Highlander III: The Sorcerer Review

Highlander was actually one of the more interesting science fiction television series during the 90s. It may not have enjoyed the popularity that other fantasy series of its time have enjoyed but it has its following. And who can blame these people. The series has a pretty decent plot and its action scenes are not to be overlooked as well. This is why when the series was made into a movie, not a few people expected great things. When the movie came out though, most of these people became disappointed. Highlander III: The Sorcerer, as you can tell from the title of the film, is the third movie installation of the franchise. Is it any better or worse than its predecessors? This review will try to answer that question.

If you are reading this review then you are probably familiar with the Highlander story. So no introduction is needed and this article will go straight to what I think about the film. First of all, I believe Christopher Lambert does a commendable job of portraying the lead character of the immortal Duncan MacLeod. He is particularly terrific in the action scenes. You can tell that Lambert prepared for his role well. With the way he handles his sword, you would think that he has been fighting with swords all his life. If you are a fan of movies with great sword fighting sequences then the action scenes from the Highlander III alone are probably sufficient for you to enjoy the movie. The only problem with Lambert is that he cannot seem to master the Scottish accent. This is quite understandable though because he is French.

The other actors did an OK job as well. Some may find Mario Van Peebles’ acting as exaggerated but it is probably what the director of the film wants anyway. Another thing that the movie – of the franchise for that matter – can improve on is to provide a better motivation for the villains to hate the main characters other than the fact that they have been trying to kill them for centuries. A better back story would have helped. But I guess the writers of the film just can’t wait for the fight scenes to commence. Hence, the seemingly hurried pace of the film. But to devoid the film of an engaging back story is to insult the minds of its followers. For sure, these people can appreciate fight as much as the next guy but the producers and directors must keep in mind that they are trying to attract people who are into sci-fi and fantasy books and films. These are the people who knows a good story when they see one.

In terms of the plot of the film, one does not have to be a genius to be able to predict what the ending would be. Yes, it is that predictable. This is your classic bad guy versus good guy kind of film and I’m sure you know who wins in those kinds of stories. This is not to say though that the movie is not enjoyable and engaging. Even if you know the outcome of the movie half-way through, you would still want to finish the movie if only to get the satisfaction of seeing the villain fall in the hands of the main character. Needless to say, this movie is not for people who give more weight to substance over form. If you are looking for a movie worthy of an Oscar, you will surely be disappointed.

Of course, Highlander fanatics should not miss this film. If you have seen parts 1 and 2 of the series, then don’t give up now. If you have lived through the first two films then there is no reason for you not to survive or even have fun with this one. Don’t mind the thin plot or even the inaccurate historical research in the flashbacks of the film. If you will keep your expectations low in this film then for sure, your time and money will be worth it. If the movie was a student trying to survive middles school then it deserves at least a passing grade for it to move on. And hopefully the franchise will move on. Needless to say, the critics and the fans probably will not be as generous next time around.

I’ll be moving Monday, so I might not post a new review for a few days. But I will give a shout out to the folks at this pool builders birmingham al – they did an awesome job with the pool at our new place!

Review of Highlander II: The Quickening

It was not too long ago when Highlander II: The Quickening had people falling in line in the cinemas. It was also well received in the box office as it stayed in the top 10 for quite sometime. It is definitely not a movie date but something you can watch with your friends while munching on some popcorn and soda. A lot of people had high expectations for this movie after the original turned out to be good. However, it did not live up to the hype as everything seemed rushed. It seems like they just wanted to know if they will make money if they make a sequel to the highly successful The Highlander. It ended up being a bad movie and the sequels that came after this completely ignored this movie which turned out to to be a good idea. They ended up admitting they made a mistake with Highlander II: The Quickening. The only good thing that came out of this sequel is the presence of legend Sean Connery even though his character got killed off in the first movie. It was never really explained how he came back to life as that just adds to the confusion to one of the most confusing stories I have ever seen. The acting was horrible too and Michael Ironside playing the villain is a prime example of that. He should be ashamed to be a part of this movie as it also had weak special effects. It makes you want to scroll though the end credits and find out who provided them those effects as it was downright terrible. The story basically conflicted what happened with the first Highlander but it was not a prequel either. Of course, I am not going to spoil what the other things that went down in the Highlander in case you want to see that movie again. You might be better off watching that movie again than watching Highlander II: The Quickening.

The Highlander II: The Quickening had some bad camera work and it is not known whether or not the director Russell Mulcahy meant for that to happen or not. A lot of critics actually rank this movie as one of the worst movies ever made. That statement would put the people involved in making this movie to shame. They should realize what they did wrong so they would not have to repeat it. If you don’t have any idea about the Highlander franchise then this movie could be worth checking out just for the laughs about how director Russell Mulcahy fumbles in the fight scenes and it makes it look like comedy relief. The script is also lacking as the scriptwriter probably did not even see the first movie which is a huge mistake. Even the poster of the movie does not look appealing at all. The trailer was also poorly made and that would already tell you that you are not going to watch a good movie. You can tell the people behind this movie did not put much effort into Highlander II: The Quickening. It is like the only quickening thing that happened is the making of this movie because it felt like it was rushed. It seems like they had another movie to make so they rushed this one to get it over with. That won’t sit well with fans of the franchise as they will go in the cinemas expecting a good movie only to be let down. The sequel is the complete opposite of the original because the original was nicely made as it had some scenes that will make you jump out of your seat in excitement. This movie had none of that as you will get completely bored throughout the entire thing. Don’t blame yourself if you fall asleep about less than halfway into it. You will get so confused with the story that you will completely ignore it and just marvel at the fight scenes. It would be a great idea to go into this film not expecting much because that is exactly what it gives you, not much at all. In fact, you will have a mixed feelings of disappointment and happiness when it is over.

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