Highlander (1986)

 

Genre: Fantasy/ Action 

Time: 1h 56mins

Director: Russell Mulcahy

Quick Summary: An immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponents, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled "Prize".

This is so entertaining and brilliant to watch. Science fiction meets fantasy in the perfect blend. 

Let me get this out of the way first, unfortunately, the plot does jump around a ton, which makes it kind of confusing for a while. However, once you figure out what is going on and when, it's a bit easier to follow. Personally, I did like the jumps to the past to see our protagonist's past life as the present unfolds. 

The landscapes shown in this are absolutely stunning with some amazing shots. One scene in particular when two people are swordfighting on top of a hill and the camera pans around the two to take in the whole area whilst the pair are still in the centre. It's just such a pretty shot. Speaking of the sword fighting, the choreography for that even though it was clunky was still really entertaining to watch. 

Going onto the soundtrack. All of it is Queen. I don't know who decided this but thank you. It fits perfectly with this film and keeps its high energy. Even with some of the more sad moments, the songs just work so well. It works with how 80's this film is, and that's a good thing.

The casting was excellent, as was the acting, though I think it is a little let down with the script as it is very off at times. Sean Connery's contribution was the scene stealer and was brilliant as always. I loved him throughout this as he was so fun to watch, and he had such an amazing chemistry with Christopher. Clancy Brown's performance as The Kurgan was absolutely terrifying, he is a powerhouse in this and I would simply accept my fate of death if it was me against him. Christopher Lambert was a brilliant lead, he had all the elements for a strong presence and was wonderful to watch.

The story isn't fully developed in my eyes, there are a lot of plot holes that I'm sure people would have picked up if this was a real-life scenario. As well, some of the effects almost 40 years later, are looking pretty dated now, which personally I don't mind. To me, it adds to the charm. 

Fully immersed in the 80's aesthetic, this is such a cheesy and fun film. It can be slow at times, especially with how high energy the action scenes are, but it has a nice balance. 

7/10

"Ramirez: Haggis? What is haggis?

Connor MacLeod: Sheep's stomach, stuffed with meat and barley.

Ramirez: And what do you do with it?

Connor MacLeod: You eat it.

Ramirez: How revolting!"

" I apologize for calling your wife a bloated warthog, and I bid you good day."

"Macleod, it's good to see you again. It seems like a hundred years.

 It's been a hundred years."

"I don't like boats. I don't like water. I'm a man not a fish."