch at the idea... but if you have EVER Eaten Sausage or Brats or Hot Dogs... the "CASING" Is actually the Animal's Intestines! Usually Pig or sometimes calf intestines. I dated a girl who's family had a butcher shop. It was at a "Robert Burns Society" dinner that I first had "HAGGIS" and I LOVED IT! VERY Tasty if Done Properly! There is an Irish Version as well! And A Welsh Version and even a sort of English or Cornish version. But they are all pretty much the same. Oh and when it is done being cooked, It is "PIPPED" Out to the Dinning Room by a Bag Piper and Single Malt SCOTCH or WHISKEY is poured over it and Lit! This gives the outer part a nice Crispy texture! :D
@@j.s.connolly8579 lol... thanks. I was just quoting the movie, but that is a pretty cool, detailed description. :-) I've never had it, myself. I'd give it a try if I had opportunity.
I remember seeing this film in the late 80s. The stunning camerawork especially the shots in the highlands of Scotland coupled with the Queen song “Who Wants to Live Forever?” made me an instant fan. It was really something and yes, there can be only one.
One of my all time favorite movies. Clancy Brown is perfect as the Kurgen. In addition to the roles you mentioned, he is in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai and The Shawshank Redemption. Both of which I would be interested to see your retrospective review of.
Good summary of the movie. It's a classic adventure tale with some good and some less good parts. The great part that you don't mention so much is the Heather dying/funeral scenes that stands out as one of the most touching love scenes ever made. With the fantastic Queen music it gives an overwhelming experience that is difficult to describe with words..
highlander was by far the best film of the franchise. shame how they totally messed up the sequels. they basically destroyed the original idea & added some crappy background story that nobody wanted to see. the tv series from the 90s, however, sticked to the original idea. it was pretty good right from the start, and kept getting better & better over the years. best is if you regard the series as the successor of this 1st film, and forget about the other films.
It's funny because the premise is just a gold mine of movie ideas. The series did it right. A movie-grade version of an episode of the series would have been good and they could have made a bunch easily. Maybe a more high stakes plot like if he doesn't win against this immortal, the bad guy is going to release a virus or launch some nukes. Why they took their premise and went and did this other planet stuff and the source ... it boggles my mind.
I agree with you except for the last season of the series. There are good moments here and there in season 6 (sux), yes, but Adrian Paul wanted out and most of the last season was basically a search for someone to star in a spinoff, with Duncan MacLeod missing for most of it. (Too bad they decided on Amanda; I felt that Methos would be a better person to follow through the decades and centuries.)
As sequels went; Endgame wasn't too bad, though it could've been better. The rest were garbage. In the late nineties I was a bit obsessed with this film, to the point that I bought replicas of Connor and Duncan's katanas. To this day, they're still hanging from my wall.
LanIaFortroSha highlander was one of my obsessions too I thought the first movie was great and so was the tv series especially considering it had a low budget. Endgame was pretty good not bad all round but yeah the other sequels were just shit lol
This film looks absolutely gorgeous on Amazon video where I first saw it yesterday. Bold colors, fine grain and deep blacks. I loved it so much. Started off a little slow, and the first fight in the parking lot tested me a little, but as soon as we got to Scotland I was hooked. It's the kind of movie that gets better and better as it goes and doesn't overstay it's welcome after the climax, doesn't linger and deflate like many other movies do, and still managed to tie things up in a satisfying way. A killer song over the credits and I was sure I'd just seen a true classic. I'll stay well away from the sequels, and I am now morbidly curious about the upcoming reboot.
Best film ever. Have seen it over 250 times over the years. Worn out several commercial VHS and many recorded from TV. Stepped up to Laserdisc, DVD and BD. Still one of if not the one most favorite film of mine. Of course i have a replica of the Katana
You forgot to mention the fact that the UK rock band Marillion were originally offered to do the soundtrack for Highlander instead of Queen, but they turned it down in which Queen then did it instead. Apparently according to interviews, Marillion have regretted not doing the soundtrack for the film. You've also forgotten to mention that there was a successful TV series that ran for 6 years with Adrian Paul as Duncan MacLeod (Connor's best friend). Christopher Lambert as Connor makes a guest appearance in the first ever episode as well as the 4th movie that is based on the TV Series in which Connor dies in the movie. The reason why the TV Series finished was because the lead actor Adrian Paul didn't want to do it anymore and wanted to move on to other projects. However, I do agree that Highlander 2 should have been a prequel set in the past that explores Connor's character much deeply. For example, Connor was an experienced sailor that had vast certain knowledge on ships and also had an earlier encounter with the Kurgan on a burning ship back in the 1700's. This is explained in the novels based on the TV Series.
+Han Solo I agree... the TV series was pretty kick-ass. :-) You just had to think of it as being like an alternate universe because of there being a bunch of immortals again.
I loved this movie, and I watched this so many times I've lost count! It's so romantic and haunting in a way, dealing with love lost due to mortality. What a great movie to watch! The late 80's up till the late 90's were really the best times( in films and in quality of life)!
I just watched it and I thought it's *screams* for a reboot. It won't have that 80's campy insanity but oh boy with better acting, special effects and truly good fighting (I think that's what bugged me the most- Sean Connery's been alive for 2,000+ years and should be a master of all of these fighting styles...and yet the fighting looks like the Obi-Wan vs. Vader lightsaber fight from A New Hope) it could be an effective remake.
@@jennymcelligott lmao how do you think sword fights really look? Like Darth Maul v. Obi Wan ninja flips and twirling? It's likely to be slower than even in these old movies. One false move and you're dead, or a limb is chopped off. They don't actually dance with swords.
