Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		1.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.5

Highlander: Season One Blu-ray Movie Review

A decent but dated series is hobbled by a shabby transfer...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 20, 2010

Here we are, born to be kings, we're the princes of the universe. Here we belong, fighting to survive in a world with the darkest powers. And here we are, we're the princes of the universe. Here we belong, fighting for survival. We've come to be the rulers of you all! I am immortal, I have inside me blood of kings, yeah! Yeah! I have no rival, no man can be my equal. Take me to the future of you all!

Ah, the sweet, sweet song of nostalgia; the bewitching hymn of home video memories long lost and sneaker-clad immortals long slain. But I digress. Highlander -- the out-of-nowhere '80s cult classic responsible for introducing Christopher Lambert and the Quickening to budding fanboys the world over -- gave its fans far more than a few memorable Queen anthems. It sired a franchise; an inexplicably enduring franchise whose most beloved offspring, Highlander: The Series, became a tried-and-true television phenom. Having passed the proverbial torch from Lambert to then-little-known dancer and choreographer Adrian Paul, the series mounted a successful six-season run before vaulting into eternity on DVD. However, seventeen cruel years have come and gone since its debut, rendering it an antiquated, formulaic relic of its time. Legendary Heroes' Blu-ray release represents a noble effort to resurrect the fledgling series, but can it possibly appeal to anyone other than its most loyal devotees? Sadly, the answer is no.

'Highlander: Season One' points toward a rocky future for catalog television releases...

Meet Duncan MacLeod (Paul): well-mannered citizen, humble antique shop owner, and sword-wielding immortal. The convenient cousin and clansman of franchise mainstay Connor MacLeod (Lambert), Duncan is one of many vying to obtain a supernatural power dubbed the Quickening in a centuries-old struggle involving rival immortals, endless decapitations, and uncomfortably orgiastic victory celebrations. After hiding himself away for some time and resisting the call of the Gathering -- the strange bond that draws immortals into battle with one another -- he returns to the fray, steadily working his way up a chain of nasties determined to cut a swath through his friends and allies. Though "there can be only one," many of the good-natured combatants endear themselves to each other, aiding a cause most easily described with a good-vs-evil handi-label. That's not to say Duncan isolates himself from humanity. To the contrary, he receives help from his French lover Tessa Noël (Alexandra Vandernoot), recently retired thief Richie Ryan (Stan Kirsch), and other kind souls who don't always live long enough to see how well Duncan fares against his deadly opponents. Over the course of the series' first twenty-two episodes, MacLeod has to track down some truly unsavory immortals, help those in need he encounters along the way, and contend with everything from serial killers, nutty doctors, ancient swordsmen, nosy reporters, and suspicious police officers to other less desirable foes.

If nothing else, the charm of the original film and the Highlander mythos is alive and well. The practicalities and challenges of immortality may seem positively passé in light of the romanticized vampires that have dominated Hollywood's docket of late, but the series' creators and writers cling to the franchise rulebook while readily expanding their characters and pre-established plot points. Flashbacks through the ages are revealed, swords are unsheathed, heads roll, and lightning strikes, but the inherent turmoil of MacLeod's existence remains the focus, anchoring each episode to something more tangible, more satisfying. Unfortunately, other aspects of the show don't hold up quite so well. Paul serves up a fine performance that drives the somewhat repetitive tale along, but the majority of the cast chews on their lines as if their mouths were stuffed with over-marbled steak. Kirsch, though charismatic, tries far too hard; Vandernoot resorts to the same worried-wife, damsel-in-distress nonsense week in and week out; and a number of hey isn't that? guest stars -- Night Court's Richard Moll, Vincent Schiavelli, rocker Joan Jett, Beastmaster's Marc Singer, go-to menacing actor Jason Isaacs, The Sopranos' Joe Pantoliano, 21 Jump Street's Dustin Nguyen, and The Who's Roger Daltrey, as well as many others -- dish out the best ham-n-cheese routines they can muster. Two decades later, the episodes are more entertaining when playing Spot-the-Third-Tier-Celeb than when tackling the story on its merits. But as any fan of MacGyver, The A-Team, Airwolf, The Incredible Hulk, and other action-oriented dramas of old will tell you, you can't expect anything more when revisiting a cherished '80s or '90s television series.

