In the late 1980s, a quirky independent fantasy film called Highlander became a minor box office hit and an even bigger hit on home video. In this money-above-all-things film business, that means a sequel was greenlit faster than most people could view the contents of a film at the time. A script was quickly approved, stars were signed, deals were negotiated, and filming locations were chosen. Unfortunately, one of the locations they chose to film in was Argentina, which began to suffer major inflation during production. So major, in fact, that the insurance company took control and made the film they believed would make the most money. Instead, what they produced would keep the Highlander franchise on that fabled B list henceforth, and permanently doom the career of most of its cast. I first saw the theatrical cut when it was released on home video, and it was eighty-odd minutes of the most incoherent mess I have witnessed to date. However, I am going to comment on Russell Mulcahy's preferred version of the film. Suffice to say that comparing the two is like comparing apples with dog droppings.
The most major improvement in the director's cut of Highlander II is that the story is now coherent within itself. It is still very much a B-film, and it still grossly contradicts its predecessor, but it has the virtue of sequencing things in a manner that leaves the viewer thinking something other than "what the hell did I just watch?". Michael Ironside's character is given a little more depth, and anything that entails more screen time for Michael Ironside is a good thing. The story of the big energy shield that covers the Earth also has more development, and we get to actually see, rather than be simply told, why our hero built the thing in the first place. The process of locating the shield generator and turning it off also makes quite a lot more sense this time around. There are also more fight sequences, none of which stretch out past their welcome. Or rather, the fight sequences that were in the theatrical release have been edited differently, putting them in an order that flows properly.
According to IMDb estimates, the theatrical version of Highlander II cost thirty million dollars to make. It recouped a little over half of that at the box office, as word of its incoherence caused audiences to stay away in droves. A similar box office performance was enjoyed by RoboCop 3, proving once again that money men are not the sort of people who should be making films. Roger Ebert gave the cut that the insurance company delivered half a star, and Russell Mulcahy was apparently so impressed that he could only endure the equivalent of a reel before walking out. Obviously, he has never let go of the fact that money men took away his film and changed it in an effort to please everyone. So, once the DVD-Video format came out of its infancy, after the copyright arrangements expired, he took the film, recut it to his wishes, and rereleased it. He believes that the film he intended to make would enjoy better success. Response to the Renegade version, as it is called, has vindicated him on this issue.
Roger Ebert called the theatrical version of Highlander II a film "almost awesome in its badness". This is why Roger Ebert is arguably the most famous film critic of all time - although he sometimes completely misses the point, nine occasions out of ten have him hitting the nail on the head so hard, said nail becomes a projectile. This raises the question of what he would think of the Renegade version, which at least has the distinct advantage of having a beginning, a middle, and an end, as opposed to just one lengthy beginning. Among Highlander II's other virtues, in both cuts, is Michael Ironside. This man could be doing a commercial for cotton candy, and his indescribable habit of pulling mean faces would make it the most compelling celluloid on Earth. Highlander II plays upon his strengths, casting him as some kind of general from the past that decides first he hates Christopher Lamber (understandable), and second, he wants in on the corporation that runs the ozone shield. This is one of the problems with both versions of the film - both cuts give our characters the most idiotic, meaningless backgrounds.
Among the Renegade version's finer moments are the duels. The original version of the film ended with a long, proctracted duel between Ironside and Lambert. Apparently, Lambert nearly severed one of Ironside's thumbs during this duel. What nobody told the audience was that the footage used to comprise this duel was intended by the director to be two separate, distinct battles. Not only do the battles make more sense this way, they are simply more enjoyable to boot. Unlike many recent films involving battle, Highlander II was made with the belief that it was better to leave the audience wanting more, rather than wondering if this action sequence will ever end. The characters have more life in them, their stories make more sense, and they seem to have more motivation for what they do. Battles over which cut of the film should be seen by audiences have become a yearly thing in Hollywood, but Highlander II could almost qualify as the first. It certainly qualifies as the best example of such a battle where the wrong side won.