If I made the first Highlander movie, I would not have killed off the supporting character until the near end. Instead, I would have the supporting character sword battle with the main bad guy at the near end. The supporting character cuts off the head of the main bad guy. Then, a short time later, the supporting character gets killed by the main character at the near end. It would go something like this: The main character sword battles with a few supporting bad guys. The main character kills the few supporting bad guys while the main bad guy and the supporting character sword battle each other in the far ground. After the main bad guy gets his head cut off by the supporting character, sometime thereafter, the supporting character tells the main character that the main character has no choice but to kill him. The supporting character drops his sword onto the ground and he gets down on his knees and tells the main character "Now, There Is Only You And I". The Main Character says "I cannot". The Supporting Character says "You must" "There Can Be Only One". The main character is in awe and shock, for the main character has no choice but to. The main character slowly turns away. The supporting character closes his eyes. The main character says "Goodbye, My Friend" to the supporting character down on his knees. The main character quickly turns back to the supporting character as the main character cuts off the supporting character is head. Lightning surrounds the main character as the lightning destroys the environment around. The lightning disappears. The main character falls to his knees and takes the, now, deceased supporting character is sword and starts to weep. The main character says "For Eons, It Is Finally Over". Fade To: A far away hillside landscape next to the ocean. The Female Lover character and the main character are in a car as it drives up to a side of the road. The car stops on the side of the road next to a few ancient ruins. The Female Lover Character with a bag and the main character get out of the car. The Female Lover character with a bag and the main character walk towards a deep cliff over the ocean. The Female Lover character says "Here" as the Female Lover character pulls out from the bag the deceased supporting character is sword. The Female Lover character hands over to the main character is deceased supporting character is sword. The main character looks at the deceased supporting character is sword for a few seconds. The main character frowns and says openly "To The Next Realm" as the main character throws The deceased supporting character is sword into the ocean. Cut To: The main character and his female lover driving down a long stretch of road where various ruins are from long ago in the hillside of a far away landscape. The main character and the Female Lover character drive towards a large town that is far off in the distance under a large thunderstorm. Time, itself, passes to The Future. The landscape is the same except for the town is, now, a large city under a sunny, blue sky while the main character says off-screen that the main character is now living a nice life with the Female Lover character and, both, the main character and the Female Lover character have children now while the main character is living his life in the modern times awaiting, however long, his time to go to The Next Realm where he will be reunited with his friends and family once again in the far, far future. The Highlander Theme Song starts as The End Credits starts. As for the backstory, I would change it a bit. I would add something called The Illuminati. Adding this Illuminati will explain why the movie is plot is happening. Here is some of the backstory: The Illuminati chose individuals from various societies throughout the eons to join them. Their primary goal is for the whole entire world to someday unit in peace and harmony for eternity. They call this age Ultimate Reality. They call this Ultimate Harmony. But, eons ago, The Iluminati became forgottened and another one under the same name became and grew overtime. This new Illuminati is main goal are total power and enslavement. This is their Ultimate Reality. They call this The Future Dark Age. Both sides, separately, believe that their future world, and their own groups ultimate goal, will ultimately end up with an age called The Future Stone Age. The two groups, together, are called The Gathering, under the same name called The Illuminati, but, with different outcomes, have somewhat joined forces throughout the many ages of human civilizations. In the far future, they created Time Travel. Their own members, from both sides, willingly participated to travel back in time to various ages. These specific folks is secret mission that was given to them by their higher-ups is to try to survive as long as everyone can to meet up with The Illuminati the day they time travelled to win something called The Game. But, there is a catch. The catch is: There can only be one Time Traveller left to win The Game before Time Travel happens. If there are two or more Time Travellers left when Time Travel happens, they will have to fight each other to the death or else they both ,or all, will be erased from existence for eternity because members of The Illuminati will send people from the future to kill off the last remaining two sometime in the past if that would ever occur in the future when time travel happens. If, or when, a time traveller wins The Game, sometime thereafter, they will be given a choice: To travel back in time again or stay in the future. If they chose to time travel to the past again, they will enter a new The Game with a new group of Time Travellers. They call this event, or events, The Time Of The Gathering. If they chose, or not chose to, time travel, history alters either way for them. If the last remaining Time Traveller has a long range of kills and they have won The Game, they can go back in time again in the future at a later date after Time Travel happens. All of this stuff would be the lore, not the movie is backstory, to what I would do if I made Highlander. As for the main character, he has already forgottened about the future, because he has been alive living through the many eons up to modern-day where I would make the movie is story to take place.
Queen, made this movie, what it is... the Who Wants To Live Forever sequence, made Conor a sympathetic character. Without that sequence, I really don't see the sequels and the TV show happening. He grated the nerves with his naivete and ego. His romance with her, made him human... Duncan, made Highlander legend. The TV show didn't make the glaring mistakes the first two sequels did. And, it brought the tale around, to a more complete saga, and ending...
it had style and substance, and it was a great premise altogether. Great characters too. Man that opening title with "Herrrreeee weeeee arrreeee!!!!!" blasting away...
dear oliver harper: i love your reviews. they're concise, well-written, well delivered and exhaustively researched. you don't resort to exaggeration or swearing, raising your voice in incredulity or resort to low humour. i've learned so much about movies i grew up with and loved and thought i knew thoroughly. one tiny thing grates upon the ear, though - "a ancient egyptian", etc, repeated in many similar situations throughout your reviews. the correct article is AN. it really makes a world of difference and would turn a solid review into an excellent one. again, thank you.
My Highlander review is one of my early videos and not my finest. I've been meaning to return to the original film for a redux review. But I've been slightly put off doing it because StudioCanal jumps in quickly to copyright claim this movie.
Clancy Brown is just such a stunning actor. I loved everything about the Kurgan's gleeful drama and mad theatrics. My favourite character of the entire franchise by a long shot. I just wish the producers had been more respectful towards Clancy, he barely got paid anything for his unforgettable performance. Such a shame that a video game for the Highlander setting was cancelled. How cool would a Game of War-style experience be? Make up your own Immortal warrior and battle through the ages, helping or plundering mortals as you please and continuously facing off against the three iconic characters of the first film until only you remain. You'd pick where in history your character is born, and that would affect difficulty. Starting several thousands of years back is initially easy, with fewer truly powerful Immortals running around and a lot of lesser individuals to pick off to rack up power and develop your playstyle and battle methods. It'd give you a longer campaign to play through and teach you how to travel smartly through undeveloped lands. You could even, if you want special achievements, seek out the Kurgan or Ramírez and try to kill them early so they don't become super bosses from around the year 1300 mark going forward (if you leave both alive, Ramírez dies as he does in film canon, massively boosting the Kurgan's power which you'll have to deal with in future encounters. 'Easy' mode doesn't stay easy forever). If you start late, say your character is made Immortal in 1950, it's immediately crunch time. With only a few handfulls of strong Immortals left, and with international transportation just beginning to speed up, you'll be traveling faster and fighting much harder battles. With your character being not even a century old, they'd be a real underdog and your first fights would be extremely challenging. You'd have no chance of beating the Kurgan or Macleod (or any other game-exclusive Immortal that gets too far ahead of you) if you don't keep the pace.
I read an article at least twenty years ago now, in which somebody did pitch the idea of a prequel to 'Highlander', but it was determined it would be far too expensive. As all of it would be in the past, it would've involved alot of location shooting, possibly hundreds of extras in period costume, and large battle set pieces needing to be arranged and choreographed. As 'Highlander' was not a huge financial success, it was deemed too expensive to be produced. But they had some fascinating ideas for plot lines which would follow Connor's, Ramirez's, and The Kurgan's early lives.
I was 15 or so when the movie came out on VHS. My friends and I watched Highlander over and over again. I haven't watched the movie in decades and I don't need to...I can remember and quote so many scenes to this day. Thanks for the retrospective. I really enjoy content like this.
Despite it's flaws and direction change, I love this movie. I watched it on blu ray with my wife last week (her first time). She enjoyed it but even she questioned the reason for sequels when the story finishes complete. Rest assured, I WON'T show her the other films thus avoiding ruining the first film for her :)
We need a dark, serious, r rated movie reboot. I love that series to death. Mostly for the concept. But i always felt like everything should be more brutal, more sad. I mean...fuck...imagine you life for 300 years. Seeing all the beloved ones come and go, what did this do to you? Yeah i know, the original kind of adresses that, but not enough imo.
The tv-series from the 90's actually adressed some of this.There was Byron(the actual Lord Byron),who was so jaded and desensified from immortallity,the guy had fucked any man/woman ,drunk any alcohol,smoked and snorted any drug and was just tired of all this shit. Then there was an immortal,which had his first quickening as a child and now was trapped in the body of a young boy,despite beeing centuries old.In order to survive,he was seeking other immortals,gained their trust and them when the moment was right,he took their heads. Of course,with today's tv-series standarts,like HBO or Netflix,they could make it more mature and dark.
Vincent Vega absolutely agree, 4 season's which could explain the background of the immortal's and not just have the Kurgan being one guy but Kurgan's thinning out the weaker immortal's. It would be great to see 2 Kurgan's take a gang of other immortal's in a apartment complex or something. The quickening blowing half the block down and 2 Kurgan's walking out from the rubble.
I'm surprised you don't mention the Highlander television series. It was in universe- Lambert even made an appearance. And it was as good as the movies- only for many seasons. It lost an edge towards the end when the actor playing Duncan stopped working so hard to stay incredibly fit but had a great bit with Roger Daltry. It lead to a sub series called "The Raven" which was another immortal that wasn't so great but did last a full season.
The third movie isn’t terrible, it’s fun, not as well written or filmed as the first, but is the spiritual sequel to the first, and the show was a lot of fun as well
Wish this vid covered more of the way Highlander helped influence cinema (along with films like Blade Runner), it's cinematography, story, style, etc. The t.v series was quite good. It's why I got into Queen.
