Highlander (Wide Screen) > Reviews > "It's A Kind Of Magic..."

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Outstanding
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	A Truely Captivating Movie
Disadvantages:	Bonus Features Are A Little Lacking

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Connor MacLeod is a clansman living in the Scottish Highlands in the sixteenth century. After surviving what should have been a fatal wound at the hands of a mysterious foreigner during a battle between clans, Connor is banished from his clan under the belief that he is possessed by demons. Living alone in the highlands he is one day found by Juan Villa-Lobos Ramirez, a servant of the king of Spain, who explains to MacLeod that he is immortal, capable of dying only by decapitation. Ramirez trains Connor and mentor's him in preparation for this future trying to win 'The Prize' - to be the sole surviving immortal, because, in the end, "there can be only one".

Made in 1985, the movie stars Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod and Sean Connery as Ramirez. The two actors have a good on screen repore and their exchanges come across as genuine and believable. The relationship of mentor/student is very well played.
Clancy Brown plays an excellent role as MacLeod's arch-nemesis, The Kurgan. Clancy plays the "bad-guy-role" very well, coming across as quite sinister and you can almost believe he's spent hundreds of years this way.
I won't bore you with the details of every actor, but I can say that the acting all round is brilliant and really helps to keep the viewer interested and engaged in the movie.

Primarily, 'Highlander' is an action movie, with a slight leaning towards fantasy, (purely because of the immortal aspect). However, I found the way in which the movie reveals Connor's life and lifestyle from his origins in Scotland to his life in 1985 America quite captivating. I think many people have notion's that to be immortal would be a blessing, but 'Highlander' shows the flip side, in that every mortal you loved and knew will leave you as the years go by, leaving you alone and with nothing but 'The Prize' to fight for. I wouldn't go as far as to say that 'Highlander' will change your life, but for an action-fantasy movie, I think it works on many more levels than simply being about impressive fight-scenes and explosions.
I also thought the acting in 'Highlander' really helps to draw the viewer into the world and I for one found myself engaged with both the plot and characters of the movie.

The special effects are now over twenty years old, but I for one think they've stood the test of time quite well. The use of special effect in fight scene's are particularly impressive, especially the final fight scene towards the end of the movie.

The soundtrack is provided by Queen and has some of their greatest songs. I thought the soundtrack really enhanced the movie and tied in well with what was happening on screen.
Queen change styles from the fast-tempo'd rock songs such as 'Prince's Of The Universe', (later used as the theme music to the television series 'Highlander') to a more sedate and mellow pace for song like 'Who Wants To Live Forever'.

By today's standards, I think the rating of 15 might be a little high, but equally I don't think this is quite appropriate for a 12 rating. I think I was about 14 when I first watched this and, although violence is prominent throughout the movie, it's neither gory nor horrific. I'd advise parental discresstion on this one - i.e. watch the movie yourself first and decide whether you'd be happy to allow your children to watch.

On the DVD, as well as the main-feature, there are also several Extra Features. These are:

Trailer - This is the trailer used at cinema's to promote the film prior to its release. I personally have never been a big fan of trailers on DVD's as they only ever show what's in the main feature anyway. That said, it's an acceptable addition to the Extras and aside from my personal preference, I think some people may well enjoy this extra.

Posters - These are the actual posters used on billboards on in cinemas, etc. to promote the movie. I quite enjoyed looking at these and if I'm honest, wouldn't mind having a couple of this poster's for my walls. That said, I doubt everyone would find this an interesting feature.

Posters Project - These appear to be artistic drawings of characters in Highlander. I found these enjoyable to look at, though, again, I think they may not appeal to everyone.

Photo Gallery - These are still shots taken whilst the movie was being made. I found these to be interesting because they're not simply stills ripped from the movie, but show different angles of familiar scenes. Like the Poster's, this is perhaps not to everyone taste, but I for one enjoyed them.

Interview With Christopher Lambert - This feature's Lambert discussing Connor MacLeod, what attracted him to the role, as well as other bits of information. The interview is in French, (Christopher Lambert is after all French-Canadian) with subtitles. I didn't mind having to read the interview, but some people may question why they didn't pick an English interview. On the whole though, I think there's some entertaining insights to be found here and it is something I've watched several times. Sadly, the interview is only about eight-minutes long

I wouldn't class the Extra Material as 'disappointing', but I would say that they're a little lacking. I would have liked a little more content, such as a "behind-the-scenes" feature, or something similar. The features that are on the disc are of a high standard and enjoyable enough, but I for one would have liked a little more. Personally, this isn't a reason not to buy the DVD, but perhaps if you already own this on video, you might not really be overly bothered about buying the DVD.

The menus on the disc are absolutely superb, with backgrounds of characters from the movie. Navigation couldn't be simpler, both on the main menu and on all the sub-menus, (particularly the Poster/Photo galleries). Care has been taken in producing this DVD and I think it's paid off overall.

'Highlander' is one of my all time favourite movies. I think the story, combined with some excellent acting and scripting makes for a thoroughly enjoyable watch. I would highly recommend this DVD to everyone.