Highlander II (1991) Retrospective / Review
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Highlander II (1991) Retrospective / Review
Get Highlander II on Blu-ray here goo.gl/O8wDiY
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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.
The good Highlander films can best be summed up by one phrase alone: "There can be only one."
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,
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
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
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!
"There can be only one."
Well.....there should have been.....
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.
"We´ll remember that day for 1000 years - the day, we ruined the Highlander-franchise!" :-P
"I don't know why anyone would return to ziest. It looks like a shit hole"...that line had me laughing so hard
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 2: The Uncalled-For"
Highlander 2: The Sickening. There should only have been one.
Had completely forgotten about anything that happens in this film. And now I see why
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
"...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.
Great review! Loved your explanation of the films production.
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.
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.
1:50 - The reaction of anyone being forced to sit through a second viewing of this movie. :-)
You plan to do a retrospective on Highlander III? The most forgotten of the Highlander films.
I want a Crow City Of Angels review
"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.
It is maddening Oliver how you don't have a least a few hundred thousand Uruh Hai subscribers to your channel. It is fantastic.
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 actually like this film not good movie but I enjoy in on a visual level
If anything i agree..it does have that
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.
I remember watching the first Highlander with my dad. Good father and son bonding. He thought "Hey, I've never seen the sequel, how about I watch it with my son? I heard it was bad, but it can't be that bad." It was. It's one of the few things I won't forgive him for.
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.
Thank you for introducing me to Steward Copland. Wow, he is a superstar of the classical music world.
You've done it! I never thought I'd see anything interesting pertaining o Highlander II, but this was a thoughtful, if depressing, recap.
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?
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.
Dr. Cox controlled the shield? :D Nice review. I'm gonna watch all the other reviews. Lots of interresting facts. Thx :)
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.
I quite enjoyed this "Cyberpunk" Highlander movie... It reminded me of Midgar from FFVII at first
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.
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 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.
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
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.
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".
Highlander 2: The dumbening
Great review!
I'm from Argentina... wow what a trouble was the production of this movie!
Huge fan of your retrospectives @oliver. They are compelling viewing.
thanks Brian!
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 can't polish a turd, but you can roll one in glitter.
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.
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.
Very interesting review! Thanks for uploading!
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.
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?
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.
fantastically researched review. :) I love hearing about trainwreck productions.
+jody briggs Thanks Jody!
+Oliver Harper gotta love sex for no reason at all.
the plane safety video is the best scene in the movie
Highlander was a book series long before a movie.
They ARE from another planet, deal with it...
I like how one of Katana minion spoke out the plot points
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.
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
Oliver! I forgot to resub after changing accounts a while ago! I love your work man please keep it up
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'm loving this! Exactly what I was looking for.
A superior review, Oliver. Thank you and subbed!
Great review.
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.
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.
Best quote ever. “I don’t know why anyone would return to Zeist. It looks like a shit hole.”
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))))
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 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
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.
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.
..but you can roll it in glitter! - Come on Oli , missed a trick there son ;)
Just brilliant man
Blimey ! Look at the building in the back 9:10 Heroshima bombing dome.
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.
It seems as though the producers wanted to have their own Star Wars/Blade Runner epic scifi action franchise and felt that combing it with their already popular Highlander movie in a sequel would be perfect but it wasn't. There are a handful of interesting ideas in this film despite that the plot barely makes any sense, its a film that could be its own original idea but because they made it a sequel to the cult classic Highlander they tarnished their own reputation, its like you said, "There can only be One...There should have been only One."
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 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.
I'll say one thing for Highlander 2. If ut wasn't for part 2, I wouldn't have seen part one.
See, i was reading an issue of STARLOG back in the day, and read an article about how they were making part 2, and that somehow Sean Connery was coming back. I had seen part 1 at the video store but never was interested in renting it. So I read that article, and it made me curious about the first part. Then I rented it, and now I own a shitload of swords and trench coats.
The only bad thing is the the name of the character one called "Captain ", for me.
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.
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 like this one because of vast art deco style sci-fi feel , not quite dark city but like its from that sort of universe ,
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
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.
i was introduced to Highlander through the sequel, i don't remember which revision of it it was, i didn't even know it was such a big failure it even had revisions re-releases. But i remember being fascinated by its special effects, however i remember being so confused by it that i thought it must have been because i didn't see the first one, certainly there had to be some epic fascinating saga i was missing because i didn't understand it. I looked up the first one on the video store, i really liked it, but it didn't answer any question i had about the sequel, by then i was hooked on the series and i ended up watching every Highlander movie
Old Macleod goes into quickeningcomes out as a young Raiden and says...."I don't think so..."
This is the 3rd greatest Highlander movie right behind the 1st one and the 3rd one.