Highlander 2 (Highlander II: The Quickening) (1991)

[Nitroes]

I have that Highlander II Japanese release it looks really nice.

I never watched Higlander II until this year. It always looked utter crap in its original version but the money spent tidying it up made it very watchable.

I see a lot of people saying it wasn't the director's fault for the mess, well yes it was his fault and the producers' fault too. They were overspending someone else's money and that bond company threw them off the film.

Of course had the bond company not done that and money could have been found we could of ended up with a better film. As things stand the film was virtually destroyed on first release. In the UK the distributor (Entertainment) actualy paid into the post production in an attempt to have a film that could be released. It was a total disaster. Not quite Gary Kurtz's Slipstream but not far off. Slipstream was largely funded by Entertainment too.

Still, I'm pleased with how it looks.

The extras on the LG USA release are very interesting about the production I think most of them are on Youtube.

I'd definitely buy a 4K release.

[MovinRightAlong]

I would gladly buy a 4k of Highlander 2. For all it's flaws its still got its memorable parts. And I'm a fan of Michael Ironside. I haven't seen H3 in decades, and I've never made it more than 10 minutes into the final film so that's the only one I wouldn't buy.

[Trekkie313]

Endgame and The Source are the true trash of the franchise.

[MovinRightAlong]

Originally Posted by Trekkie313

Endgame and The Source are the true trash of the franchise.

There you go, The Source. I'd forgotten Endgame exists and have no memory of it at all. The Source was the one I couldn't make it past ten minutes. I vaguely recall liking 3 with Mario Van Peeples even though that might have just been in comparison to how bad H2 was, and I'd love to see it again. I liked the TV series well enough back in the day so I'd be up for sitting through Endgame. I never knew why these films got such spotty releases on blu.

[Nitroes]

Those other Highlander firms were terrible.

No money or good story.

The original story was great but I assume as the multiple rights were sold there was less and less the filmmakers could use of the original elements so they just had to make up stuff.

[Telemachus]

Endgame was awful when I saw it in the theater and was pretty excited at the time because I watched the TV show and it had none of what made the show good nor what made a Highlander movie good. 3 is more watchable but still a bad redundant movie (I liked it much more as a kid) in the end maybe barely worth owning or doing a UHD for, for some reason it reminds me of The Mummy 3. I like 2, always liked it, yep it's laughable in spots but has just enough to make it rewatchable as heck if you like the main cast, the different cuts are icing on the cake pick what you like best I still have my Renegade version DVD.

[MovinRightAlong]

Originally Posted by Telemachus

for some reason it reminds me of The Mummy 3.

Not a bad analogy. Mummy 3 was one film I grew to actually enjoy after multiple years and viewings. Like, once you can get past the disappointments and know what to expect, it has it's cheesy charms, like something I'd watch on tv as a kid in the afternoon when the cartoons were over. Looking things up for this thread, H3 came out in 1994 so I haven't seen it in 29 years! I'm going to avoid it until it gets a blu ray release with a decent image. (IIRC there's an oop blu with bad reviews). I still have no memory of Endgame, I'm thinking I tried and fell asleep. The Source was on streaming around 2019-2020 and I pair it with Creepshow 3 as "films that make me grateful I'm not a completionist".

[HippieDalek]

This article almost perfectly expresses my feelings about Highlander 2, particularly these quotes:

John Bierly: Regarding HIGHLANDER 2: THE QUICKENING

Of HIGHLANDER’s four film sequels, HIGHLANDER 2 takes the biggest risks, wields the biggest imagination, boasts the biggest ambition, and remains — to this day! — the only one that feels bigger than the original.

Make no mistake: HIGHLANDER 2 is absolutely bonkers. But that remains its greatest strength. Since later installments ignored it anyway, its impact on the ongoing HIGHLANDER mythology is zero. This leaves us free to enjoy it for what it is — a fun, alternate-universe adventure with the characters and actors and action that we’ve come to expect from the best of HIGHLANDER, visually and narratively expressed in ways that are entirely unique among the franchise. Ebert might have called it “the most hilariously incomprehensible movie I’ve seen in many a long day” and “almost awesome in his badness,” but the first line of his review remains the truest: “This movie has to be seen to be believed.”

[DR Herbert West]

Highlander 2 4K. It's what the world needs.

[Bourne1886]

Originally Posted by DR Herbert West

Highlander 2 4K. It's what the world needs.

