Highlander

A nice start to an even better fandom. Today, it’s an old hit, which I return to regularly, although I found it almost unwatchable after the year 2000. There's no point in addressing which formal aspects have aged and which haven't, or that the perfect happy ending virtually eliminated the possibility of a sequel. There are sequels and not all the ideas are bad. Queen's great soundtrack also helped a lot and of course so did the cast. "In the end, there can be only one." (02/16/2009)

It's almost surprising that Highlander isn't based on a novel. I can easily imagine it as an 800-page epic fantasy, later adapted into a film that, while simplified, retains a stylish, B-movie charm. Highlander blends epic storytelling, romance, destiny, and a mix of seriousness and humor, all while being incredibly entertaining. Christopher Lambert might be stiff as a board, but his awkward performance somehow grows on you. Of course, Sean Connery's appearance as the Egyptian-born Spaniard, Ramirez, is a highlight, even if his role gets overshadowed by the scene-stealing villain Kurgan, played by Clancy Brown. Every moment Kurgan is on screen is a treat. I've had Highlander on my watchlist for ages and finally decided to watch it after a vacation in Scotland, where I visited the stunning Eilean Donan Castle featured in the film. You might think I am biased from the fresh memories of my trip, but I genuinely believe Highlander would have impressed me regardless. It combines everything I love about movies like this with exceptional editing, great cinematography, and an awesome soundtrack by Queen. Watching Highlander is truly a kind of magic! (09/16/2019)

This film has one great thing: the beautiful Scottish landscape and the mysticism of the flashbacks. The story taking place in the present is predicable and boring, and it’s not even helped by the B-movie like performances, which in this case I found incredibly annoying. To be fair, though, I’ve never liked fantasy in any form, not only in film. (04/09/2009)

It has its good moments, but none of them are actually happening at the moment. Yet Scotland is absolutely ideal - the filmmakers managed to find a compromise between an adventure atmosphere, an emotional romance, action and humor. The short insert with the Boston fight is also perfect, and it made me laugh unexpectedly (the complete opposite of the WWII scene, where I didn't understand whether the ending was supposed to be funny or not). As for the rest, see what I wrote. The present is weak, and unless the music by Queen is playing (the soundtrack is basically the A Kind of Magic album), many scenes look like something out of a B-movie (i.e., awkward, ridiculous, cheap) and the final drawn-out fight... That's really the "peak". Two and a half. (11/05/2013)

With Christopher Lambert coming to Comic-Con in 2022, I wanted to revisit his most iconic role. The last time I watched it was as a kid, and I remember finding it pretty complex back then. The plot does start off a bit confusing, but it picks up, and the 80s vibe is charmingly naive and a joy to watch. Yes, it's very much a product of its time, but if you love films from that era, you won't be disappointed. Highlander is a legend—maybe a slightly dated one, but still legendary — with the neon-lit atmosphere of 80s New York that only that decade could deliver. (04/20/2022)