Highlander (5 Stars)

It's been less than a month since I saw "Highlander" in the cinema, but I couldn't resist the temptation to watch it again this evening. It's dated, yes. It was made in 1986, and it's obvious that the special effects aren't up to today's standards. When special effects are used in the first fight scene, they're exaggerated and (to be honest) ridiculous. Way back in 2008 a remake was announced, but filming still hasn't begun. Normally I would groan about a classic film like "Highlander" being remade, but in 2017 Chad Stahelski was named as director. After seeing his work on the John Wick films I think he'll do a good job.

One thing that makes "Highlander" so good is the music. The rock group Queen was asked to write a theme song for the film. They were so enthusiastic about the film that they wrote not one but nine songs, almost all of which were used in the film. There's never been an official film soundtrack album, but the songs are contained on the album "It's a kind of magic". The song "Who wants to live forever?" is my favourite song by Queen.

Another thing is the breath-taking Scottish scenery. "Highlander" was filmed in the Western Highlands, partly on the mainland, partly on the Isle of Skye. This scene with Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert training was filmed on the side of Ben Nevis. It's easy to recognise, because I took a photograph of the lake in the background while climbing Ben Nevis. I used to go on vacation to Fort William (at the foot of Ben Nevis) at least once every two years. In the 1990's "Highlander" was shown all day on repeat in the Fort William tourist information centre.

Who wants to live forever? Almost everyone does. I'd like to live forever. But "Highlander" shows that being immortal is a curse. Connor MacLeod remains forever young while the ones he loves grow old and die around him.

I didn't include "Highlander" in my original top 100 films list. That's a mistake I've put right now. I think I judged it badly because I compared it with the Highlander television series. The film is good, but the series is better, because more attention was paid to continuity and realism (within the parameters of immortal swordsmen chopping one another's heads off). When I lived in America I never missed an episode of "Highlander". The new episodes were shown on one channel, while the old episodes were shown daily on another channel. I've watched most of the episodes many times over, and the Highlander box set was one of my first purchases when I bought my first DVD player in 2003. For reasons unknown to me, the Highlander TV series never became popular in England, but it's recognised as a masterpiece of television in Germany and America. It's sorely in need of Blu-ray remastering.

Success Rate:  - 1.5

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