Highlander 2 - Renegade Version (1991)

Theatrically released in 1991 as Highlander II: The Quickening, this sequel was later reedited and gained a small but loyal following (prompting a spinoff TV series), but at the time of its release critic Roger Ebert called it "the most hilariously incomprehensible movie ... almost awesome in its badness." In other words, you might find some guilty pleasure in this chaotic sequel to 1986's Highlander, in which Christopher Lambert reprises his role as Connor MacLeod, a member of the alien race known as "Immortals," banished to Earth from his home planet Zeist some 500 years ago. In the year 1999, Lambert owns a corporation that has created a shield to protect the Earth following the depletion of the ozone layer. But the shield is seized by an evil cartel, and Virginia Madsen plays a scientist who assists MacLeod in his mission to destroy the cartel. Sean Connery also reprises his role from Highlander as the Scottish Immortal named Ramirez (?!), but by the time he starts engaging in dashing swordplay you may wonder if he's wandered in from another movie altogether. Highlander fans welcomed the laserdisc and DVD release of this "renegade" director's cut, which attempts to clarify the original version's confusing plot. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Pants sci-fi

This is a huge let down. As the bad guy, Michael Ironside does a pretty good job but the movie is such a stinker it floats in the water. Avoid. August 8, 2008

Worthless attempt to fix a broken movie ...

Nothing annoys moviegoers (and television watchers alike) more than when a sequel attempts to rewrite the history of the previous movie. When Highlander 2 hit theaters, moviegoers were horrified at the changes made to what was considered a straightforward premise ... that among us are people who, becasue of some quirk of fate, were born immortal. The theatrical release of the movie attempted to explain immortality as a punishment, exiled aliens sent to earth and doomed to live forever (until someone lopped your head off that was).

The Renegade Version release of this movie on DVD makes an admirable attempt at trying to fix this, but unfortunately has to rely on an old fomula of "once upon a time, in the distant, forgotten past, humans were more evolved than we are now" to make it work. The Renegade Version is hobbled from being a proper entry into the Highlander franchise by the story that was filmed, and no amount of rearranging scenes or restoring deleted scenes can make sufficient changes to the movie to fix it.

In the end, you buy this movie because of the "2" in the title (because most collectors abhor gaps in their collections), and do what the producers did when they made the following move .... pretend Highlander 2 never existed. May 8, 2008

There Could Not Only Be One

The Good Things
*Futuristic setting with some imaginative ideas (a world without an ozone...wow...)
*Some neat fight scenes and special effects.
*Some funny, witty parts.
*Michael Ironside makes a good bad guy, once again!

The Bad Things
*Very inconsistent with the first film.
*The imagery is not so memorable.
*More cheesy than the first film. Some parts are downright goofy.
*Most of the characters are forgettable. Even Christopher Lambert's character is forgettable. Only Sean Connery and Michael Ironside stand out.

Despite being the "renegade" version with new special effects and added scenes, the movie felt less like "Highlander" and more like "Lawnmowerman 2". It's a silly, low-rate sci-fi film that makes little sense, especially when compared to the first "Highlander". Fans of the franchise should probably watch this for the fun of it, but otherwise, it's not really worthwhile. March 21, 2008

Renegade Version or Special Edition?

I just bought a copy of the Renegade Version, having what I thought was the original cut of the movie in this Special Edition. I come to find, they're the exact same movies. At least, in the length of the movie. The only visual exceptions to either version is the coloration of special effects in the time travel sequences (the renegade version is purple; the special edition is blue) and the color of the Shield (red in the Renegade; blue in the Special). If anyone thought the Renegade version would give you a completely different story than the original (what I mean by original is a version in the last few years) they're probably the same thing and don't bother buying both. I've never seen the 1990 original and I hope I never do if it truely is worse. I was hoping this Director's Cut was going to save the Highlander sequel, but you're better off just skipping the movie entirely and continuing the Highlander saga with Highlander 3: The Final Dimension (the story line of which follows more closely to the original premise). October 4, 2007

Highlander - the flop

Not a favorite 'Highlander' of mine. It lacked credibility. The fantasy of immortality was lost. Why? I'm thankful for "Highlander" and "Highlander - End Game". June 30, 2007

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