"Speaking in Tongues" - HIGHLANDER

There can only be ONE Highlander!!!....by Toyota!

Going a little low brow for a change, I decided that I finally needed to watch the esteemed (misnomer?) classic, Highlander.  Only knowing there were some movies, a television series, and that “There Can Only Be One” (thanks Dane Cook), I ignorantly dived in head first.  I'll mainly focus on the first two in the series, both being directed by Russel Mulcahy, a prolific video/ad director from Australia.  While I was excited about the first film, I feared for the remainder of the series and its effects on me.

Fear was justified.

Highlander (1986)

Color me surprised to find this classic actually may be self-aware; Immortals fighting each other to the death, Queen pop music, Scotsman Sean Connery as a Spaniard (say “Mucho Gusto” in a Connery accent) and Christopher Lambert’s hilariously smart ass laugh (as seen here) make for a fairly fun time with what could amount to an overly serious existential crisis.  It is ridiculous enough that after the mysterious opening scene (not yet knowing about this awesome “Prize” everyone fights for) the only thing left in the movie is to take it for fun; there’s hardly any reality to it.  While at times there exists borderline terrible dialogue (Lambert’s Conner MacLeod wins here) and unique but misplaced camera work (constantly giving a fish eye lens effect) I couldn’t help but find this film to be a decent gem from the 80s (and it’s cleary dated as such, what with Director Mulcahy’s music video background). As much as I enjoyed it, the interesting premise could be even more interesting as the overly serious existential romp. 

Highlander II: The Quickening (1990)

Going into this film I had many colleagues warn me of the peril I was about to face.  However, the version that is supposedly worse than Gigli is the theatrical cut; I watched the “Renegade Cut” developed by Mulcahy in 1995 (apparently his “vision” was screwed with by greedy producers).  If perchance you haven’t ever viewed this piece of cinema, people loathe it because it seems to neglect any of the logic the first film presented: the Immortals are actually (arguable) aliens from another planet (though in this version they’re supposedly from a different time on Earth…shit be confusing) it takes place in a ridiculous future with a shield around the Earth (not really an issue related to the first film, but still) and if an Immortal get two kills within a span of a few minutes, Sean Connery can come back to life.  Even with a slightly incomprehensible plot (and a downright anticlimactic ending) I cannot deny I was more entertained than the first film.  I have no idea how this story was pitched, but props must be given to those that thought up the premise; it required quite an imagination.

Highlander III: The Final Dimension (1994)

Number three was supposed to be a return to form (it had a form?) for the Highlander series, completely ignoring what happened in the second film and only bringing Christopher Lambert back to the party (new director, no more Scottish-Egyptian-Spaniards).  “Grounded” is the first term that comes to mind regarding this film, as it does bring us back to a more relatable world.  The visuals and production design give us a believable setting, and the story of an ancient warlord Immortal who has been buried for centuries only to return now has its moments.  However, besides a few decent fight scenes, and the fact that the plot gives us a gorgeous yet believable archeologist (I dig Deborah Kara Unger) it’s fairly pointless, lacking in the vitality and fun departments.  Considering fun was one of the factors I enjoyed about the previous films, color me a sad panda face.

Tidbit: I’m positive there was no mention of a “Dimension”, let alone one that is “Final”, making the title the most fun aspect of this movie.

Highlander: Endgame (aka Why Didin’t I Stop Earlier?!?!?!)

Getting to the point in the series when roman numerals and numbers are no longer cool, we find the symbiosis (or lack there of) of the film franchise with the television series (almost forgot about this one) because well, Christopher Lambert was getting old (a guess, but it seems logical and I don’t really care either way).  Maybe I need to delve into some episodes to understand its mythology (I won’t have time to get my nails done though) but apparently it went in a different direction than the film franchise.  Basically we get Adrian Paul (Duncan MacLeod of the TV world) and Lambert’s MacLeod as buddies dealing with some asshole Immortal (like in every other film) who wants to take over the world.  Christopher Lambert is acting emo, Adrian Paul is a love struck fool…oh hell, need I say more?  Poor qualities including shoddy camera work, careless story development, horrid acting, and loose (if any) connections with the previous films make a dull non-entry in my opinion, completely lacking in fun. 

On a positive note, the music is interesting.  

This being the final film with Lambert’s character, I knew I could finally stop here (even though the series apparently lives on in the home video world).  Until the supposed remake with Ryan Reynolds (which I’m mildly excited for, due to the potential focus on existential angst) the only thing I’ll be missing is Lambert’s ridiculous laugh. 

Tidbit:  There are four damn movies; I thought “There Can Only Be One”?!