Whether you blame low budgets, limited production values, the awkward jabs of a series contending with its big theatrical brother, or a severe case of pantomimed emotionality, a deep love of both concept and source material are requireded to swim in these waters. Admittedly, I had a fair bit of fun revisiting the episodes, even while questioning what captured my imagination so readily in 1992. I grinned and laughed, I nodded my head affectionately. But I rarely felt as connected to the series or its characters as I did when I first drank it all in seventeen years ago; I never felt the resonance of the conflicts or experienced the slightest bit of alarm when MacLeod's head was hanging precariously beneath a blade. Even his history-hopping flashbacks left a bitter, unintentionally funny taste in my mouth. The gravitas and nuance I noticed so long ago were suddenly and strangely missing. The weight of Duncan's plight, the mystery of his universe, and the desperation of his fights no longer rested on my shoulders. Alas, I fear sampling other childhood favorites would end just as badly. Don't get me wrong, longtime fans will find something to enjoy in Season One -- despite the exasperated sighs it elicited and the fond memories it fractured, I still relished in the reunion -- I just suspect many of you will suffer the same disappointment.

Highlander: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blu-ray release of Highlander: Season One has been riddled with controversy. Presented with a less-than-spectacular (to put it mildly) 720p/AVC-encoded transfer, it has drawn harsh criticism from the series' eager, outspoken fanbase. In an official statement released late last year, post-production producer Donald Paonessa had this to say about all the hubbub: In response to the postings regarding the 'Highlander Season 1' Blu-ray release, we would like to say (as the people who have lived with this show for 17 years), that our goal has been to deliver the very best product for our fans to enjoy. With respect to the Blu-ray version of the series, we did as much research as possible to come to a decision as to how to release the newest box set of the series. In our opinion, the solution we came up with will give our fans a great Blu-ray experience. We produced a product with quality that can best be described as follows: what the standard-definition DVD was to the VHS version of the show, our Blu-ray (digital 720p) release is to the standard-definition DVD (digital 480i).

He goes on: We took the original digital masters that were made from 16mm film negative, removed grain, up-res'd and tweaked the original 720x480 image (480i) to 1280x720 (720p) progressive scan. In our opinion 720p gave us the best results from the material we were working with. Once again, our goal was to give our fans a great Highlander Blu-ray experience. Another question was why we didn't go back to the original film negative. Primarily, once the film was transferred to digital, it was vaulted. The technology at that time has made it extremely difficult to trace back from the digital masters to the original film negative. Also, the visual effects, which were done digitally, in a standard-def (480i) format, would not up-res to the quality of original negative re-transfer to HD. To redo all of the effects, transitions, Quickenings, etc. would be incredibly cost prohibitive. So the original film solution was not a realistic option for us and our 720p solution achieved the best and most consistent quality overall.

"Removed grain," "up-res'd," "the best results from the material we were working with," "cost prohibitive," "extremely difficult," "not a realistic option." Paonessa's explanation is appreciated, and the Highlander team's efforts are certainly commendable, but one obvious question remains: why then release the series on Blu-ray at all? Season One's transfer is an absolute mess. Detail is in shambles, smearing and bleeding cripple the palette, macroblocking and compression artifacts litter every scene, crush and aliasing run rampant, grain occasionally appears in the guise of a sandy soup, mosquito noise and edge halos dot the proceedings, skintones range from flushed pink to sunkist orange to milky white, textures are nearly non-existent in all but the tightest closeups, black levels are terribly inconsistent, delineation is a joke, and noise reduction only makes everything more unsightly. Worse, the already shoddy video quality rises and falls from episode to episode. "Deadly Medicine" towers over others, establishing itself as Season One's relative showcase piece, while more important episodes -- "The Gathering," "Family Tree," and "The Hunters," among others -- are left to their own muddy devices. Need I go on? Yes, it all looks a bit better than its standard DVD counterpart, but the upgrade is minimal at best. Yes, its colors and contrast are stronger, but only a bit.

Again, I respect the work and intentions the Highlander team has invested in its restoration, but without access to the original negatives, without the budget necessary to update the video-born special effects, without any hope of producing a product worthy of the Blu-ray logo, why bother? If the answer is "demand," draft a response explaining why it would be a disservice to fans to release an inevitably flawed product. Otherwise, the release risks being viewed as a cash grab. Please understand, if this was the best Highlander: Season One could possibly look, I would be more forgiving. But Paonessa's official statement makes one thing clear: a high-quality release is possible, just not probable or profitable. That, dear readers, tells me all I need to know when evaluating such mediocre video quality.

Despite reports to the contrary, the "place holder" artwork to either side of the image is not an optional feature. There is no way to remove the artwork or frame the picture with traditional black bars.

