Highlander 2: The Quickening
Highlander 2: The Quickening (1991)
Image From IMDB
Where to even start with this bombastic abomination that I love. Highlander 2 is a movie that has everything, which can be seen as either its strength, or its major weakness. There’s Virginia Madsen as an overly enthusiastic Eco Warrior. Energy Barriers protecting the planet from a fading Ozone Layer, Swords. Magic, Time Travel. A sneering Ironside chewing up the scenery. Jet Packs, Hover Boards. McGinley doing what he does best and playing a snivelling asshole. Connery having a whale of a time. Lambert’s old man voice. Aliens from the planet Zeist?????? and more reshoots and edits than you can shake a stick at. It’s an absolute mess, and way too much fun.
The plot focuses on whether the ozone layer is actually still damaged or not, and whether the company responsible for the barriers upkeep protecting us all from ultraviolet rays in the distance future of 2024 is hiding its actual condition. Naturally the Highlander was responsible for installing the barrier in the first place, so it’s up to him to investigate any shady going ons. So you know… your typical Immortal sword and sandals Highlander plot.
Honestly. the whole movie is bat shit crazy and somehow my somewhat sarcastic summary of the plot is the actual plot. If anything, I've streamlined it a little as I haven’t gone into the whole alien planet exile nonsense because I’m not sure I even understand it.
That said, I love every scene. You literally have no clue what’s around the corner, because the movie doesn’t work to any kind of logic I know off. It’s not like it jumps all over the place with time stuff, baring the beginning flashbacks or flashforward (I don’t know) the movie is actually linear. It’s just, it doesn’t care whether it makes sense.
One moment old man Highlander is fighting bounty hunters from the future on hoverboards and jetpacks, the next he’s now young and fucking Madsen’s Louise against an alley wall after helping her out the dumpster. Then Connery is getting fitted for a suit in a montage scene while Ironside cranks a train up to six hundred miles an hour and crashes it. Somehow amongst all this chaos there’s still time for plenty of action scenes and truncated sword fights.
And I haven’t even mentioned the spinning fan of doom. Or Ironside getting run over much to Madsen’s delight. Or every scene with John C McGinley and Michael Ironside being my favourite thing ever committed to film. Or Louise trying to work out the plot for the movie while in the fucking movie!!!!
Highlander 2 is chaos at its finest. Some people claim it to be the worst film of all time, but I’d argue it’s too much fun for that. You wouldn’t teach a class about the structure, pacing, tone or colour grade of the movie. And while the cast are all very game, every single one of them is over acting like nothing you’ve ever seen before. But, every nonsense scene is entertaining. Every character is hilarious. There’s no one you don’t mind spending time with.
I wouldn’t exactly recommend it to purist of cinema, but watching it with a mate is a great laugh. Even if you haven’t got a clue what’s going on you get to see constant closeups of Virgina Madsen looking amazing while smiling through a whole dystopia, Lambert changing personality every scene. Several insane action set pieces, and the aforementioned dream team of Doctor Cox’s and Michael Ironside. So scratch that, actually, I do recommend it…
