7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
Connor MacLeod is one of a waning few survivors of a clan of immortals. They have been fighting each other for centuries in the quest to be the last one standing.
Starring: Christopher Lambert, Roxanne Hart, Clancy Brown, Sean Connery, Beatie EdneyAction | 100% |
Adventure | 36% |
Fantasy | 14% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
English, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
If you’re ever feeling down and depressed, head on over to Wikipedia. There, scattered amongst the misspellings, grammar fiascoes, and outright misinformation, are occasional nuggets like this opening description in the Russell Mulcahy article: His work is easily recognized by his use of fast cuts, tracking shots and use of glowing lights. Much like John Ford, most of you are probably thinking. Mulcahy, director of Highlander (and its sequel, though he disowned that film after its release), does indeed seem to like fast cuts, tracking shots and, yes, glowing lights, so in the larger scheme of things, this particular Wikipedia quote might be termed relatively accurate. Mulcahy has had an at best spotty feature film career, after having helped found and develop the then nascent form of the music video (he indeed directed the iconic “Video Killed the Radio Star”), and somehow, against some formidable odds and initial critical disdain for the effort, Highlander has gone on to achieve considerable cult status, with a legion of fans, most of whom were probably pretty young when the film was initially released in 1986, and who thrilled to its comic book ambience filled with immortal Scotsmen (and other nationalities) and less than immortal dialogue and action. Highlander unfortunately has not aged very well at all, with wooden performances, oddly (and at times badly) staged action sequences, and lots and lots of big 1980s hair.
My hopes were actually quite high when Highlander's AVC encoded 1080p image started. This film has always looked pretty squishy soft in its many home video presentations, and after the noticeable telecine wobble of the credits had passed, I was really nicely surprised at the uptick in sharpness and clarity in the opening wrestling sequence. Alas, like so much about this film, this Blu-ray transfer is at times shockingly uneven. Large segments are bright and clear, especially the wonderful historical scenes in Scotland, and then we get pretty appalling softness and an incredible amount of digital noise in other shots. In fact, I almost started wondering if two different film stocks had been used for master shots and coverage. Masters are often very soft with just overwhelming noise (look at the establishing shot on the Central Park bridge for a startling example), while close-ups tend to be noticeably sharper with at least acceptable levels of detail. It's really odd and confounding. Colors are notably better saturated on this release, though contrast, especially in the many dark and/or nighttime scenes, isn't great, and black levels are all over the place.
Highlander's nice lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is surprisingly spry for its age, especially with regard to the great Queen song score, but it still lacks consistent surround activity that could have made it a knockout. While the fidelity and especially the dynamic range of this track is quite commendable, with thundering lows and absolutely no distortion or damage, dialogue scenes play resolutely front and center a lot of the time. There is some nice ambient environmental noise and great sound effects, especially in the historically placed scenes, and LFE here is very impressive. But it's the Queen score where the lossless audio really reaches its full potential, with Freddie Mercury and the boys sounding fantastic.
Mulcahy delivers a pretty good Commentary track that is very informative, but which tends to have several pretty long lulls. The only other supplement is a set of five Deleted Scenes (6:14), with no audio, set to underscore from the film.
Why do certain films attain cult status after their release? In the case of Highlander, it's even harder to fathom than it usually is. This is a film with an intriguing concept, great bridging sequences, but some absolutely leaden dialogue and performances, especially by star Christopher Lambert. If an immortal Scotsman traipsing through 16th century Scotland and 20th century New York is your plate of haggis, Highlander is probably must-see cinema, though this film's spotty Blu-ray image quality may argue against a purchase and more for a rental.
Director's Cut
1986
Director's Cut
1986
1986
Director's Cut | Retro Vibes! Slipcover
1986
Director's Cut
1986
30th Anniversary Edition | Retro VHS Collection
1986
1986
Mondo X SteelBook Series 014
1986
30th Anniversary Edition
1986
2015
Standard Edition
1984
2010
2012
2009
Extended Edition
2012
2011-2019
Standard Edition
1982
Director's Cut
2007
2011
1992
Unrated Director's Cut
2007
2014
2014
2002
1997
2017
2018
2022
2014