No down vote button but I like a post and then unlike it and tell the thread originator that ive done it to make the point...... all be it a bit pointless.... but none the less you get to unlike it.
Just watched Highlander for the first time. Just awful!
- Thread starter Runner
- Start date
No down vote button but I like a post and then unlike it and tell the thread originator that ive done it to make the point...... all be it a bit pointless.... but none the less you get to unlike it.
sztriki
Sr Member
What exactly is the point of this thread? The OP doesn't give any reason for his dislike, there's no openness or interest to start an actual discussion, it's just an opinion barfed on the board to bait people, OP never even made any appearance or reaction since...:confused
If anything it compelled me to actually consciously get the reasons why I like the movie, so here I am perpetuating the thread...:wacko
The story was original and had interesting concepts and themes, the atmosphere is good, music is great (kudos to Michael Kamen, not only Queen), Lambert is both cheesy and still charismatic, Sean Connery is delightfully cheesy and Clancy Brown carries half the movie himself. Not only that but the visual style and cinematography is gorgeous. The opening shot in the arena is fantastic, any shot with the Scottish landscape is beautifully done, every scene transition is a work of art.
Dislikes: some of the fight scenes are clunky, Ramirez vs Kurgan is bad, it's two guys awkwardly slashing at each other on a cheap looking set that collapses for seemingly no reason, love story with Brenda has hardly any chemistry and is unearned, Heather's old age makeup is really bad.
If anything it compelled me to actually consciously get the reasons why I like the movie, so here I am perpetuating the thread...:wacko
The story was original and had interesting concepts and themes, the atmosphere is good, music is great (kudos to Michael Kamen, not only Queen), Lambert is both cheesy and still charismatic, Sean Connery is delightfully cheesy and Clancy Brown carries half the movie himself. Not only that but the visual style and cinematography is gorgeous. The opening shot in the arena is fantastic, any shot with the Scottish landscape is beautifully done, every scene transition is a work of art.
Dislikes: some of the fight scenes are clunky, Ramirez vs Kurgan is bad, it's two guys awkwardly slashing at each other on a cheap looking set that collapses for seemingly no reason, love story with Brenda has hardly any chemistry and is unearned, Heather's old age makeup is really bad.
Kylo1
Sr Member
lol:lol
crabra comander
Master Member
I’ll give you a perfect example of a timeless film, IMHO. I have seen the Good the Bad and the Ugly on multiple occasions. I’m an 80’s baby. When I first saw it I loved it. My appreciation for it has actually grown with repeated viewings.
Just recently I showed my 7 yr old the film and he was highly entertained. He loved it. He was engaged with every scene and constantly asked questions if he didn’t understand something.
Now if he saw Highlander he’d throw the remote :lol I kid, I kid...
Also, Kill Bill, Mad Max Fury Road, Dredd, ETC...
Just recently I showed my 7 yr old the film and he was highly entertained. He loved it. He was engaged with every scene and constantly asked questions if he didn’t understand something.
Now if he saw Highlander he’d throw the remote :lol I kid, I kid...
Also, Kill Bill, Mad Max Fury Road, Dredd, ETC...
Runner
Sr Member
The point was I watched a movie the other night because its so well regarded. I didnt like what so ever and I was looking for some opinions as to why people loved it so much. Simple as that. You answered my questions wonderfully. Thank you. The opening to your response seems a bit hostile though don't you think?
Yeah its a film of its time and its not dated well but its still a hell of a fun movie, with so many memorable one liners. I watch it every now and then and I still thoroughly enjoy it.
As regards Connor winning "the prize" I always took it that his new abilities would be passed down his line to his children and it was they that represented the better future for mankind. Afterall it was like a kind of survival of the fittest and if the Kurgan had won it would have been his mad kind that would have dominated the human race. As bad guys go in the movies there are few as memorable as the Kurgan. Clancy Brown nailed it. There really can be only be one.
And although Connor said he could grow old they didn't say how fast! I came up with a few different stories of what could happen after and thought there was potential for a few good sequels.
