Highlander II: The Renegade Version

Starring:Jeff Altman, Pete Antico, Max Berliner, Phil Brock, Peter Bromilow, Peter Bucossi, Sean Connery, Karin Drexler, Steven Grives, Michael Ironside, Christopher Lambert, Virginia Madsen, John C. McGinley, Jimmy Murray, Randall Newsome, Allan Rich, Diana Rossi, Rusty Schwimmer, Ed Trucco
Studio: Republic Studios
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Theatrically released in 1991 as Highlander II: The Quickening, this sequel was later reedited and gained a small but loyal following (prompting a spinoff TV series), but at the time of its release critic Roger Ebert called it "the most hilariously incomprehensible movie ... almost awesome in its badness." In other words, you might find some guilty pleasure in this chaotic sequel to 1986's Highlander, in which Christopher Lambert reprises his role as Connor MacLeod, a member of the alien race known as "Immortals," banished to Earth from his home planet Zeist some 500 years ago. In the year 1999, Lambert owns a corporation that has created a shield to protect the Earth following the depletion of the ozone layer. But the shield is seized by an evil cartel, and Virginia Madsen plays a scientist who assists MacLeod in his mission to destroy the cartel. Sean Connery also reprises his role from Highlander as the Scottish Immortal named Ramirez (?!), but by the time he starts engaging in dashing swordplay you may wonder if he's wandered in from another movie altogether. Highlander fans welcomed the laserdisc and DVD release of this "renegade" director's cut, which attempts to clarify the original version's confusing plot. The DVD includes THX and AC-3 audio, director and producers' commentary, a generous photo archive, and an original documentary about the making of the film. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Highlander - the flop.......2007-07-01

Not a favorite 'Highlander' of mine. It lacked credibility. The fantasy of immortality was lost. Why? I'm thankful for "Highlander" and "Highlander - End Game".

COULD ANYONE IMAGINE A WORSE MESS?.......2007-05-25

At least H2 was consistent: The worst scripting, worst directing, worst acting, worst casting, worst editing and worst everything else I've ever seen in a movie. It's the George Bush of movies.

What's worse is that they took one of the best premises around, the HIGHLANDER concept, and so messed and muddled it. In my book this mucked-up monster has replaced BATTLEFIELD EARTH as the most incomprehensible waste of money in cinematic history. (Whew. I feel better. Not much though; but the bad mental taste is somewhat exorcised.)

A large scale, futuristic action movie with a charismatic star........2007-05-02

Four stars for this great looking futuristic environmentally theme action movie. And an extra star for the producers and director for having the tenacity to get the movie back to it's original intent. Of course, along the way they fixed up some of their own errors in judgement, too. Now the movie plays as well with the original.

When Loyds of London, who insured this movie, took over, they assembled the story in chronological order. This was not the intent of the director, who had planned the flash back style used in the first film. This type of story depends on the flashback style.

Some reviewers suggest that the additional 16 minutes are not so important. But I say, that's one sixth of an entire movie. Movies, such as "High Noon" have been made or broken on a mere 10 minutes of screen time.

The movie is filmed in 2:35 aspect ratio by the cameraman that went on to do "GoldenEye", and looks beautiful. The dramatic stylized lighting makes Lambert more intense and strikingly handsome than in the original.

He's an old man for the first 30 minutes of this movie, giving the story a real feeling of mortality vs. immortality. After killing his first attackers he is re-energized and youthened. Now he is able to find out the truth about the ozone protective shield he helped build. He'll try to get control away from the corrupt businessmen that now exploits the shield and the population of the planet. Very timely.

Lambert does all his own stunts in this movie, including the hover board flying and the ride down the top of an outside elevator. No blue screens or effects in both cases. It's great to see a large scale beautiful looking movie without the sometimes unrealistic looking CGI effects that are used today.

Sean Connery and Lambert are no longer teacher and student. Now they are equals. Culp and Cosby of the future. There's lots of humor to enjoy here, especially on Connery's part. To answer the question about how Connery came back from the dead, "Hey.......It's a kind of magic."

All the supporting actors are recognizable faces, with Michael Ironside using twisted humor as he stomps around the world creating havoc. Like taking a subway train on a high speed joy ride, crashing it, killing the passengers, and then announcing to the dead with glee, "Last stop." It's just the kind of thing a psychopath immortal would do.

As far as one reviewer complaining about Lambert "walking up to some strange woman and has sex with her up against a stone wall." She's the leading lady, they already established contact, went for a ride, and she watched him survive the first battle, and become young, handsome and frisky, and she needed his help to find the truth about the ozone shield. And besides, what two consenting (obviously consenting) adult mortal and immortals do, in the privacy of their own back alley in the future is their business. Plus, they got that over with quick and then could continue with the important talks of immortality, haunting memories of lost loves, and how to save the earth.

I bought all four Highlander features just now and watched them in two days, home alone, as morality tales about immortality should be watched. And for me, "There can be only two." The original and Highlander 2 "The Renegade version". I watched #2 twice, just to be sure, and enjoyed it twice.

Soon those who remember the original cut of this film will have their say, new viewers will watch it with unpolluted minds and enjoy this film on it's own merits. A large scale, quickly paced, fun and funny action tale of the future, with a theme that needs to be heeded more than ever.

