Where to watch Highlander 2: The Quickening
1 Star
Highlander 2 is one of cinema’s most lamented projects gone awry. The first film was a modest hit at the box-office but was conceived as a stand-alone feature, six years later the original cast and director reunited for the sequel. The jumbled mess of handsome production design, goofy hairstyles, and equally absurd plotting quickly sank the film theatrically but has proved the basis for a ‘cult classic’ interest resurgence. The production went through a publicized struggle just to make it to screens, that it plays at all is a minor achievement for everyone involved. Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery are back as Macleod and Ramirez, respectively. However, it is villain Michael Ironside who pockets the movie with his scenery-chewing go-for-broke performance as the evil General Katana.
In 1999, the ozone layer has completely disintegrated leaving Earth vulnerable to massive waves of the sun’s radiation. So, Macleod and a fellow scientist develop a shield that will engulf the planet from the harmful rays above. Now, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) has become an elderly man after losing his immortality. MacLeod regains his youth when he kills two assassins from his home planet. This results in an ongoing battle with the villainous and powerful Gen. Katana (Michael Ironside), but MacLeod receives help when the noble Juan Ramirez (Sean Connery) returns.
This sci-fi/fantasy sequel is an overblown, noisy, and senseless mess. Highlander 2 is something of an infamous film in that its troubled production resulted in one of the worst films of the entire 1990s. Time hasn’t been kind to the film either. The special effects that were the film’s saving grace now look shoddy and cheaply designed. Anyone capable of following the mangled storyline on first viewing should receive a minor award. Highlander 2 is undoubtedly the worst entry in the series.
Director: Russell Mulcahy
Stars: Christopher Lambert, Michael Ironside, Sean Connery