Damm, I love this movie. How Conner, stays with his wife and watchers her grow old and die but loves her just as much, with that classic Queen song Who wants to live forever in the background will get anyone.
The first movie was great. The theatrical cut of the second one was a disaster but the Renegade Cut and the subsequent recut for the DVD made it watchable. Never bothered with the third one as it looked stupid frankly. Endgame was ok, but barely beats the second one in regards to being bad. The Source was horrible and I didn't even bother finishing it. Best thing that came out of the franchise was the TV series and the Queen theme song, which is synonymous with Highlander and you can't hear it without thinking of Highlander in general.
And of course... The first and only movie was easily the actual "best thing"... The Michael Kamen original score was pretty damn sweet too. Might I add?
One of the best scenes is when Sean Connery, Scottish actor playing an Egyptian character (with a Scottish accent) asked Lambert ( a French actor playing a Scottish part with a noticeable French accent) asked Highlander what a haggis is. Brilliant writing that pokes fun at the actors and their notoriously bad accents, with their consent.
This movie and the TV series are definitely something EVERYONE should watch before they die. LbnL I absolutely love the music here.. Queen pulled it off as no-else could.
Found my dads vhs tape of this when i was 10, i liked the cover so gave it a watched.. at the time it was the best thing ever. we also had parts 2 and 3 which i haven't seen since then, but i remember quite enjoying them.. lol
One of my favorite films, a guilty pleasure. And I didn't catch it on original release... but only after Freddie Mercury died and that brief Queen revival that happened in my teens and I looked up the movie.... The gems you find sometimes.
The Highlander franchise was where I cut my teeth on "head-cannon" and learned not to care about awful sequels and follow-ups. This movie is why I can be not angry about things like the SW sequel trilogy - life is too short; nothing "ruins" a good movie or series, they'll always be great and this film is absolutely one of the best
COULDN'T AGREE MORE OLIVER! You're spot on regarding everything from the supremacy of the classic original (Especially contrasted with one of the worst sequels EVER: "Highlander 2:The Quickening"!) & especially on the uniqueness that QUEEN brought to the film with their amazing soundtrack (Making it 2/2 for them after the tremendous soundtrack to "Flash Gordon"!)! TY so much for re-uploading as somehow I must have missed this one in my lollapalooza tour of your retrospective/reviews! And this is one of my all time favorite films! One tiny thing that I'd disagree with you on (& that only slightly) was your comment that the film couldn't really be remade without changing it massively. If Hollywood was SERIOUS about remaking it & wanted to strive to actually IMPROVE on it (I know what you're thinking, HOW COULD THEY?!) then they could actually feature more of McCloud & Ramirez fighting alongside each other over the centuries to cement their bond even more. I can even envision an attack upon a dark castle home of the Kurgan as they plow through countless dark minions to destroy the dark one even though of course we know that he'll manage to escape to die in the film's climax. It'd make the separation of the duo that much more powerful for the audience if they were bonded even more so than they were in this admittedly superb film. One final trivial note: Peter Diamond who plays the immortal that McCloud duels in the parking garage at the beginning of the film was actually the sword fighting expert on the original Star Wars trilogy & even donned the Darth Vader garb for some of the dueling action in quite possibly the greatest swordfight EVER from "The Empire Strikes Back".
One Day I Saw a Movie Playing on tv. I asked my dad what was he watching.. He said Highlander, I said Highlander? I was really interested in what this movie was, and sure enough I was walking in walmart and saw a highlander dvd. I got it and watched it. It thrilled me. I couldn't believe that I'd never heard of this movie. It is a great movie and it should be respected more for what it is.
*Apparently as of a month ago the director of John Wick is on board to direct the reboot!" One of my all time favorites! I'd love to see a reboot made that honors the source material and soundtrack instead of using the name for a quick payday or adapting a script from some random movie and adding immortals.
I remember watching this movie with my dad when it came out on VHS. I was only 7 years old and movie blew my mind....33 years later, I still think of this movie when I pick up a sword (real or fake).
I would also think that accents tend to blur when you live for more than 100 years, let alone 500 or more. But nice review and choices in clips. I think it's also wild Queen basically muscled in to the whole soundtrack after seeing some early scenes, which would have to be Mercury's insisting... he was diagnosed within 1 year or so of this movie's release. Makes that ballad of mortality really quite something, let alone the now known interest by Mercury to be involved. Can anyone doubt he wanted to be among the men in time having done great things? Born to be kings? Better to flame out? Everything that shouldn't have worked about this movie, did and vice versa. Connery only filmed for like a week and that opening narration is on the toilet-- and it's all terrific material! They had a bunch of choices for lead actor and soundtrack even before a rock god hijacked the whole project. And it's basically a marketing poster that wouldn't pass High School Art Class that destroys its immediate legendary status. That's like your $10M estate being shut down because no AC and your septic is backing up. And not a single sequel could be made watchable? It boggles imagination.
I just watched Highlander because they're rebooting the franchise with Hengy Cavill in it. I do hope they put some of the cut ideas back into it like u said.
Because the wisdom and professionalism of film was different in that era; a bit more wiser and more crafted. Nowadays since we have such shitty films now, we look back and say oh it WAS a great film. Not to say this one is bad but other films during the 20th century WOULD have done better.
So glad to see that you were able to re-post this. Does this mean youtube has given you a pass on the copyright stuff? Keep up the great work and we'll keep spreading the word.
Well I removed some of the footage that was flagged and it seems to be ok, It did get matched for content ID on the final montage music which has blocked it on mobile devices. I will try and dispute it.
I would say it is pretty easy to make a sequel: just spawn a new wave of immortals. Which isn't that hard because obviously they are not all born at the same time. But the way bigger problem is to tell an actually new story and not just the same plot again. Also without the music from Queen the movie just doen't work.
Another excellent assessment, Oliver. I would say this about the plot of the second installment: Given the events of the first movie, the plot of the second movie did make for a logical, yet absurd, explanation for continuing a story. I always look at it as a "what if" like the old Marvel Comics run, or the DC Elseworlds titles. Within its own self-contained world, it does make sense with a suspension of disbelief and its own rules. But, that said, the original is still by far the best. I am surprised you didn't mention the TV series, you are usually so thorough when you mention other media related to the movies. I always kind of viewed the TV series as a prequel to the movie (even though they botched it all up when they threw them together in Endgame).
This was my favourite movie for a long long time (Dark City now probably), I looked for the full version of New York New York as it was not on the A kind of Magic album but apparently there _is_ no full version. Seems that Freddie just really hates the song and it took a lot of persuasion just to get him to sing that little bit. Yes Freddie can sound that good even on something he did not want to do and he knocked it out of the park.
Good video, good video. Highlander was a great film and the throwbacks to the Great Clan MacLeod fit the film perfectly. But the first one was the good one. The next 4 were shit and the tv show was also shit (so was the animated show). Highlander is a classic, I just wish they didn't cancel the video game (2007- Highlander: The Video Game). There can be only one. -R.MacLeod
I liked the TV series even though I think there can be only one MacLeod but the series did a great job of expanding upon the idea of the first movie...way better than the sequels anyway. I know that's not saying much because the sequels were shit.
