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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Highlander Review



Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: Immortals that have battled for centuries gather for a final showdown in which one will gain absolute power.

Review: This movie actually bombed badly upon release which is sad because not only has it risen to cult-classic status over the years, but it's an incredible film. Obviously the audiences didn't know what to make of it at the time, but Highlander's increasing popularity led to four sequels, an animated movie, two TV shows, and even a children's cartoon. The plot is completely original and quite imaginative: immortals are supernaturally drawn to one another with a desire to kill each other (they can only be killed through decapitation preferably with a sword) so that "there can be only one" to claim a mysterious "prize." I can only imagine how hard that was to pitch to the studio. The thing that makes everything work so well here is that 80s magic you will always hear me talking about. You have Queen turning out an astounding soundtrack, a memorable lead character with Connor Macleod (of clan Macleod!), smooth pacing, effective use of flashbacks, and some sweet swordplay. I must also mention Sean Connery turns out a great performance as Connor's mentor, Ramirez. I'm not going to lie though, this film is not for everyone. There are many cheesy moments, the romance is lame and feels forced at times, and you don't get a lot of answers to why everything is happening. But to the film's credit, it successfully pulls you into the world so that you don't really care about why things are happening. The ending is satisfying and I really (REALLY) wish the closure this film had would have remained. The first TV show was decent, but everything else Highlander related blows.  I would definitely recommend this to anyone especially if they saw one of the awful sequels without watching the original first.

Notable Moment: The final battle between Connor and the Kurgan followed by Connor gaining the prize. There can be only one!

Final Rating: 8.5/10

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