Highlander 2

*Spoiler Warning*: For those that haven't seen the original Highlander, stop reading and go watch it now! I'm going to be writing details that spoil some of the plot of the first film.

In 1986, a little fantasy-adventure film was released. Highlander. It told the story of Connor McLeod(Christopher Lambert), a 500 year immortal who struggled to survive against other immortals from which only could survive. And the only way an immortal could die was to remove his head from his body. The power and knowledge of the vanquished warrior would then flow into the victor making him stronger. The film was critically panned in the United States, while it was more popular in Europe. Later, Highlander developed a cult following when it was released on video. Because of the following, Highlander got 4 live-action sequels, an Anime film, three series, a series of novels, and a canceled video game. The follow-up to Highlander, originally titled Highlander II: The Quickening, took place in the future, in the year 2024, when the world was encased in an energy shield designed to protect Earth from solar radiation. After winning the Prize at the end of the first Highlander, Connor MacLeod helps develop an energy shield in the year 1999 to protect the earth from solar radiation. In the original theatrical release Connor came from the Planet Zeist over 500 years ago. All immortals came from this planet. On the Planet Zeist, MacLeod, along with Ramirez(Sean Connery) helped lead a failed rebellion against the evil General Katana(Michael Ironside). Once captured they are exiled into the future. After a failed assassination attempt, Katana launches himself into the future to finish the job.

I mentioned in the previous paragraph that in the original theatrical release, immortals came from the planet Zeist. A subsequent home video release, dubbed the Renegade Version, excised all mention of Zeist, instead just informing the audience that immortals were exiled from the distant past. First of all, the whole Zeist thing was ridiculous portraying immortals as aliens, basically, and even in the Renegade Version of the film, the idea that immortals came from the past where there was advanced technology is really hard to swallow. Secondly, the overall plot of the film was very heavy-handed in terms of delivering an environmental message. It really slapped you in the face with it. The problems with Highlander 2 began long before they started filming. There were issues with the studio, financing, locations, it was a complete mess, I'm amazed the film ever got made. Russell Mulcahy is once again at the helm, and honestly does what he can with a piss-poor screenplay. A lot of the problems were seen on screen when the film was released. The Renegade Version did away with the whole Zeist idea, which was a good thing, but some of visual effects were really an eyesore, specifically regarding the energy shield. They had planned for it to be blue, but due to technological and financial restraints, they had to make it red. It was horrendous.

There was a second release of Highlander 2 on DVD and that was back in 2004. They re did a lot of the visual effects, and gave the shield it's blue color as originally intended. The new release also did away with unnecessary plot points and scenes, and as a result, made it a better film. Unfortunately, the problems that plagued the film early on simply couldn't be erased. Now, bearing all these problems in mind, I found the film to still be enjoyable because of the performances. The ones who steal the show are newcomers Michael Ironside and John C. McGinley, as Katana and corporate sleaze-bag extraordinaire, respectively. Christopher Lambert returns as Connor MacLeod with an inspired performance as a much older version of his character. Sean Connery also returns as Ramirez. Unfortunately Connery's character is reduced to buffoon status as a fish out of water-type, as his character ends up in the future with MacLeod, who summoned him(another ridiculous plot-point. There's a lot.) Michael Ironside's been one of my favorite actors for a long time and his performance in Highlander 2 is one of those reasons, he plays it over-the-top, but he is so much fun to watch. He chews the scenery like nothing else. One of the things that I should mention, is that Christopher Lambert did all of his own stunts in this film, which really makes things better as you can have close-ups.

Highlander 2 has issues. Big-time. There are plot holes so big you can drive the Death Star through. The story is ridiculously horrid, and in the original release of the film, some of the special effects were so bad that they could give you a head-ache. But, the 2004 re-release of the film fixes the problems with the special effects and the pacing of the film, but it still doesn't fix the other problems that I've mentioned. The real saving graces of the movie, are, as I've said, the performances. Michael Ironside steals the show completely. Some of the action scenes are fun, but sword-fights are far and few in-between which were the trademark of the previous film. As a direct follow-up to the original Highlander, this one falls flat on its face. As a generic sci-fi movie, it's not bad. The next two films in the series are better, but as to what degree, I won't say until I review them, which should be soon. But the worst film in the series is the fifth one, The Source. But I will be reviewing that one later, as well. For now, Highlander 2 gets a 7/10, and that's only because of Michael Ironside. Did I mention how much I like Michael Ironside? He's really awesome.