Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Highlander 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 10, 2022

Russell Mulcahy's "Highlander" (1986) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include new interviews with Russell Mulcahy, Christopher Lambert, Clancy Brown, Beatie Edney, screenwriter Gregory Widen, music supervisor Derek Power, and stills photographer David James; archival interviews; three audio commentaries; promotional materials; and a lot more. In English, with optional English SDH and French subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The last of the immortals are preparing for The Gathering. As their numbers dwindle, they begin to sense their presence. In the end, there can be only one, so when they occasionally meet, someone always dies.

Medieval Scotland. Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert, Subway) does not know yet that he is immortal. While fighting his clan’s arch rivals, led by the evil Kurgan (Clancy Brown, The Shawshank Redemption, also an immortal, MacLeod is fatally wounded. Instead of dying, however, he quickly recuperates. Convinced that the Devil has taken over his body, his clansmen banish him.

Egyptian nobleman Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery, Never Say Never Again), a skillful swordsman, befriends MacLeod and teaches him how to defend himself. He also reveals to him that he is immortal and that the only way he would die is if his head is decapitated. Ramirez warns MacLeod that one day he will have to fight Kurgan, the strongest of the immortals, who wants to rule the Earth. Shortly after, Kurgan kills Ramirez.

New York City, 1985. MacLeod has met a beautiful woman, Brenda (Roxanne Hart, Pulse), and fallen in love with her. For a while they live in peace, but then Kurgan reappears and challenges MacLeod to a duel that will settle a centuries-old feud.

During the mid-'80s, Highlander was a lot of people’s favorite film. It was an impressive flop at the box office but a shocking success on video. It was one of those films that the more the critics dismissed, the more people liked. Unsurprisingly, several copycats appeared -- Highlander II: The Quickening (1991), Highlander III: The Sorcerer (1994), Highlander: Endgame (2000) and Highlander: The Source (2007), all terrible films having little in common with the original.

However, despite its numerous flaws -- problematic script, unimpressive editing, and technical gaffes to name a few -- Highlander maintains a type of atmosphere one cannot easily dismiss. For example, the marvelous soundtrack, courtesy of British rockers Queen, effectively negates many of the issues in the film. One of the most memorable scenes in Highlander is past the hour mark where we see MacLeod’s aging wife uttering “I wanted to have your children” and dying in his hands. Without the music, the scene would have hardly been as effective as it is.

Still, many of the time travel sequences are quite problematic. For example, early in the film, there is a scene -- which was suspiciously missing from North American releases of Highlander for a number of years -- where MacLeod saves a little girl from a Nazi officer. To this day, I remain unsure why it was kept in the film's final version.

The cast is not as poor as many critics have claimed it is. Admittedly, a lot of the lines in Highlander are too rough, but the chemistry between the leads is still very good. For example, Lambert and Connery’s time together in front of the camera is one of the high points of the film. Brown is also very entertaining, though back in the days a lot of people were unhappy with his nun-mocking.

Highlander 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

StudioCanal's release of Highlander is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray present the recent 4K restoration of the film. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. The Blu-ray is Region-B "locked".

Please note that all screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and are downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

In 2016, we reviewed this Region-B release of Highlander from StudioCanal, which introduced the 4K restoration of the film. I thought that the 4K restoration was outstanding and have not changed my mind. Now, with this 4K Blu-ray release, we can see the 4K restoration in native 4K, either with Dolby Vision or HDR. I viewed the entire film with Dolby Vision.

On my system, the native 4K presentation was superior in two very particular ways. First, the color reproduction and overall dynamic range of the visuals were undeniably better. Color reproduction was especially striking because the shifts between the contemporary and period material produce very diverse color ranges that simply look better now. The saturation levels of the primaries and the expanded nuances make a notable difference, and I have to underscore that both looked very good in 1080p as well. Second, density levels and fluidity are more convincing. I felt that the Blu-ray release had a few areas where encoding optimizations could have been made to strengthen the visuals and now these areas look very solid. However, you should still expect to see plenty of fluctuations with loose grain that have an effect on the fluidity of the visuals, so the improvement does not alter the native characteristics of these visuals. I think that the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to appreciate this improvement, which coupled with the overall better dynamic range of the visuals makes quite a difference. The rest is practically identical to what you will see in 1080p. For example, I don't think that clarity and contrast are better. In some areas, the Dolby Vision has a positive effect on contrast levels, but it rebalances other aspects as well so the overall improvement varies and is essentially a combination of different things. Image stability is outstanding. The entire film looks very healthy.

*The 4K Blu-ray has English and French interfaces. The Blu-ray release has English and German interfaces.

Highlander 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH and French subtitles are provided for the main feature.

My preferred audio track for Highlander is the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. While very good and free of age-related imperfections and technical anomalies, I find it a bit less potent than I have always imagined it should have been. The action and Queen's soundtrack create an incredibly rich audio field and in some areas of the film the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track just lacks the oomph I think needs to be there. To be honest, I would have loved to have a more recent audio option, like a brand new Dolby Atmos track.