No Planet Zeist? GOOD, Added Rude Scenes - BAD!.......2007-04-05

I was all set to enjoy a different version of Highlander 2 when, in the first scene, the main character walks up to some strange woman and has sex with her up against a stone wall. Since when was our main character so rude and crude? Not my cup of tea. I watched this when I purchased it a few years ago so can't remember much else to comment on. Just a bad movie any way it is cut or added to.

Finally we have what can now be called a worthy sequal.......2006-12-27

Highlander 2: The Quikening, has now been officially renamed
to simply: Highlander 2. The edition I am reviewing, is stating, it's "The Renegade Edition". However it was released only last year (2005 at the time of writing) and seems to fit with what folks are saying for this edition. I also own the original theatrical version and it's nice that the shield is now blue as opposed to the original red, which was possibly the silliest move in the movies creation ever. Good ridance to that.

I did like the fact that Highlander became a Sci-Fi as I'm a big fan of the genre. This is why many folks did not like this sequal. Not necessarily because the film is bad(I for one, disagree with this), simply because it took there beloved fantasy and turned it into something which was explainable within a Sci-Fi context. To this day, it's still the wish of the majority of Highlander fans that this film simply be dropped from the Highlander canon.

For those fans, please do take a look at this edition. The added material is fantastic and a god send for this sequal. Now the movie has a story which follows on from the original while still keeping the planet Zeist and the explanation of where the immortals come from intact. It also has a much better beginning and keeps McCloud more authentic.

The scene were the hole in the shield is investigated is superb and the working of the Sci-Fi concepts into the story finally makes sense. Admittedly it's not perfect sense with the feel that there should be a little more on the war on Zeist and tie-ins when McCloud is remembering that peice the build up to the creation of the shield with the events in the first movie. However as a big fan of the movie "Cashern", one thing I do like in movie is when not everything is explained in detail and things just happen. Life is like that. Things are not always explained in painful detail and most of the time, events occur around us in ways that we are not expecting.

Overall I would actually rate this movie 3.5, however the rating system only allows full stars. What it could still do with is more fillers(if only there was more footage). For example, the only scene that gets on my nerves now is where all our heroes are stuck in a detention cell in a maximum security centre and a spinning blade that covers the entire ceiling is spinning down to chop them into little peices. I liked how Sean Connerys character comes to the rescue with his style and flare, however it would have been better if they could have shown him transporting back to Zeist and a brief session with the council.

The over the top ending where guards are being fired at all over the place etc, has gone and we are presented with a straight show down and the destruction of the now defunct shield generator.

Besides the miraculous rescue scene where Connery disappears and the lack of build up in the relationship between McCloud and his new girlfriend(they begin kissing passionately after they have only just met, but I said to myself, it's because he's a recharged immortal and like Bond, has this way with women. What else could it be?)

The deleted scenes were nice and there were some really great scenes in there. I was totally horrified however at an alternate ending scene were McCloud and his newly aquainted girlfriend turn into spirits and twirl off into the stars. Apparently that's what happens in America when the theatrical is broadcast on national television.(Fellow fans you need to see this version).

Thankfully that ending is not in either of the versions I saw and I never want to see it again.

Overall for those of you who liked the idea of the sequal despite it's terrible editing originally, you will adore this. For those of you who didn't like the change from fantasy to Sci-Fi, you may find some good in this but are highly advised to stick to the original only.

Sean.

Highlander II: The Renegade Version [Region 2]

Average customer rating:

Highlander - the flop
COULD ANYONE IMAGINE A WORSE MESS?
A large scale, futuristic action movie with a charismatic star.
No Planet Zeist? GOOD, Added Rude Scenes - BAD!
Finally we have what can now be called a worthy sequal

Highlander II: The Renegade Version [Region 2]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Highlander
Highlander - Endgame
Highlander - The Final Dimension (Special Director's Cut)
Highlander 3 - The Sorcerer
Highlander The Series - Season 3

ASIN: B00004RYDO

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Highlander - the flop.......2007-07-01

Not a favorite 'Highlander' of mine. It lacked credibility. The fantasy of immortality was lost. Why? I'm thankful for "Highlander" and "Highlander - End Game".

COULD ANYONE IMAGINE A WORSE MESS?.......2007-05-25

A large scale, futuristic action movie with a charismatic star........2007-05-02

No Planet Zeist? GOOD, Added Rude Scenes - BAD!.......2007-04-05

Finally we have what can now be called a worthy sequal.......2006-12-27

Average customer rating:

Highlander - the flop
COULD ANYONE IMAGINE A WORSE MESS?
A large scale, futuristic action movie with a charismatic star.
No Planet Zeist? GOOD, Added Rude Scenes - BAD!
Finally we have what can now be called a worthy sequal

Highlander II: The Renegade Version
Starring: Jeff Altman , Pete Antico , Max Berliner , Phil Brock , and Peter Bromilow
Manufacturer: Republic Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Highlander
Highlander - Endgame
Highlander - The Final Dimension (Special Director's Cut)
Highlander 3 - The Sorcerer
Highlander The Series - Season 3

ASIN: B00005JI1J
Release Date: 2001-04-13

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Highlander - the flop.......2007-07-01

Not a favorite 'Highlander' of mine. It lacked credibility. The fantasy of immortality was lost. Why? I'm thankful for "Highlander" and "Highlander - End Game".

COULD ANYONE IMAGINE A WORSE MESS?.......2007-05-25

A large scale, futuristic action movie with a charismatic star........2007-05-02

No Planet Zeist? GOOD, Added Rude Scenes - BAD!.......2007-04-05

Finally we have what can now be called a worthy sequal.......2006-12-27

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