There's actually a really great justification for a sequel given in one of the later films. The bad guy just looks at Connor and says something to the effect of: "Aww, you thought *that* was the Prize? Hahahahaha!" As in, what *looked* like Conner winning the Prize was just the next rung up in the Quickening and Connor's been operating for centuries on bad information. Another thing glossed over in the first film is that the Immortals are seemingly compelled to kill one another yet throughout the films and TV shows Immortals frequently train apprentices seemingly out of altruism, boredom or long-term strategy. Preserving the plot element from Endgame that some Immortals have no interest in the Prize yet take heads and gain power purely for self-defense makes for a blurry line between ally and enemy in what is ultimately a zero sum game. Yet another angle is that governments around the world would *have* to know about these guys fighting duels in back alleys and occasionally in *broad daylight*. Since many Immortals are older than entire *civilizations* let alone countries, most might eventually "outgrow" patriotism but a *brand new* Connor MacLeoud might spare time for Uncle Sam or Jock Tamson before the _realities_ of his situation start to kick in. Which potentially adds a whole level of "being transferred to Metro South" into the mix.
Highlander is one of my favorite movies growing up ! I always read that they where trying to reboot it not big on rebooting classic movies but if they where going to remake Highlander I hope they get Gerard Butler I think he would make a great Connor MacLeod
I never saw this in the 80s, 90s, or 00s and I had to rent it from a library after Olivers review. I am American and this movie is known as a cult hit but I never saw it once on cable. That is strange for all the TV I used to watch
I would really like to see you revisiting some of your older/shorter Reviews and providing a more indepth-video. I'm sure there is more to tell about the making of this movie. Maybe I have to admit, that htis really is one of my very favourit movies - hope they let it rest in peace and don't do a shitty reboot or something.
I turned on HBO one boring Saturday night, just looking for something to watch in 1987. I was 17 and should have been out causing trouble, but sadly I was not. I have been a fan of this movie ever since. I still watch it every year or so, and will be introducing it to my teenage daughters. I hope they love it as much as I did.
This film introduced Queen to a little poor black kid growing up in the projects in the 80's. I went to school and asked my teacher what the hell the Steppes of Russia were and what was a Kurgon. My older cousins were cool kids and after seeing heads rolling, they ended up watching this shit too. Mafter fact, me and my boys spent Saturday afternoons pretending to be immortals, play fighting with sticks and speaking in faulty Scottish accents... This was way before it was cool to be a sweaty geek and THAT is the power of good, cult classic cinema.
HAH! Now THAT was a VERY Cool Story! I LOVE IT! :D
FUNNY! This Movie made we want to Join the Local Ren Faire where I met my friend Nick who PORTRAYED "Connor MacLeod" so we often walked through the Ren Faire as "Immortals". Later a friend of ours Mark this Six Foot Eight HUGE Guy portrayed "THE KURGAN" and I even made a Paper Mache and Resin Animal Skull Helmet and armor for him! MAN was he MASSIVE and Looked VERY Impressive in his "KURGAN" Costume! He even got the VOICE Down! He even went and contacted a blacksmith make an almost EXACT COPY Of the Kurgan Sword for him!
Often there would be Impromptu "BATTLES" between The Kurgan and Connor and I! It took TWO of us to be able to take him on! Kurgan would Pop out and start going after "Connor" and then I would show up and he had to face the TWO of us! And when he realized he couldn't WIN he would run away saying, "Another Time MacLeod! There can BE ONLY ONE! We Really gave people a GOOD SHOW!
MAN those were FUN DAYS! :D
Bet ur Scottish accents were better than Christopher Lamberts 😅
Lovely story mate, brings me back when we kids played outside together, inspired by good movies
@@rossl5908 Hey at least he tried another accent as great an actor as the late great Sean Connery was he never managed to do the accents his characters were supposed to have 🤔🤣
"Heeeerreee We are.. Born to be kings!" .. Don't even tell me the moment you hear that song doesn't make you wanna whip out a sword & cut off someone's head haha.
Personally I think Highlander is one of the most entertaining films ever made, Definitely makes my top 10 list. I never even knew Lambert was French until recent years so I think he did particularly well with the Scottish accent even though to those of us from the UK especially, it does sound rather ropey lol.
The sequels as you rightfully point out are terrible though, what was they thinking when they added that 'from another planet' shit in the 2nd movie? I mean really? It's got to be one of the biggest cop outs for a sequel ever.
Ohh AND the "ALIEN PLANET" was called... are you READY for THIS... "ZEIST"! YEP! Look it up! It's Just SOOO CHEESY!!! There is a reason it's CALLED "Highlander II The SICKENING!" Yea... it should NEVER EVER Have been made!
It was just meant to be a cheesy Cash Cow to ride on the coat tails of the Original movie! Just SO SAD!
Some movies don't NEED "SEQUELS"! They are WHAT THEY ARE! PERIOD!!!
YAAS
Back in the day this movie caught me completley off guard , and blew me away ,I frikkin love this movie
it was like a big opera
Me to
Today the Movies have no Soul.
The movie unbelievable. Get a projector and watch it on the big screen with surround sound... It is AMAZING.
HorroRviXenKate It is one very unique film. Timeless, in more than one sense of the word.
Finally someone does Highlander justice by giving it a review it deserves.
Highlander: There SHOULD Be Only One :)
MisterTutor2010 Did you ever think you'd live in a world where Highlander 2: The Sickening isn't the worst Highlander movie?
I actually saw Highlander 2 first so I tend to have low expectations :)
MisterTutor2010 I saw them in order myself. I didn't even know there was a 5th one until I was visiting my cousin in LA and we watched it on the Sci-Fi channel. Oops, I mean SyFy channel :P
MisterTutor2010 yup - couldn't agree more. I loved the first movie - it's one of my all time favorite movies - the second one was a horrible abomination! The third one I never even watched because of trauma caused by the 2nd :D :D and the TV show....well..... I never watched that one either.
+MisterTutor2010 How did they screw it up so badly, there immortal they fight each other for the prize.
The second film could just be a round two or a new game with a bunch of new immortals.
What to dont do is make the prize geteing old or dieing.
Was blocked in the USA due to the use of the Queen music video. Its been cut out. Review original produced in February 2012.
what do you think about reviewing anime ... such as spice and wolf or death note ?
alucard ex Unless you hadn't noticed, these are retrospective reviews of films from the 80's/90's...films...80's/90's. Spice and Wolf and Deathnote are both modern day cartoons...modern day...cartoons. So mister xe dracula, it would seem rather out of place to review either of the shows you mentioned as neither of them is that old or even a film. Sure they might have feature length episodes, but were the produced on budgets of millions like the films he has been reviewing? No.
If he was going to review any form of manga, then surely it would need to stick to his already set up perameters of classic films from the 80's and 90's. Do I even need to tell you what 2 manga to movie adaptations would be best suited to this situation?, because it certainly isn't tripe like Deathnote and Spice and Wolf. Heck, why not ask him to do Pokemon and Digimon the movie while you are at it! At least ask him to review something which he might actually consider and fit in with what he has allready been doing for so long.
alucard ex unfortunately I haven't heard of those titles. If i cover anime in the future it will be on AKIRA and Ninja Scroll. Two movies I loved as a kid.
Oliver Harper Can't wait for the Ninja Scroll review in the future!
Oliver Harper are you a queen fan?
Another excellent look back at a classic film. Finding out that Chris knew barely any English before shooting the film was a revelation and deepens my respect for his performance. Thanks again Oliver :)
Great review. Queen's 'Princes of the Universe' is really great, and for just tugging at the heart strings, 'Who Wants to Live Forever' is just beautiful. I'm surprised you didn't mention it in your review.
Seriously, did you even watch? 5:40
@@YourMajesty143 he must've skipped it or didn't pay attention. Chill
As soon as I hear "here we are, born to be Kings..." I get goosebumps on my arms
So weird to think of Kurgan and Mr. Krab's sharing the same actor
Ikr
Spongebob Highlander, anyone? (Krabs/Kurgan finds in the end that he can't take Spongebob's head off because Spongebob doesn't really have a discrete head.)
I felt the same.
Made me think of that bully episode haha.
Spongebob puts on blindfold
"okay you can hit me"
............
