Search - Highlander 2 [Special Edition] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Questionable for Children Movie Release: 1991 DVD Release: 07/20/2004 Format: DVD - Soft-Matted WSE for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Edition: Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 2 Number of Discs: 2 Run Time: 1 hrs 49 mins Studio: Republic Pictures Members Wishing: 1 Genres: Fantasy, Sword-and-Sorcery, Fantasy Adventure See Also: Highlander 2 [Renegade Version]

At the end of Highlander, Juan Ramirez (Sean Connery) died and Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) was rendered mortal. "Highlander 2: The Quickening begins in 1999 when Connor solves the problem of an ever-depleting ozone layer on the earth by devising a giant shield around the entire planet. The earth is saved, except for the fact that it is now a continual 99 degrees, and the earth is plunged into 24 hours of darkness. 40 years later, Connor is an elderly man with liver spots, heading out for the opera. Then there is a flashback of Connor recalling his halcyon days on the planet Zeist hundreds of years earlier. Back on Zeist, Connor and Ramirez led a futile coup against the ruling dictator, Katana (Michael Ironside), that caused them to be banished to Earth. Back in the future, Katana sends a pair of wacky goons to kill Connor. When Connor lops off their heads, he is now young again...and immortal. Just the right time to meet the attractive scientist Louise Marcus (Virginia Madsen), who has discovered that the shield around the earth is no longer needed since the ozone layer has repaired itself. But, unfortunately, the shield is in the clutches of an evil cartel who wants to control the earth's resources. Connor and Louise team up to battle the cartel while Katana sends out more emissaries to get Connor. Ramirez, although supposedly dead, also makes an appearance in the 21st century -- garbed in full Scottish regalia. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Christopher Lambert - Connor MacLeod
Sean Connery - Juan Villa-Lobos Ramirez
Virginia Madsen - Louise Marcus
Michael Ironside - General Katana
John C. McGinley - David Blake
Allan Rich - Alan Neyman

Highlander II is one film that will not die. It seems that every five years or so, a new version of this sucker is released, and while improvements have definitely been made, the film is still regarded as a turkey. Now audiences have Lion's Gate's two-disc Special Edition, complete with enhanced and "re-imagined" visual effects that not only bring the film into the digital age, but far closer to what the filmmakers had originally envisioned. So what does this sour sequel look like this time around? Well, gone are the ridiculous blood-red skies, replaced with a cool-blue color that the cinematographer had initially planned on with his lighting, which along with a few enhanced CG shots, does make the film a much more pleasant visual experience. Pair that with an anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen picture that's been given a newly remastered high-definition transfer from the original film negative, and you have a quite a remarkable presentation on this puppy. The audio has been given a major overhaul as well, with 5.1 Dolby Digital EX and 6.1 DTS ES tracks that are covered with newly created sound effects made especially for this DVD. So, basically, you have the director Russell Mulcahy's =Renegade version of the film with a massive cosmetic makeover, a fine and much needed improvement over what was once there -- it's just too bad they couldn't do anything to redo the story, performances, and heavily crippled dialogue. Disc one is devoid of the commentary that was included on the film's prior DVD release, but includes a special branching feature that points the viewer to behind-the-scenes footage on the making of certain scenes.

The supplemental disc continues to delve into the production, this time through various documentaries that paint a picture of a film with high aspirations that was sorely crippled by its investors, filming locations, and laborious schedule. The 50-minute mega-documentary "Highlander 2: Seduced by Argentina" starts the fun off right with a detailed look at the history of the film and the ups and downs of filming in a gorgeous city on the brink of its own economic disaster. The rest of the disc is split into four smaller featurettes that cover the music, costuming, cinematography, and the technical redemption that this enhanced version of the film now presents. Interviews with composer and rock group The Police alumni Stewart Copeland, costume designer Deborah Everton, along with cinematographer Phil Meheux and visual effects designer Sam Nicholson are included and very well handled, though combined with the additional thoughts from producers Peter S. Davis and William Panzer, one underlying question pops up -- where's Russell Mulcahy? Either way, the featurettes do a wonderful job of making even the most diehard opponent of the film respect the hard work and craftsmanship that was put into the film, whether it be the gorgeous cinematography or the sweeping, operatic score. A ten-minute presentation that was originally presented at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival can also be found on the disc, as well as the original theatrical trailer and five minutes of deleted scenes (including the so-bad-it's-good "fairy tale" ending -- Yikes!). So while the filmmakers can't exactly change time and undo most of the sequel's major mistakes, they can at least make sure to preserve the original vision and pay respect to the talented crew that helped bring that vision to life -- something that this DVD does fantastically well. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide