Review of Highlander 2: Renegade Version

Introduction

Highlander II was the classic Hollywood sequel, in that it took the threads of the original and muddled them, plagarised the script, twisted the characters and added little which was new. To say this sounds like I hated the film, which I did not. However, it was a shame that it was necessary to graft this story onto the Highlander mythology. With a few plot tweaks, Highlander II would have been a perfectly acceptable fantasy sci-fi adventure romp which could have been easily forgotten. As it is, the plot grates against it’s majestic history. At least this disc carries a new version of the film, which is explained later.

Video

The video quality on this disc is a definite improvement over the original Highlander film on DVD. The edges are crisper and there are fewer artefacts. Sadly, the picture is still not going to win any awards, but it`s certainly watchable. Much of the film is spent depicting a murky, futuristic world with a red radiation sky, and the disc presents this image with sharpness and rich colours. However, it`s still an early disc, and this shows in both the level of detail and the existence of MPEG smearing or blocking.

Audio

The audio of this disc is much like the picture in that it is okay, but not great. For me, the clashing of swords still doesn`t have the razors edge to the sound that it should. The soundtrack borrows hints of Queen from the original film, but clearly it`s never going to top Highlander`s classic rock tracks. The 5.1 remix is competent though, and moves sound effects around the soundstage well.

Features

This disc holds the `Renegade Version` of this film. Many people who saw the film in cinemas were hugely disappointed. To be honest, the film was pretty awful. Fans of the film will tell you though, that this was not entirely down to the original production team. During the films production, they began to run seriously over budget. In such circumstances, the insurance company backing the films costs had a clause in their contract which allowed them to assume control over the direction of the film. This they duly did, and the final version shown in theaters was neither the complete film, not the final edit from Russell Mulchay`s team. Indeed, it was pretty obvious from the result that the people involved in the final construction of the film had little idea about either it`s storyline, or the concept of the original. Mulchay has since been invited to return, and not only re-edit the film the way the story intended, but to also return to some scenes for re-shooting. All this is explained in a featurette, a photo stills gallery, and a booklet which comes with the disc.

There`s also a commentary track by Mulchay, and producers Peter Davis and Bill Panzer, and English and Spanish subtitles. I`m glad to say that this version of the film is a vast improvement over the original. It makes far more sense from a continuity point of view, and almost sits comfortably with the original Highlander ethos - all references to the dreaded planet Zeist have been removed, and the origins of the immortals are now buried in history and mysticism. While I admit that Highlander 2 never reaches the heady heights of the original film, and will never rank as a great film in it`s own right, this version is by far the best available. In terms of extras, this is surely what DVD is all about - a newly restored film, with background information in a featurette and a commentary from the Directing team ?

Conclusion

Not a great film, with below average (for DVD) picture and okay sound, but a full bevy of extras. This is a difficult one to score. If you are a Highlander fan (and I admit that I am !) then chances are you`ll buy this disc anyway. If you enjoyed the first film, but were disappointed by the cinema or VHS versions of it`s sequel, then I recommend that you check this disc out. It may just change your mind about the film. If you`ve always hated Highlander movies, then nothing in this disc is going to change your mind. There, is that clear ?!