I gave the Renegade version of Highlander II a five out of ten. The theatrical cut is a two out of ten, a film so bad that it does not merely make one pity whomever is responsible for it, it makes one want to crucify them. If you are new to the Highlander II saga, make sure you see the Renegade version. If you have only seen the theatrical cut, wait until you see the Renegade version to pass judgement.
The most major improvement in the director's cut of Highlander II is that the story is now coherent within itself. It is still very much a B-film, and it still grossly contradicts its predecessor, but it has the virtue of sequencing things in a manner that leaves the viewer thinking something other than "what the hell did I just watch?". Michael Ironside's character is given a little more depth, and anything that entails more screen time for Michael Ironside is a good thing. The story of the big energy shield that covers the Earth also has more development, and we get to actually see, rather than be simply told, why our hero built the thing in the first place. The process of locating the shield generator and turning it off also makes quite a lot more sense this time around. There are also more fight sequences, none of which stretch out past their welcome. Or rather, the fight sequences that were in the theatrical release have been edited differently, putting them in an order that flows properly.
According to IMDb estimates, the theatrical version of Highlander II cost thirty million dollars to make. It recouped a little over half of that at the box office, as word of its incoherence caused audiences to stay away in droves. A similar box office performance was enjoyed by RoboCop 3, proving once again that money men are not the sort of people who should be making films. Roger Ebert gave the cut that the insurance company delivered half a star, and Russell Mulcahy was apparently so impressed that he could only endure the equivalent of a reel before walking out. Obviously, he has never let go of the fact that money men took away his film and changed it in an effort to please everyone. So, once the DVD-Video format came out of its infancy, after the copyright arrangements expired, he took the film, recut it to his wishes, and rereleased it. He believes that the film he intended to make would enjoy better success. Response to the Renegade version, as it is called, has vindicated him on this issue.
Roger Ebert called the theatrical version of Highlander II a film "almost awesome in its badness". This is why Roger Ebert is arguably the most famous film critic of all time - although he sometimes completely misses the point, nine occasions out of ten have him hitting the nail on the head so hard, said nail becomes a projectile. This raises the question of what he would think of the Renegade version, which at least has the distinct advantage of having a beginning, a middle, and an end, as opposed to just one lengthy beginning. Among Highlander II's other virtues, in both cuts, is Michael Ironside. This man could be doing a commercial for cotton candy, and his indescribable habit of pulling mean faces would make it the most compelling celluloid on Earth. Highlander II plays upon his strengths, casting him as some kind of general from the past that decides first he hates Christopher Lamber (understandable), and second, he wants in on the corporation that runs the ozone shield. This is one of the problems with both versions of the film - both cuts give our characters the most idiotic, meaningless backgrounds.
Among the Renegade version's finer moments are the duels. The original version of the film ended with a long, proctracted duel between Ironside and Lambert. Apparently, Lambert nearly severed one of Ironside's thumbs during this duel. What nobody told the audience was that the footage used to comprise this duel was intended by the director to be two separate, distinct battles. Not only do the battles make more sense this way, they are simply more enjoyable to boot. Unlike many recent films involving battle, Highlander II was made with the belief that it was better to leave the audience wanting more, rather than wondering if this action sequence will ever end. The characters have more life in them, their stories make more sense, and they seem to have more motivation for what they do. Battles over which cut of the film should be seen by audiences have become a yearly thing in Hollywood, but Highlander II could almost qualify as the first. It certainly qualifies as the best example of such a battle where the wrong side won.
I gave the Renegade version of Highlander II a five out of ten. The theatrical cut is a two out of ten, a film so bad that it does not merely make one pity whomever is responsible for it, it makes one want to crucify them. If you are new to the Highlander II saga, make sure you see the Renegade version. If you have only seen the theatrical cut, wait until you see the Renegade version to pass judgement.