Then we had those horror shows that were 2 , 3 and the rest (which I have never watched). I am a relatively peaceful man but I have never wanted to detatch somebodies head from their bodies as much as the writers of those two movies.
Yeah and Crabra commander you are spot on about the Eastwood movies, his Westerns and Kellys Heros will always be up there in my greats.
As regards Connor winning "the prize" I always took it that his new abilities would be passed down his line to his children and it was they that represented the better future for mankind. Afterall it was like a kind of survival of the fittest and if the Kurgan had won it would have been his mad kind that would have dominated the human race. As bad guys go in the movies there are few as memorable as the Kurgan. Clancy Brown nailed it. There really can be only be one.
And although Connor said he could grow old they didn't say how fast! I came up with a few different stories of what could happen after and thought there was potential for a few good sequels.
Then we had those horror shows that were 2 , 3 and the rest (which I have never watched). I am a relatively peaceful man but I have never wanted to detatch somebodies head from their bodies as much as the writers of those two movies.
Yeah and Crabra commander you are spot on about the Eastwood movies, his Westerns and Kellys Heros will always be up there in my greats.
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Mostly what @CutThumb said above, but I'm going to spin off a couple thoughts...
The series picks up a bit after the first film, and retcons a few things. Conner didn't attain the Prize. He just thought he did from the rush and crash of getting the Kurgan's energy. He had been far and away the most powerful of the Immortals, with many more kills than any other. So Conner had never experienced anything of that magnitude. If you recall Ramirez's lesson with the stag, this was that cranked to 11, and it was going to take him a bit to adjust to being that attuned to... everything.
But all those prior Immortals' essences all slamming into Conner also give him a big-picture glimpse of what the Prize was, and I had also come up with a version of what CutThumb did: slow aging and the chance to pass his abilities down to a new generation of children (who might be immortal and sterile themselves, thus triggering a whole new cycle?).
The series has a rough start. The first-season fights are painful, but not as painful as Adrian Paul trying to do a Scottish accent. But I feel it's ultimately worth the watch. Then bookend it with Highlander: Endgame. Skip the rest, IMO. The Raven never found its feet, the animated series is hours of your life you'll never get back, Highlander 3 is basically a remake of the first film with a different actor playing essentially the Kurgan by another name, and Highlander 2 is only worth watching if you watch the Renegade Edition and treat it as an AU. I cant speak to The Source, as it couldnt even convince me to attempt a viewing.
--Jonah
The series picks up a bit after the first film, and retcons a few things. Conner didn't attain the Prize. He just thought he did from the rush and crash of getting the Kurgan's energy. He had been far and away the most powerful of the Immortals, with many more kills than any other. So Conner had never experienced anything of that magnitude. If you recall Ramirez's lesson with the stag, this was that cranked to 11, and it was going to take him a bit to adjust to being that attuned to... everything.
But all those prior Immortals' essences all slamming into Conner also give him a big-picture glimpse of what the Prize was, and I had also come up with a version of what CutThumb did: slow aging and the chance to pass his abilities down to a new generation of children (who might be immortal and sterile themselves, thus triggering a whole new cycle?).
The series has a rough start. The first-season fights are painful, but not as painful as Adrian Paul trying to do a Scottish accent. But I feel it's ultimately worth the watch. Then bookend it with Highlander: Endgame. Skip the rest, IMO. The Raven never found its feet, the animated series is hours of your life you'll never get back, Highlander 3 is basically a remake of the first film with a different actor playing essentially the Kurgan by another name, and Highlander 2 is only worth watching if you watch the Renegade Edition and treat it as an AU. I cant speak to The Source, as it couldnt even convince me to attempt a viewing.
--Jonah
sztriki
Sr Member
I was genuinely wondering, because as said it came off like those 1-star IMDB reviews where the entire "review" is something like "terrible movie", "horrible flick" or "waste of time, it's ****". Didn't mean to be hostile or offend, sorry if came out like that, but it looked like a quick statement of dislike to bait and trigger people, especially that no reaction was made to any of the posts or no discussion was instigated.