Highlander 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• The Immortal Attraction of Highlander - in this brand new program, Russell Mulcahy, Christopher Lambert, Clancy Brown, Beatie Edney, screenwriter Gregory Widen, music supervisor Derek Power, and stills photographer David James, amongst others, discusses their involvement with Highlander. There are excellent comments about the conception of Highlander, the casting choices that were made, Queen's contribution to the film, and the film's lasting appeal as a cult classic. Also, there are some really good comments about the outstanding areal shots that are seen throughout the film and Kurgan's massive sword. In English. (57 min).

• A Kind of Magic: Music of the Immortals - in this brand new program, music supervisor Derek Power and composer and author Neil Brand discuss Queen's soundtrack for Highlander, which was conceived as a mini rock opera, and how the music shapes its identity. In English. (15 min).

• Capturing Immortality - in this brand new program, photographer David James recalls how he was offered the opportunity to work on Highlander and what it was like to interact with Russell Mulcahy, Christopher Lambert, Clancy Brown, and Sean Connery during the production process. Also, there are some very interesting observations about Mulcahy's ability to give Highlander a new pop look and vibe. In English. (13 min).

• There Can Be Only One - in this brand new program, Clancy Brown recalls how he was cast to play Kurgan (his contribution to The Bride was apparently crucial), some of the dilemmas he faced during the big fights (including the memorable clan clash), and his work with sword master Bob Anderson, interactions with Christopher Lambert. Also, Mr. Brown explains why the '80s produced bad guys/characters with cartoonish qualities. In English. (15 min).

• Audio Commentary One - in this audio commentary, author Jon Melville discusses the origin of the Highlander story and some specific changes that were made to it, the transitions from the present to the past and back to the present and what makes them unique, the possibility of casting Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sting for some of the key parts, the particular locations where the period Scottish footage was shot, the crucial relationship between Queen's music and the action, etc. It is an extremely informative commentary.

• Audio Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by Russell Mulcahy, producer William Panzer, and producer Peter Davis. The entire commentary is one giant trip down memory lane with great information about the production of Highlander, the visual style of the film, the particular locations that were chosen for key segments, Queen's soundtrack, etc. This commentary and the one Jon Melville recorded provide all of the information you may ever want about Highlander.

• Audio Commentary Three - this audio commentary with director Russell Mulcahy has appeared on previous Blu-ray releases of Highlander from Optimum Home Entertainment/StudioCanal. It is a good one, but I prefer the older audio commentary with Peter Davis and William Panzer.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Trailer - original restored theatrical trailer for Highlander. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Audio Commentary with Director Russell Mulcahy - this audio commentary with director Russell Mulcahy has appeared on previous Blu-ray releases from Optimum Home Entertainment/StudioCanal. It is a good one, but I prefer the older audio commentary with Peter Davis and William Panzer.

• Interview with Director Russell Mulcahy - in this video interview, Russell Mulcahy recalls how he entered the film business and discusses the production history of Highlander. The director also recalls his interactions with the stars of the film. The interview was conducted exclusively for StudioCanal. In English, with optional German subtitles. (23 min).

• Interview with Christopher Lambert - in this video interview, actor Christopher Lambert (Connor MacLeod) discusses his initial impression of the script for Highlander, the sensitive side of the film and how it touched him, some of the dangerous stunts he did, the film's visual styles, Queen's soundtrack for the film, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for StudioCanal. In English, with optional German subtitles. (20 min).

• The Making of Highlander - this outstanding archival documentary focuses on the production history of Highlander. Included in it are clips from various archival interviews with cast and crew members. It was produced by the defunct Kinowelt Home Entertainment, now part of the StudioCanal family, and Fiction Factory. In English, with optional German subtitles. (116 min).
  
  1. A Legend is Born
  2. The Visual Style
  3. A Strong Woman
  4. The Producer's Point of View

• Deleted Scenes - while creating the 4K master, the folks at StudioCanal noticed that five scenes were either longer or had been edited differently to the scenes in the final Highlander version. As they did not have the audio for these scenes, they could not include them in the film. These scenes are presented here with musical accompaniment. (7 min).

• Archival Interview with Christopher Lambert - in this archival interview, actor Christopher Lambert talks about his character and what it meant to him to be part of Highlander. In French, with optional English and German subtitles.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Art Cards - four collectible art cards.

• Badges - a set of four collectible badges.

• Poster - vintage poster for Highlander.

• Booklet - 64-page illustrated booklet with new essays on Highlander and technical credits.

• Comic Book - prequel comic #1 The Way of the Sword.

Highlander 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I love Highlander. It has some undeniable flaws but its very special style and personality transform it into an irresistible nostalgia fix. There is one particular sequence in it -- it is the one where Connor's dying wife tells him that she wanted to have his children -- that never fails to bring tears to my eyes, so revisiting Highlander is always an emotional experience for me. This 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack is a winner. In native 4K, Highlander is a visual stunner and the folks at StudioCanal have provided an incredible amount of exclusive new and archival bonus features. My advice is to treat yourself with one of these 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo packs while they are available. It might be one of the best Christmas presents you get this year. Please keep in mind that the 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free, while the Blu-ray is Region-B "locked". (In the United States, Lionsgate will bring Highlander to 4K Blu-ray this December. See our listings here and here). VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.