Highlander – Director’s
Cut (1986) & Highlander 2
(1990/Lionsgate Blu-Rays)
Picture: B- Sound: C+ Extras:
C- Films: (Highlander:
B+ / Highlander 2: C-)
Russell Mulcahy brought an astounding sense of scope to what might have
otherwise been a typical 80's action movie when he directed the first film in
the Highlander series. The movie
took fantasy swordplay and effectively placed it in a modern day setting. This served to connect you with its otherwise
outlandish concept of immortals battling for supremacy by lopping the heads off
one another. The movie was a success in
its time, and despite a deluge of bad sequels and spin-off TV shows, a
dedicated fan base remains to this day.
The film is a personal favorite, and it is great to see it released on the
Blu-Ray format. Unfortunately, aside
from a commentary track, there is little here to entice you into a purchase
other than some deleted scenes. Considering
the multiple editions this film has had on DVD, it is likely that there will be
future releases to heap on the extras - so it may be best to hold out on this
one unless you are dying to see it in high definition.
Next, we have the films' first sequel, Highlander 2, also directed by
Mulcahy. As utterly ridiculous as this
film was upon its initial release, I still prefer the original cut of the film
to any of the revisionist versions that have come since. The first of these new versions was entitled
the Renegade Version, which completely altered the sequence and story of
the movie in an effort to shape it into a more serious affair. In this cut, the stars of the film were no
longer revealed to be aliens, but rather from Earth's distant past.
The version of Highlander 2 presented here is the same as that on the
2004 Special Edition of the film. It is much like the Renegade Version,
but with new and improved CG effects. Both
of these versions of the film suffer in much the same way as Richard Donner's
director's cut of Superman 2. These
films provide hard evidence that there absolutely was something better just
under the surface, but ultimately reveals that you cannot reverse time and make
them as intended. The resulting films
always end up with an uneven flow and are at times inconsistent with
themselves.
There are several extras included for Highlander 2, with deleted scenes,
trailer, and several featurettes. However,
there is no commentary track included with this film. A shame, as I believe it would be a rather
entertaining listen to hear Russell Mulcahy's scene specific thoughts on how
the film is in its current state.
Both films are in 1080p high definition resolution. Highlander is presented in anamorphic
widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1.
The aspect ratio of the sequel is 2.35:1. The picture is quite good on both films, with
nice clean transfers. The second film,
however, looks like it may be a little too dark on this transfer. The audio on both discs is presented in the
DTS-HD format, with a 7.1 mix for Highlander 2, while the first film is
only in 5.1 surround sound. They are good mixes, and they exhibit decent use of
surround.
Hopefully, we someday get to have all the versions of these films available to
own. As of now, these director's cuts
are the only way to enjoy them, and that is a shame for those of us who remember
them as they used to be, for better or for worse.
- David Milchick