Highlander: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While the previously released DVD set saddled fans with an impaired Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track -- one that set off a firestorm of complaints -- the Blu-ray edition offers a more palatable Dolby Digital 2.1 stereo track (at 224kbps). Voices are clean and intelligible in all but a few muddled cases, the frequent cling clang of swords is sharp and clear, and the Quickenings flex some notable sonic muscle. LFE response is little more than a blunt force instrument, but its support of the material makes the series' action sequences and battles more engrossing than they would have been with a more standardized 2.0 mix. Likewise, side-to-side pans lack subtlety, but get the job done nonetheless. If anything, it all sounds a tad thin and superficial. Dialogue seems to float above the soundscape, and is sometimes even disconnected from the actors delivering it. Rock anthems and Queen classics are decidedly subdued by comparison, aggressively amping up only when the characters have nothing to say. Sure, the jug-jug-jug-ja-juuuug of rippin' guitars will induce feelings of nostalgia in any '90s pop culture purist worth their salt, but other cues lack the power and presence a fuller track would bring to the experience. Ultimately, it's merely a passable 2.1 track that will mainly appeal to fans still reeling from the discs' video transfer.

Highlander: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4-disc Blu-ray release of Highlander: Season One comes packed with more than three hours of special features, the majority of which are presented in low-quality standard definition. It's a decent assortment, to be sure, but audio commentaries with the cast and crew would have given fans a real reason to pick up the set.

• Immortal Memories (SD, 32 minutes): Highlander star Christopher Lambert and series lead Adrian Paul discuss their inductions into the franchise, their individual characters, the allure of playing haunted immortals, their favorite storylines, anecdotes from the films and the series, and the enduring appeal of the mythos. While the actors speak to the camera more than each other, it's nevertheless a breezy, engaging chat, even if it covers ground Highlander diehards should be intimately familiar with by now.
• Bill Panzer Talks About the Episodes (SD, 40 minutes): Visiting key locations from the series, executive producer Bill Panzer shares his thoughts on key episodes, reveals the challenges his writers faced in developing the show, dissects its multi-episode evolution, and offers a number of anecdotes from the production. The video journals are obviously a poor substitute for even a small handful of audio commentaries, but they're still a solid addition to the release.
• Swordmaster (SD, 31 minutes): As the series' sword master from 1992 to 1994, Olympic fencer Bob Anderson has a unique perspective on the production, its stunts and duels, and the various fighting styles and weapon techniques employed by the show's heroes and villains.
• 400 Years: The Journey of Duncan MacLeod (HD, 32 minutes): A recap episode of sorts that cobbles together significant moments from Duncan's past. More a lengthy montage than a legitimate special feature, most fans will move on without ever looking back.
• Behind the Scenes (SD, 22 minutes): Peppered with endless clips, melodramatic narration, and terribly dated interviews, this grating archive EPK is promotional fluff from a bygone era, pure and simple.
• Favorite Quickenings (SD, 28 minutes): Members of the cast and crew discuss their favorite decapitations and subsequent Quickening sequences.
• Marto: The Sword Maker (SD, 16 minutes): Tour the Toledo facilities where the Highlander swords were forged and meet the Spanish sword maker who brings each one to life.
• Highlander in Paris (SD, 23 minutes): Bill Panzer and director Dennis Berry visit several Parisian locations where some of the series' more memorable scenes were shot.
• Bloopers (SD, 9 minutes): Joyless flubs and missed cues dot this bland collection of outtakes. Paul's personality shines through, but little else stuck with me.
• BD Touch Features: With a BD-Live enabled Blu-ray player and Legendary Heroes' downloadable BD Touch app, users can access special content -- Bill Panzer interviews, wallpapers, cast and character info, guest star bios, and more -- from their iPhones.



Highlander: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 




Highlander: Season One hasn't aged very well over the last seventeen years, but it still offers fans the silky stab of early '90s nostalgia they so crave. That being said, Legendary Studios' 4-disc Blu-ray edition leaves a lot to be desired. Its controversial video transfer left me wondering why a high definition release was even considered, its Dolby Digital 2.1 stereo mix is merely adequate, and its supplemental package, though beefy, lacks the sort of material (audio commentaries, Picture-in-Picture tracks, more substantial BD-Live interactivity) that would move units regardless of the discs' flawed AV presentation. Diehards and completists may find value in the minimal upgrade this release provides, and newcomers should certainly go with the Blu-ray edition over its standard definition counterpart, but those who already own the DVD set should stick with the hand they've been dealt.