DVD Talk Forum - Highlander

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I watched this recently. I gotta say, I didn’t love it as much as I thought I used to.

I bought the U.S. 4K disc from Amazon over the holidays for like $12.99. Even though this movie is considered a cult classic, I've never seen it from start to finish. Same goes with Part II The Quickening/The Renegade Cut. Have always been meaning to over the years. I have seen The Final Dimension, Endgame and the God awful The Source.

Well, back to this movie. I watched it from start to finish the other night. I wasn't really impressed with the new 4K image. It looks like a 37 year old movie. But, I have to attribute that to it being shot on film and it's budget. And I didn't love it to be honest. It has not aged well. Definitely shows in the special effects too. I know it would have been cost prohibitive to re-do the effects. The fight choreography wasn't really good in my opinion. Sean Connery's appearance was really small. Maybe it's just that this movie was a product of it's time and is now dated.

I did however start checking out the new 2021 produced Studio Canal documentary on the 4K disc on the making of the movie. They have new interviews with surviving participants who made the movie, including Lambert. Russell Mulcahy said that Lambert didn't even speak English when he was cast. He had a dialogue coach to help him. He was cast based on Mulcahy watching Greystoke and Lambert was dubbed in that movie. I'll probably try to finish the doc over the weekend.

Funny I love the film more every time I see it.

It hasn't aged well but still very watchable.

I would like to see a revival of the 1990s TV series.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJariya (Post 14222995)

I'd be inclined to make a snarky comment about Chuck Norris or Cannon Films, but I'm too busy crying into my Cheerios. The fact that you'd even suggest the idea of redone special effects is why we can't have nice things.

:shrug: My opinion on Highlander is probably unpopular, but it is what it is. I didn't hate it. But, I didn't like enough to think it's super rewatchable. But, I can see how it would have developed a cult following. And that's why I said it would have been cost prohibitive to touch up the special effects. It was a low budget B movie from the 80s. And the purists would have been angry that it should be left alone. It's a product of it's time.

There will always be a warm fuzzy spot in me for Highlander. It's one of those movies that doesn't lose any of its magic over time. Sfx might be dated, The Fabulous Freebirds might be dated, but it doesn't mean I think any less of the movie because of it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rocket1312 (Post 14223152)

The fact that you'd even suggest the idea of redone special effects is why we can't have nice things.

To be fair, Highlander had been tinkered with (on the audio side) before having the original sound mix restored for the BD release.

And don't get me started on Highlander II.

It's probably a nostalgia thing for me in terms of the audio -- I can still vividly remember the special edition laserdisc that came out in the late 90's that featured the new DD 5.1 mix -- when the Kurgan gets Ramirez's quickening - the Kurgan holds his sword close to his chest and you can hear the "power blasts" going from left to right in the discreet channels. It sounded great. I've never heard those effects again outside of that LD release.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJariya (Post 14223270)

I'm just giving you a hard time. You're welcome to your opinion. Even if it is wrong. I mean come on. Queen soundtrack, Clancy Brown and a scene where Christoph Lambert explains haggis to the world's most famous Scotsman. A Scotsman who, by the way, is playing an Egyptian named Juan Sanchez Villalobos Ramirez. That's gold, Jerry!

And for the record, Highlander was most definitely not a low budget film. I've seen estimates online suggesting something in the range of $15-$20 million. That's not Star Wars money, but it is Back to the Future or Aliens money.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RocShemp (Post 14223361)

To be fair, Highlander had been tinkered with (on the audio side) before having the original sound mix restored for the BD release.

And don't get me started on Highlander II.

Oh I'm well aware. They also tried to update some of the effects back in the 90's. And it sucked. Thankfully that version hasn't been seen in 20ish years.