"What are you waiting for you can hit me"
.................
Spongebob peeks under blindfold
"haha that tickles"
cue montage of mr. krabs trying to kill spongebob with a sword .
The two characters may both be equally big assholes, however I think the Kurgan is far more terrifying.
I think would have worked - okay - if Queen wasn't involved but, having that Queen soundtrack ramped this film up to Classic status!
Queen had a similar affect on the Flash Gordon score.
Another underrated classic. A mesmeric, dark fantasy with wonderful music, cinematography, and excellent chemistry between Lambert and Connery.
"I cannot swim, you Spanish peacock!"
+A JK "What's haggis?"
@@KabukiKid Sheep's Stomach Stuffed with meat and barley.
It's BASICALLY the European/Scottish version of "MEAT LOAF"! It's Ground up Meat, Spices and Barely stuffed into the Sheep's Stomach as a casing!
So many people wretch at the idea... but if you have EVER Eaten Sausage or Brats or Hot Dogs... the "CASING" Is actually the Animal's Intestines! Usually Pig or sometimes calf intestines. I dated a girl who's family had a butcher shop. It was at a "Robert Burns Society" dinner that I first had "HAGGIS" and I LOVED IT! VERY Tasty if Done Properly! There is an Irish Version as well! And A Welsh Version and even a sort of English or Cornish version. But they are all pretty much the same. Oh and when it is done being cooked, It is "PIPPED" Out to the Dinning Room by a Bag Piper and Single Malt SCOTCH or WHISKEY is poured over it and Lit! This gives the outer part a nice Crispy texture! :D
@@j.s.connolly8579 lol... thanks. I was just quoting the movie, but that is a pretty cool, detailed description. :-) I've never had it, myself. I'd give it a try if I had opportunity.
I remember seeing this film in the late 80s. The stunning camerawork especially the shots in the highlands of Scotland coupled with the Queen song “Who Wants to Live Forever?” made me an instant fan. It was really something and yes, there can be only one.
My dad introduced me to this movie as a young child I'm 22 now but I've been a fan since then and still love to watch to this day 2019
One of my all time favorite movies.
Clancy Brown is perfect as the Kurgen.
In addition to the roles you mentioned, he is in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai and The Shawshank Redemption. Both of which I would be interested to see your retrospective review of.
Clancy Brown is always amazing.
Ever see him in the HBO series 'Carnivale' ?
Hey Oliver, don't forget that Clancy Brown voice Lex Luthor inf the 90's superman animated series.
He was also Dr. Neo Cortex in Crash Bandicoot 2 to the end of the series.
Clancy Brown was also Brother Justin on "Carnivale" and Kelvin Inman on "Lost". Actually check out his impressive IMDB, this man works all the time!
@@TheJenSolo AND he was in "PET CEMETERY 2" as well!
Good summary of the movie. It's a classic adventure tale with some good and some less good parts. The great part that you don't mention so much is the Heather dying/funeral scenes that stands out as one of the most touching love scenes ever made. With the fantastic Queen music it gives an overwhelming experience that is difficult to describe with words..
highlander was by far the best film of the franchise. shame how they totally messed up the sequels. they basically destroyed the original idea & added some crappy background story that nobody wanted to see.
the tv series from the 90s, however, sticked to the original idea. it was pretty good right from the start, and kept getting better & better over the years.
best is if you regard the series as the successor of this 1st film, and forget about the other films.
Highlander: The Search for vengence was pretty good, but i know everyone isn't into Anime. It did the first movie and series justice tho.
Engame was ok but Unfortunately the movies based of the TV series afterwards were pure garbage aka Highlander: The Source ...
LyricalMasterMind1 dude thanks for sharing, I didn’t even know there was an anime film of Highlander. I definitely want to give it a watch. :)
It's funny because the premise is just a gold mine of movie ideas. The series did it right.
A movie-grade version of an episode of the series would have been good and they could have made a bunch easily. Maybe a more high stakes plot like if he doesn't win against this immortal, the bad guy is going to release a virus or launch some nukes.
Why they took their premise and went and did this other planet stuff and the source ... it boggles my mind.
I agree with you except for the last season of the series. There are good moments here and there in season 6 (sux), yes, but Adrian Paul wanted out and most of the last season was basically a search for someone to star in a spinoff, with Duncan MacLeod missing for most of it. (Too bad they decided on Amanda; I felt that Methos would be a better person to follow through the decades and centuries.)
As sequels went; Endgame wasn't too bad, though it could've been better. The rest were garbage. In the late nineties I was a bit obsessed with this film, to the point that I bought replicas of Connor and Duncan's katanas. To this day, they're still hanging from my wall.
LanIaFortroSha highlander was one of my obsessions too I thought the first movie was great and so was the tv series especially considering it had a low budget. Endgame was pretty good not bad all round but yeah the other sequels were just shit lol
My Highlander Katanas were hanging in my office and were stolen during a break in! Still mad about that!!
This film looks absolutely gorgeous on Amazon video where I first saw it yesterday. Bold colors, fine grain and deep blacks. I loved it so much. Started off a little slow, and the first fight in the parking lot tested me a little, but as soon as we got to Scotland I was hooked. It's the kind of movie that gets better and better as it goes and doesn't overstay it's welcome after the climax, doesn't linger and deflate like many other movies do, and still managed to tie things up in a satisfying way. A killer song over the credits and I was sure I'd just seen a true classic. I'll stay well away from the sequels, and I am now morbidly curious about the upcoming reboot.
There also was a T.V. series that had a few good seasons.
It Did And A Cartoon
+OwenBruch22 The TV show was the only thing good that came after the first movie.
That show was very watchable and had some solid episodes
Best tv series ever!!!! Loved that show
I got teary eyed when Richie died
Best film ever. Have seen it over 250 times over the years. Worn out several commercial VHS and many recorded from TV. Stepped up to Laserdisc, DVD and BD. Still one of if not the one most favorite film of mine. Of course i have a replica of the Katana
I still get caught off guard when i'm reminded that Clancy Brown does the voice of Mr. Krabs
And Lex Luthor and Hades from God of War 3
Starship troopers
Awesome review on Highlander Ollie. "I've got something to say/ It's better to burn out/ Than to fade away".
Why is this comment not rated higher??? Nice one dude
One of my all time favorites. Too bad the sequels were all terrible.
You forgot to mention the fact that the UK rock band Marillion were originally offered to do the soundtrack for Highlander instead of Queen, but they turned it down in which Queen then did it instead. Apparently according to interviews, Marillion have regretted not doing the soundtrack for the film. You've also forgotten to mention that there was a successful TV series that ran for 6 years with Adrian Paul as Duncan MacLeod (Connor's best friend). Christopher Lambert as Connor makes a guest appearance in the first ever episode as well as the 4th movie that is based on the TV Series in which Connor dies in the movie. The reason why the TV Series finished was because the lead actor Adrian Paul didn't want to do it anymore and wanted to move on to other projects. However, I do agree that Highlander 2 should have been a prequel set in the past that explores Connor's character much deeply. For example, Connor was an experienced sailor that had vast certain knowledge on ships and also had an earlier encounter with the Kurgan on a burning ship back in the 1700's. This is explained in the novels based on the TV Series.
+Han Solo I agree... the TV series was pretty kick-ass. :-) You just had to think of it as being like an alternate universe because of there being a bunch of immortals again.
I loved this movie, and I watched this so many times I've lost count!
It's so romantic and haunting in a way, dealing with love lost due to mortality. What a great movie to watch! The late 80's up till the late 90's were really the best times( in films and in quality of life)!
I really hope they leave this alone and don't try to reboot it. It's a perfect movie with unlimited re-watchability.
