“There can only be one” – or as it turns out, not so much for the Highlander franchise. The fantasy action world features several sequels, TV shows, comics, and even a Henry Cavill-led reboot on the way, all spawning from the 1986 classic. And revisiting the movie 40 years after its release, it’s clear to see why this story has had such long-lasting appeal.
Set between contemporary New York City and 16th-century Scotland, the film tells Connor MacLeod’s story, an immortal warrior destined to live and fight forever – or at least until his head gets lobbed off. We follow him from when he first becomes the chosen one right through to his fights against other immortal swordsmen, including the dastardly Kurgan who is determined to become the ultimate winner of “The Prize”.
It’s a pretty great premise, but really what struck me most when watching Highlander is probably also why it has become such a cult classic. It’s a real vibes-based movie – and one that still feels completely unique. Mixing fantasy with crime thriller, it’s a tragic tale of a man destined to be lonely despite having great loves across his centuries on earth, all the while being a camp, Queen-soundtracked romp of a movie.
Unexpected places
Everything that Highlander would probably be annihilated for today is also what makes it such great fun. Take the absolutely abysmal Scottish accents, for a start. Whatever Christopher Lambert is doing, especially in the Scotland-set parts of the story, is not really close to a Scots drawl in any shape or form. Yet there’s something quite funny and warm about his pure commitment to it, yelling difficult-to-decipher dialogue while wearing a kilt in the beautiful surrounds of Scotland.
Equally, Sean Connery’s inexplicably Spanish/Egyptian warrior Juan Sanchez-Villalobos Ramirez’ entrance in the middle of the movie feels like a bit of a fever dream. His sword-training sequences are full of vintage special effects as he trains young Connor on the ways of the Immortals. He constantly drops in lore that audiences are just expected to absorb – and it weirdly completely works.
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Then there’s the dialogue, which contains such incredible moments as Connor calling Ramirez a “haggis” and then discussing in depth the meaning of the food. Other personal highlights include Connor exclaiming that he is a “man not a fish” while being in a boat and Brenda quipping that “everyone has their problems” after being told about his immortality.
Highlander is silly, quirky, and often quite unintentionally hilarious – and it feels like a movie that exists completely in its own oeuvre. This is also probably why subsequent sequels never quite managed to capture its unique alchemy again.
A New Era
Given that what makes the original Highlander so fun is that it’s completely of its time, it is hard to imagine how this will translate into a new reboot. The original film is being remade by John Wick’s Chad Stahelski with Superman star Henry Cavill taking on the MacLeod mantle (and we assume the accent, too).
But, it seems that what Cavill and Stahelski are trying to do is build this unique story into a new thing. From reports of the early footage, it looks like they’ll be leaning into epic, choreographed sword fights with a hint of Wick about them. They’ll also be expanding the locations beyond New York City and Scotland, taking it to modern day Hong Kong as well.
There will still be nods to the original, though, with both set pictures of the Highland sequences looking near identical to the original and the homage to the soundtrack with Queen’s We Will Rock You appearing in the first teaser. Whatever they’re doing, I’m definitely intrigued by it, and if they can keep some of the quirkiness of the original, I’d welcome some ’80s nostalgia back on our screens.
For me, at least, it is clear why this is a story we keep wanting to revisit, time and time again. And so while there may be a few more than one, revisiting the original Highlander shows why it all begins with this one. But that’s probably a bit less catchy as a tagline…
Highlander has been rereleased in UK cinemas and will be released on Blu-ray from 29 June. For more on what to watch, check out the rest of our Big Screen Spotlight series.
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