And so, EnglishPatient - as a standalone entity - is no more. This account will self-destruct within...
And so, EnglishPatient - as a standalone entity - is no more. This account will self-destruct within approximately 24 hours. I can now be found under the name of DoubleTrouble - a collaboration with fellow Ciao user Broksababe. See you there!
Member since:30.07.2000
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The tag line for the first Highlander film was "There Can Be Only One". Highlander II was botched so badly that there had to be two. Two versions.
One, a horrendous mish-mash of unfinshed footage and nonsensical editing, and the other a "Renegade" cut some years after the event by the Director - who had been forced to relinquish control over the original theatrical release by the film's investors.
The former almost irreversably damaged the reputation of all concerned, and in some ways it's a wonder the franchise survived in the aftermath of such a disaster. The latter has done its best to rectify the situation, and is considered by most Highlander fans to be a significant improvement on the studio's butchery.
The worst crime of The Quickening (removed from the title for the Renegade version, which was simply named Highlander 2) was its bizarre wish to disregard all the key themes of its predecessor, abandoing coherence and logic while also, unforgivably, rewriting the main characters' histories. This new development in particular incurred universal wrath from audiences and critics alike, and the entire plot concerning some alien planet called Zeist (from whence, we were now told, MacLeod and the rest of the immortals hailed from) was dropped for the Renegade cut.
It starts promisingly enough, with a devastating vision of Earth being fried by the Sun's unprotected rays as the ozone layer disintegrates. The year is 1999. Thirteen years on from the end of the first movie, MacLeod is now part of a global scientific team attempting to buid a shield that will protect the planet.
Absolutely no explanation is given for what has been happening to the sword-wielding immortal in the intervening years, or why he no longer uses the Russell Nash alter-ego by which he existed in 80s New York.
That, however, is nothing....NOTHING....compared to what follows. The futuristic scenario and claustrophobic environment created by the shield is reasonable enough once you accept the premise, as to some extent is McLeod as an old man (mortality was "The Prize", apparently). Unfortunately, next comes the Zeist revelation, and from then on the film is plunged into an abyss of ineptitude and ridiculously incoherent narrative.
All that was laid out in Highlander I is jettisoned, characters return from the grave, and the whole venture manages to affront the viewer's intelligence in doing so.
It's not all doom and gloom. Even amidst the mayhem, it's not too difficult to see some potential in certain sequences. Michael Ironside's bad-guy Katana (taking over from where Clancy Brown's Kruger left off in the first movie) is enjoyably meglomaniacal, and livens up Highlander II's second half.
Katana's arrival on Earth, and the ensuing mayhem he creates by hijacking an underground train, is strongly reminiscent of the spirit invoked by Highlander I while also predating the similar high-speed jinx that ended up with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock's train in Speed crashing through a wall and out onto the street. Jan De Bont was obviously watching somewhere (and, of course, he made a right mess of HIS sequel to a much-loved film).
Highlander II : The Quickening was never technically finished. What was finally released comprised a cobbled-together cut by the studio, bereft of artistry and scandalously unconcerned with maintaining the original 1986 film's integrity or continuity. The special effects look half-completed and woefully primitive because they weren't the finished article. The story makes no sense because scenes were edited poorly and arranged in the wrong order.
Some claim the film to be one of the very worst of modern times. It's not quite that, but it is one of the most dreadfully conceived ideas for a sequel - not to mention a shameful example of the negative effects meddling studio executives and money-men can wreak upon a project.
Highlander survived, but only just.
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Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
I saw this one a while ago and I do remember it being disgraceful after watching the first one. I am however watching them all again now to refresh my memeory as I saw Highlander - Endgame not too long back and the fact I managed to get a certified replica of Conner's samuri sword made me want to see them again!! Great op, Ric.
pakalang 22.01.2001 22:17
Yup.. the sequel really sucks big time! A real pity..
In this labyrinthine sequel the Immortal MacLeod saves the people of Earth from immanent ... more
ozone layer-related destruction by building a shield that deflects sunlight. But the people of Earth aren't especially grateful as the constant state of night ha...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Years after battling the Kurgan in Scotland and New York, Conner MacLeod and his suave ... more
mentor, Juan Villa-Lobos Ramirez, are back, tracking time-warps and new adventures in this all action sequel, again directed by Russell Mulcahy.The Kurgan may have v...
![Highlander 2 - The Quickening [DVD] [1991]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/80180635.jpg "Highlander 2 - The Quickening [DVD] [1991]")
Jan 22nd, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