But if so , still add some queen songs, “I want it all” and “these are the days” could fit really well ;)
I just watched it and I thought it's *screams* for a reboot. It won't have that 80's campy insanity but oh boy with better acting, special effects and truly good fighting (I think that's what bugged me the most- Sean Connery's been alive for 2,000+ years and should be a master of all of these fighting styles...and yet the fighting looks like the Obi-Wan vs. Vader lightsaber fight from A New Hope) it could be an effective remake.
@@jennymcelligott lmao how do you think sword fights really look? Like Darth Maul v. Obi Wan ninja flips and twirling? It's likely to be slower than even in these old movies. One false move and you're dead, or a limb is chopped off. They don't actually dance with swords.
@@anthonymaslow798 Of course I know that. I'm just saying it was really poorly choreographed. It could have been MORE real.
Henry Cavill doing it bro. 🤔
everytime I watch one of these I wanna go watch the movie. cheers Oliver these videos keep me going when I'm dying at work.
Clancy Brown is awesome. I'll watch anything he's in.
Apparently he also acts & does voiceover work in video games, so i'm told.
If I made the first Highlander movie, I would not have killed off the supporting character until the near end. Instead, I would have the supporting character sword battle with the main bad guy at the near end. The supporting character cuts off the head of the main bad guy. Then, a short time later, the supporting character gets killed by the main character at the near end. It would go something like this: The main character sword battles with a few supporting bad guys. The main character kills the few supporting bad guys while the main bad guy and the supporting character sword battle each other in the far ground. After the main bad guy gets his head cut off by the supporting character, sometime thereafter, the supporting character tells the main character that the main character has no choice but to kill him. The supporting character drops his sword onto the ground and he gets down on his knees and tells the main character "Now, There Is Only You And I". The Main Character says "I cannot". The Supporting Character says "You must" "There Can Be Only One". The main character is in awe and shock, for the main character has no choice but to. The main character slowly turns away. The supporting character closes his eyes. The main character says "Goodbye, My Friend" to the supporting character down on his knees. The main character quickly turns back to the supporting character as the main character cuts off the supporting character is head. Lightning surrounds the main character as the lightning destroys the environment around. The lightning disappears. The main character falls to his knees and takes the, now, deceased supporting character is sword and starts to weep. The main character says "For Eons, It Is Finally Over". Fade To: A far away hillside landscape next to the ocean. The Female Lover character and the main character are in a car as it drives up to a side of the road. The car stops on the side of the road next to a few ancient ruins. The Female Lover Character with a bag and the main character get out of the car. The Female Lover character with a bag and the main character walk towards a deep cliff over the ocean. The Female Lover character says "Here" as the Female Lover character pulls out from the bag the deceased supporting character is sword. The Female Lover character hands over to the main character is deceased supporting character is sword. The main character looks at the deceased supporting character is sword for a few seconds. The main character frowns and says openly "To The Next Realm" as the main character throws The deceased supporting character is sword into the ocean. Cut To: The main character and his female lover driving down a long stretch of road where various ruins are from long ago in the hillside of a far away landscape. The main character and the Female Lover character drive towards a large town that is far off in the distance under a large thunderstorm. Time, itself, passes to The Future. The landscape is the same except for the town is, now, a large city under a sunny, blue sky while the main character says off-screen that the main character is now living a nice life with the Female Lover character and, both, the main character and the Female Lover character have children now while the main character is living his life in the modern times awaiting, however long, his time to go to The Next Realm where he will be reunited with his friends and family once again in the far, far future. The Highlander Theme Song starts as The End Credits starts. As for the backstory, I would change it a bit. I would add something called The Illuminati. Adding this Illuminati will explain why the movie is plot is happening. Here is some of the backstory: The Illuminati chose individuals from various societies throughout the eons to join them. Their primary goal is for the whole entire world to someday unit in peace and harmony for eternity. They call this age Ultimate Reality. They call this Ultimate Harmony. But, eons ago, The Iluminati became forgottened and another one under the same name became and grew overtime. This new Illuminati is main goal are total power and enslavement. This is their Ultimate Reality. They call this The Future Dark Age. Both sides, separately, believe that their future world, and their own groups ultimate goal, will ultimately end up with an age called The Future Stone Age. The two groups, together, are called The Gathering, under the same name called The Illuminati, but, with different outcomes, have somewhat joined forces throughout the many ages of human civilizations. In the far future, they created Time Travel. Their own members, from both sides, willingly participated to travel back in time to various ages. These specific folks is secret mission that was given to them by their higher-ups is to try to survive as long as everyone can to meet up with The Illuminati the day they time travelled to win something called The Game. But, there is a catch. The catch is: There can only be one Time Traveller left to win The Game before Time Travel happens. If there are two or more Time Travellers left when Time Travel happens, they will have to fight each other to the death or else they both ,or all, will be erased from existence for eternity because members of The Illuminati will send people from the future to kill off the last remaining two sometime in the past if that would ever occur in the future when time travel happens. If, or when, a time traveller wins The Game, sometime thereafter, they will be given a choice: To travel back in time again or stay in the future. If they chose to time travel to the past again, they will enter a new The Game with a new group of Time Travellers. They call this event, or events, The Time Of The Gathering. If they chose, or not chose to, time travel, history alters either way for them. If the last remaining Time Traveller has a long range of kills and they have won The Game, they can go back in time again in the future at a later date after Time Travel happens. All of this stuff would be the lore, not the movie is backstory, to what I would do if I made Highlander. As for the main character, he has already forgottened about the future, because he has been alive living through the many eons up to modern-day where I would make the movie is story to take place.
Queen, made this movie, what it is... the Who Wants To Live Forever sequence, made Conor a sympathetic character. Without that sequence, I really don't see the sequels and the TV show happening. He grated the nerves with his naivete and ego. His romance with her, made him human...
Duncan, made Highlander legend. The TV show didn't make the glaring mistakes the first two sequels did. And, it brought the tale around, to a more complete saga, and ending...
it had style and substance, and it was a great premise altogether. Great characters too. Man that opening title with "Herrrreeee weeeee arrreeee!!!!!" blasting away...
dear oliver harper: i love your reviews. they're concise, well-written, well delivered and exhaustively researched. you don't resort to exaggeration or swearing, raising your voice in incredulity or resort to low humour. i've learned so much about movies i grew up with and loved and thought i knew thoroughly. one tiny thing grates upon the ear, though - "a ancient egyptian", etc, repeated in many similar situations throughout your reviews. the correct article is AN. it really makes a world of difference and would turn a solid review into an excellent one. again, thank you.
My Highlander review is one of my early videos and not my finest. I've been meaning to return to the original film for a redux review. But I've been slightly put off doing it because StudioCanal jumps in quickly to copyright claim this movie.
Gawd...you just enticed me with that video and ROCKED me with that ending!!!
I've said it before, i'll say it again. My favourite film ever.
Clancy Brown is just such a stunning actor. I loved everything about the Kurgan's gleeful drama and mad theatrics. My favourite character of the entire franchise by a long shot. I just wish the producers had been more respectful towards Clancy, he barely got paid anything for his unforgettable performance.
Such a shame that a video game for the Highlander setting was cancelled. How cool would a Game of War-style experience be? Make up your own Immortal warrior and battle through the ages, helping or plundering mortals as you please and continuously facing off against the three iconic characters of the first film until only you remain.
You'd pick where in history your character is born, and that would affect difficulty. Starting several thousands of years back is initially easy, with fewer truly powerful Immortals running around and a lot of lesser individuals to pick off to rack up power and develop your playstyle and battle methods. It'd give you a longer campaign to play through and teach you how to travel smartly through undeveloped lands. You could even, if you want special achievements, seek out the Kurgan or Ramírez and try to kill them early so they don't become super bosses from around the year 1300 mark going forward (if you leave both alive, Ramírez dies as he does in film canon, massively boosting the Kurgan's power which you'll have to deal with in future encounters. 'Easy' mode doesn't stay easy forever).