With that cleared I'm genuinely curious as to what you disliked in the film. Not saying it's wrong to dislike it, coz everyone's entitled to their opinions, and certainly not saying that the movie is untouchable, just curious. Don't even go near any of the sequels BTW, although if you didn't like the original there's probably nothing that compels you to do that.
The Series had SO MUCH leeway for character development, ie, Methos the oldest living Immortal.
Para phrasing him but he recalled when In Rome how everybody went to the Vomitoriums and when questioned if he had, he said of course Everybody did.
So much was and still can be done with that premise
Para phrasing him but he recalled when In Rome how everybody went to the Vomitoriums and when questioned if he had, he said of course Everybody did.
So much was and still can be done with that premise
Runner
Sr Member
I generally enjoy classic sci-fi fantasy films from the era. Willow, Princess Bride, Big Trouble in Little China, They Live, Time Bandits. All in the same “classics” catagory as Highlander. Some not even huge commercial successes. A few I’ve only just seen as an adult. But the one thing they all have in common for me personally is that they are all infinitely more rewatchable than Highlander.. With Highlander the plot was viable enough but I just couldn’t get past the bad acting, bad sound design, bad sword fighting, bad special effects. At no time thile watching the movie was I even the slightest bit engaged in what was happening. Despite an interesting premise, the execution was just terrible.
sztriki
Sr Member
I’ll be completely honest with you, I can’t really disagree or argue with what you listed here. Sound design in particular, that whooshing chain makes me cringe every time and some other stuff. The acting is part of the charm for me. Swordfights are clunky in places but I think the way they are shot makes up for it most of the time. As for effects don’t forget that it was made by Cannon Films, a studio with a massive backlog of crappy low budget movies. Sometimes it’s just really evident that a director with a lot of desire to make something valuable was swimming against the current with the production company. That doesn’t change the fact that the effects are not good but it doesn’t bother me that much except for the Ramirez vs Kurgan fight. I just think I’m willing to give the film a bit longer rope in exchange for what I like in it.
BTW funny you mentioned Willow, I always get funny looks when I admit I like it. It resembles Highlander to me a lot. Both had the potential to be great movies but just didn’t cut the mustard enough to make it further than cult movies.
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Solo4114
Master Member
From my point of view, Highlander is a really intriguing concept, with an interesting overarching story about Connor. But the execution is...rough.
I tried watching it recently with my wife, and she couldn't get through it. She can get kinda dizzy easily, and the editing in the film and shot framing really made her feel queasy. In that sense, along with the f/x, it is VERY much a film of the mid-80s with a low-to-middling budget.
There are also some...odd...choices in casting. Not Clancy Brown, mind you. He's great! But Christopher Lambert -- a Belgian -- playing an immortal Scotsman? And Sean Connery, a true Scotsman if ever there was one, playing an Egyptian with a Spanish name? These might be passable choices IF the actors had managed to pull off appropriate accents. Instead, it just comes across as completely incongruous.
The thing is, IF you saw it in its time, you excused or ignored a lot of this stuff because it was of a piece with other films from the era, and -- again -- the underlying concept is pretty damn cool.
I tried watching it recently with my wife, and she couldn't get through it. She can get kinda dizzy easily, and the editing in the film and shot framing really made her feel queasy. In that sense, along with the f/x, it is VERY much a film of the mid-80s with a low-to-middling budget.
There are also some...odd...choices in casting. Not Clancy Brown, mind you. He's great! But Christopher Lambert -- a Belgian -- playing an immortal Scotsman? And Sean Connery, a true Scotsman if ever there was one, playing an Egyptian with a Spanish name? These might be passable choices IF the actors had managed to pull off appropriate accents. Instead, it just comes across as completely incongruous.
The thing is, IF you saw it in its time, you excused or ignored a lot of this stuff because it was of a piece with other films from the era, and -- again -- the underlying concept is pretty damn cool.
Hovito loincloth
Well-Known Member
I love Highlander. It is such a glorious nonsensical mess. Terrible effects, bonkers casting, bizarre accents. But it just works.
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