Is it what the World wants though! I’d love it personally.

[CompleteCount]

I bought the Spanish blu edition long before it went out of print, and I'm happy enough with it. The copy is a clone of the Lionsgate edition, with the 7.1 track intact.

To think, Umbrella Entertainment took a bath in their copies, which was a really solid release, including all extras from the Lionsgate (except the Cannes reel) and the 7.1 track. In the end, they were giving it away free with any two purchases from their website!!!

[Gian]

hi does anybody know if the Renegade DVD from 1997 and 2001 are the same encode? Or is the 2001 better for flat screen TV's?

https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Highland...sion-DVD/2281/

https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Highland...sion-DVD/3067/

[KevinStriker]

The 2001 DVD looks to be redundant and has a bunch of missing or wrong info (91 minutes is the runtime of the U.S. theatrical cut), so I would error on the side of caution and say no.

[drush9999]

Originally Posted by Gian

hi does anybody know if the Renegade DVD from 1997 and 2001 are the same encode? Or is the 2001 better for flat screen TV's?

https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Highland...sion-DVD/2281/

https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Highland...sion-DVD/3067/

The earlier "Renegade" DVD version (also on Laserdisc) has the extra scene of them shooting some guards upon entering the base towards the end. Which IMO should be restored to the current Renegade/Director's cut.

[scissorpuppy]

Originally Posted by Gian

hi does anybody know if the Renegade DVD from 1997 and 2001 are the same encode? Or is the 2001 better for flat screen TV's?

https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Highland...sion-DVD/2281/

https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Highland...sion-DVD/3067/

Pretty sure these are both identical releases, in 2001 Artisan Entertainment rereleased the Republic Pictures dvd catalog at a lower price point, but they didn’t change any artwork. In a lot of cases it was old stock with a new UPC sticker on them. I remember picking up some of these republic titles at Target around that time. If I recall they were just ports from the laserdisc special editions. Pretty sure that was the case with Highlander and Highlander 2.

[Telemachus]

I only ever had the Renegade disc. I don't think that cut changed at all on DVD, not until Blu ray.

[Gian]

Originally Posted by scissorpuppy

Pretty sure these are both identical releases, in 2001 Artisan Entertainment rereleased the Republic Pictures dvd catalog at a lower price point, but they didn’t change any artwork. In a lot of cases it was old stock with a new UPC sticker on them. I remember picking up some of these republic titles at Target around that time. If I recall they were just ports from the laserdisc special editions. Pretty sure that was the case with Highlander and Highlander 2.

thanks... I was hoping it was an encode for 16:9 as I enjoy this version a little more than the special edition... Oh well if only I could find the Robocop style commercials, like the dead cook I forget how many they made...

[Chen Chow Mein]

Is there any reason why this movie doesn't have a 4k with every cut of the film? It would be an instant buy for me

[BNex99]

Originally Posted by Telemachus

I only ever had the Renegade disc. I don't think that cut changed at all on DVD, not until Blu ray.

The "Special Edition" of the Renegade cut was first released on DVD in 2004. I assumee that's when they made the HD master that we've seen on all the Blu-rays.

Any release of the "Renegade Version" before that would have been the 1995 cut.

[BNex99]

Originally Posted by Chen Chow Mein

Is there any reason why this movie doesn't have a 4k with every cut of the film? It would be an instant buy for me

The movie itself has never been a big moneymaker; as others noted, Umbrella practically had to give their edition away.

Also, because of the various cuts and rights-holders in different territories, the elements are probably a mess to sort out. Even if it could be done, it would almost certainly be hard to convince the business folks at even the boutique labels that it would be worth it.

I don't believe in curses, but the Highlander franchise seems to have had one put on it a long time ago. Aside from the first movie, no one seems to have much desire to dig through all the ins and outs of the various versions of the sequels.

The currently distributed version of #3 (at least in the US) is a careless mashup of the International Version's picture and the US Director's Cut audio, and when it goes to cable and/or streaming, it's usually missing the subtitles for the Japanese dialogue. With Endgame, it seems to be a crapshoot as to whether the theatrical or producer's cut goes out. As for The Source, I've never even seen that one, so I don't know.

I'd definitely buy an edition of Highlander 2 with all the different versions included, but the work needed to achieve that would likely be a tall order for any label, studio or indie.