If you start late, say your character is made Immortal in 1950, it's immediately crunch time. With only a few handfulls of strong Immortals left, and with international transportation just beginning to speed up, you'll be traveling faster and fighting much harder battles. With your character being not even a century old, they'd be a real underdog and your first fights would be extremely challenging. You'd have no chance of beating the Kurgan or Macleod (or any other game-exclusive Immortal that gets too far ahead of you) if you don't keep the pace.
I read an article at least twenty years ago now, in which somebody did pitch the idea of a prequel to 'Highlander', but it was determined it would be far too expensive. As all of it would be in the past, it would've involved alot of location shooting, possibly hundreds of extras in period costume, and large battle set pieces needing to be arranged and choreographed. As 'Highlander' was not a huge financial success, it was deemed too expensive to be produced. But they had some fascinating ideas for plot lines which would follow Connor's, Ramirez's, and The Kurgan's early lives.
I was 15 or so when the movie came out on VHS. My friends and I watched Highlander over and over again. I haven't watched the movie in decades and I don't need to...I can remember and quote so many scenes to this day. Thanks for the retrospective. I really enjoy content like this.
Another stellar retrospective. Oliver Harper...you are damn good.
hehe thanks buddy!.
Despite it's flaws and direction change, I love this movie. I watched it on blu ray with my wife last week (her first time). She enjoyed it but even she questioned the reason for sequels when the story finishes complete. Rest assured, I WON'T show her the other films thus avoiding ruining the first film for her :)
We need a dark, serious, r rated movie reboot. I love that series to death. Mostly for the concept. But i always felt like everything should be more brutal, more sad. I mean...fuck...imagine you life for 300 years. Seeing all the beloved ones come and go, what did this do to you? Yeah i know, the original kind of adresses that, but not enough imo.
Amen
I see a bad as Netflix series based on this flim. Only base on this one not the shity sequels.
The tv-series from the 90's actually adressed some of this.There was Byron(the actual Lord Byron),who was so jaded and desensified from immortallity,the guy had fucked any man/woman ,drunk any alcohol,smoked and snorted any drug and was just tired of all this shit.
Then there was an immortal,which had his first quickening as a child and now was trapped in the body of a young boy,despite beeing centuries old.In order to survive,he was seeking other immortals,gained their trust and them when the moment was right,he took their heads.
Of course,with today's tv-series standarts,like HBO or Netflix,they could make it more mature and dark.
Vincent Vega absolutely agree, 4 season's which could explain the background of the immortal's and not just have the Kurgan being one guy but Kurgan's thinning out the weaker immortal's. It would be great to see 2 Kurgan's take a gang of other immortal's in a apartment complex or something. The quickening blowing half the block down and 2 Kurgan's walking out from the rubble.
Just like The Matrix, there should've been only one.
I'm surprised you don't mention the Highlander television series. It was in universe- Lambert even made an appearance. And it was as good as the movies- only for many seasons. It lost an edge towards the end when the actor playing Duncan stopped working so hard to stay incredibly fit but had a great bit with Roger Daltry.
It lead to a sub series called "The Raven" which was another immortal that wasn't so great but did last a full season.
I discussed the TV series in my review of the third movie.
I'll have to go read it there! Loved the series. Thanks!
The third movie isn’t terrible, it’s fun, not as well written or filmed as the first, but is the spiritual sequel to the first, and the show was a lot of fun as well
I have something to say! It's better to burn out than to fade away!
GothamKnightRX THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!!!
"It's better to burn out than to fade away!"
Truer words were never spoken.
Wish this vid covered more of the way Highlander helped influence cinema (along with films like Blade Runner), it's cinematography, story, style, etc. The t.v series was quite good. It's why I got into Queen.
You should review too Highlander: The Search for Vengeance, is the only film after the original that is actually pretty damn good.
Damm, I love this movie. How Conner, stays with his wife and watchers her grow old and die but loves her just as much, with that classic Queen song Who wants to live forever in the background will get anyone.
The first movie was great. The theatrical cut of the second one was a disaster but the Renegade Cut and the subsequent recut for the DVD made it watchable. Never bothered with the third one as it looked stupid frankly. Endgame was ok, but barely beats the second one in regards to being bad. The Source was horrible and I didn't even bother finishing it. Best thing that came out of the franchise was the TV series and the Queen theme song, which is synonymous with Highlander and you can't hear it without thinking of Highlander in general.
And of course... The first and only movie was easily the actual "best thing"... The Michael Kamen original score was pretty damn sweet too. Might I add?
The first DVD I ever purchased was the directors cut of this movie. Still have it and watch it a couple of times a year.
The 4k release looks and sounds great!
I discovered this gem while visiting my uncle, he and his friends were watching it and I was instantly hooked.
One of the best scenes is when Sean Connery, Scottish actor playing an Egyptian character (with a Scottish accent) asked Lambert ( a French actor playing a Scottish part with a noticeable French accent) asked Highlander what a haggis is. Brilliant writing that pokes fun at the actors and their notoriously bad accents, with their consent.
This is and always will be my favourite film. Hands down. Nothing can touch it. It's magic
This movie and the TV series are definitely something EVERYONE should watch before they die.
LbnL I absolutely love the music here.. Queen pulled it off as no-else could.
Found my dads vhs tape of this when i was 10, i liked the cover so gave it a watched.. at the time it was the best thing ever. we also had parts 2 and 3 which i haven't seen since then, but i remember quite enjoying them.. lol
Nice review! I've never been a huge Highlander fan but I do like the first film. The sequels are a different story.
One of my favorite films, a guilty pleasure. And I didn't catch it on original release... but only after Freddie Mercury died and that brief Queen revival that happened in my teens and I looked up the movie.... The gems you find sometimes.
The Highlander franchise was where I cut my teeth on "head-cannon" and learned not to care about awful sequels and follow-ups. This movie is why I can be not angry about things like the SW sequel trilogy - life is too short; nothing "ruins" a good movie or series, they'll always be great and this film is absolutely one of the best
I forgot Miss Babs Celia Imrie was in Highlander! She's been in some really random roles, she was also a fighter pilot in Phantom Menace!
COULDN'T AGREE MORE OLIVER! You're spot on regarding everything from the supremacy of the classic original (Especially contrasted with one of the worst sequels EVER: "Highlander 2:The Quickening"!) & especially on the uniqueness that QUEEN brought to the film with their amazing soundtrack (Making it 2/2 for them after the tremendous soundtrack to "Flash Gordon"!)! TY so much for re-uploading as somehow I must have missed this one in my lollapalooza tour of your retrospective/reviews! And this is one of my all time favorite films! One tiny thing that I'd disagree with you on (& that only slightly) was your comment that the film couldn't really be remade without changing it massively. If Hollywood was SERIOUS about remaking it & wanted to strive to actually IMPROVE on it (I know what you're thinking, HOW COULD THEY?!) then they could actually feature more of McCloud & Ramirez fighting alongside each other over the centuries to cement their bond even more. I can even envision an attack upon a dark castle home of the Kurgan as they plow through countless dark minions to destroy the dark one even though of course we know that he'll manage to escape to die in the film's climax. It'd make the separation of the duo that much more powerful for the audience if they were bonded even more so than they were in this admittedly superb film. One final trivial note: Peter Diamond who plays the immortal that McCloud duels in the parking garage at the beginning of the film was actually the sword fighting expert on the original Star Wars trilogy & even donned the Darth Vader garb for some of the dueling action in quite possibly the greatest swordfight EVER from "The Empire Strikes Back".
One Day I Saw a Movie Playing on tv. I asked my dad what was he watching..
He said Highlander, I said Highlander? I was really interested in what this movie was, and sure enough I was walking in walmart and saw a highlander dvd. I got it and watched it. It thrilled me. I couldn't believe that I'd never heard of this movie. It is a great movie and it should be respected more for what it is.
*Apparently as of a month ago the director of John Wick is on board to direct the reboot!"
One of my all time favorites! I'd love to see a reboot made that honors the source material and soundtrack instead of using the name for a quick payday or adapting a script from some random movie and adding immortals.
great film, a total classic! " I have something to say!!! it's better to burn out then to fade away !! ARHHH THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!!! "
A movie MADE for the BIG screen.
I remember watching this movie with my dad when it came out on VHS. I was only 7 years old and movie blew my mind....33 years later, I still think of this movie when I pick up a sword (real or fake).
One of my favorite movies 🍿. I was six when I saw this. I’m now 28
I would also think that accents tend to blur when you live for more than 100 years, let alone 500 or more. But nice review and choices in clips. I think it's also wild Queen basically muscled in to the whole soundtrack after seeing some early scenes, which would have to be Mercury's insisting... he was diagnosed within 1 year or so of this movie's release. Makes that ballad of mortality really quite something, let alone the now known interest by Mercury to be involved. Can anyone doubt he wanted to be among the men in time having done great things? Born to be kings? Better to flame out?
Everything that shouldn't have worked about this movie, did and vice versa. Connery only filmed for like a week and that opening narration is on the toilet-- and it's all terrific material! They had a bunch of choices for lead actor and soundtrack even before a rock god hijacked the whole project. And it's basically a marketing poster that wouldn't pass High School Art Class that destroys its immediate legendary status. That's like your $10M estate being shut down because no AC and your septic is backing up. And not a single sequel could be made watchable? It boggles imagination.
Always loved this movie. Managed to feel epic at a brisk running time with limited budget. Classic all round.!
The scene in WW2 is really good and the part where his wife dies combined with Who Wants to Live Forever is really beautiful and sad.
Could be one of the best soundtracks ever! This movie is a classic. Hard to watch at times but fantastic in other parts!
Visable wires or not, that film was and still is bloody brilliant.
Watched it today first time and absolutely loved it. Hope they don’t remake it
Love the scene showing how his wife has aged.
Great scene but heartbreaking
Great review, competent and thoughtful. Thank you.
I just watched Highlander because they're rebooting the franchise with Hengy Cavill in it. I do hope they put some of the cut ideas back into it like u said.
Oliver, would love a longer updated review on this. Especially with the news of a possible reboot.
Great review, I kinda was hoping for Spoony to make his own definitive review of The Highlander
US critics seem to slate all the best film classics, wtf is wrong with them.
Because the wisdom and professionalism of film was different in that era; a bit more wiser and more crafted. Nowadays since we have such shitty films now, we look back and say oh it WAS a great film.
Not to say this one is bad but other films during the 20th century WOULD have done better.
Plus, believe it or not...there are a lot of hidden backdoor politics that go on in the critics scene..at least back in the day.
@@neoasura Even moreso today...
So glad to see that you were able to re-post this. Does this mean youtube has given you a pass on the copyright stuff?
Keep up the great work and we'll keep spreading the word.
Well I removed some of the footage that was flagged and it seems to be ok, It did get matched for content ID on the final montage music which has blocked it on mobile devices. I will try and dispute it.
Oliver Harper If it's alright i'll post a couple of links to your review up. Spread the love a little :)
Sounds good mate!.
This movie made me a fan of Queen. I am so grateful :D
Legendary movie(s), not saying they are the best, but there is something incredibly charming especially about the first one !
Hey, thanks Olly. I remember having to jump through a couple of hoops to watch this the first go-round.
It’s a masterpiece. Full stop.
I would say it is pretty easy to make a sequel: just spawn a new wave of immortals. Which isn't that hard because obviously they are not all born at the same time. But the way bigger problem is to tell an actually new story and not just the same plot again. Also without the music from Queen the movie just doen't work.
Another excellent assessment, Oliver.
I would say this about the plot of the second installment:
Given the events of the first movie, the plot of the second movie did make for a logical, yet absurd, explanation for continuing a story. I always look at it as a "what if" like the old Marvel Comics run, or the DC Elseworlds titles. Within its own self-contained world, it does make sense with a suspension of disbelief and its own rules.
But, that said, the original is still by far the best. I am surprised you didn't mention the TV series, you are usually so thorough when you mention other media related to the movies.
I always kind of viewed the TV series as a prequel to the movie (even though they botched it all up when they threw them together in Endgame).
This was my favourite movie for a long long time (Dark City now probably), I looked for the full version of New York New York as it was not on the A kind of Magic album but apparently there _is_ no full version. Seems that Freddie just really hates the song and it took a lot of persuasion just to get him to sing that little bit. Yes Freddie can sound that good even on something he did not want to do and he knocked it out of the park.
Good video, good video. Highlander was a great film and the throwbacks to the Great Clan MacLeod fit the film perfectly. But the first one was the good one. The next 4 were shit and the tv show was also shit (so was the animated show). Highlander is a classic, I just wish they didn't cancel the video game (2007- Highlander: The Video Game). There can be only one.
-R.MacLeod
I liked the TV series even though I think there can be only one MacLeod but the series did a great job of expanding upon the idea of the first movie...way better than the sequels anyway. I know that's not saying much because the sequels were shit.
The anime is also good
The best movie ever made in my opinion.
Quickly becoming one of my favourite subscriptions buddy!
Thank you very much sir!
My favourite Oliver Harper video
There's actually a really great justification for a sequel given in one of the later films. The bad guy just looks at Connor and says something to the effect of: "Aww, you thought *that* was the Prize? Hahahahaha!"
As in, what *looked* like Conner winning the Prize was just the next rung up in the Quickening and Connor's been operating for centuries on bad information.
Another thing glossed over in the first film is that the Immortals are seemingly compelled to kill one another yet throughout the films and TV shows Immortals frequently train apprentices seemingly out of altruism, boredom or long-term strategy. Preserving the plot element from Endgame that some Immortals have no interest in the Prize yet take heads and gain power purely for self-defense makes for a blurry line between ally and enemy in what is ultimately a zero sum game.
Yet another angle is that governments around the world would *have* to know about these guys fighting duels in back alleys and occasionally in *broad daylight*. Since many Immortals are older than entire *civilizations* let alone countries, most might eventually "outgrow" patriotism but a *brand new* Connor MacLeoud might spare time for Uncle Sam or Jock Tamson before the _realities_ of his situation start to kick in. Which potentially adds a whole level of "being transferred to Metro South" into the mix.
Queen’s music pushes this movie to higher ground.
Highlander is one of my favorite movies growing up ! I always read that they where trying to reboot it not big on rebooting classic movies but if they where going to remake Highlander I hope they get Gerard Butler I think he would make a great Connor MacLeod
I saw it years after initial release on VHS because I had never heard of it before then .
I never saw this in the 80s, 90s, or 00s and I had to rent it from a library after Olivers review. I am American and this movie is known as a cult hit but I never saw it once on cable. That is strange for all the TV I used to watch
Thanks for putting this up. Love the movie and your review!
I would really like to see you revisiting some of your older/shorter Reviews and providing a more indepth-video. I'm sure there is more to tell about the making of this movie.
Maybe I have to admit, that htis really is one of my very favourit movies - hope they let it rest in peace and don't do a shitty reboot or something.
I turned on HBO one boring Saturday night, just looking for something to watch in 1987. I was 17 and should have been out causing trouble, but sadly I was not. I have been a fan of this movie ever since. I still watch it every year or so, and will be introducing it to my teenage daughters. I hope they love it as much as I did.