Highlander (1986) Reaction & Review! FIRST TIME WATCHING!!

hey guys welcome to the channel and another video today i'm going to be watching highlander by russell mulcahy starring christopher lambert and clancy brown at least those are the actors i'm aware of i don't think i've heard of or watched any of uh the films this director made but i've definitely heard of highlander before i got a lot of requests to watch this film after uh reviewing flash gordon since just like that movie queen was apparently involved in making the music for this one queen is one of my favorite bands ever so i'm looking forward to the soundtrack of this movie and i'm not too sure what this film is about except it being a fantasy movie and clancy brown plays the antagonist i only got to know about that because i watched uh the green mile on the channel and a lot of comments were about clancy brown and how he was awesome in highlander my brother also watched highlander recently and told me to watch out for the line there could be only one whatever that means i'm sure we'll find out soon enough but before we get into it help support the channel i have a patreon page for full-length reactions to this film and over 100 movies early access and weekly polls for what to watch next you'll need your own copy to watch along of course the links in the description below by the way please consider my patreon please subscribe to the channel do check out my other videos like if you liked this video dislike it if you didn't with all that being said let's get started highlander mulcahy lambert brown let's go living many secret lives struggling to reach the time of the gathering when the few who remain will battle to the last highlander starts off by with a queen song i knew it was sean connery's voice i knew it he has such a distinctive voice sean connery songs and additional music by queen i had no idea sean connery was starring in the film [Applause] man wrestling in the 80s and 90s was was just so entertaining and it actually looks like a real event look at the camera work and the people and stuff oh that's chris lambert i've only seen chris lambert in mortal kombat 1995 as a raven [Applause] uh are those visions or flashbacks [Applause] [Music] a young chris lambert kind of reminds me of dennis quaid for some reason i don't know maybe it's their facial structure or thomas jane yeah i think he looks a little like a younger thomas james mcleod wait [Music] they have swords so that was a flashback now i'm wondering whether they're immortal or not okay the action is a little cheesy but it's working but the sets are beautiful and so is the camera work it's very handheld and grounded [Music] no blood and an insane sword [Music] that was pretty cool i literally have no idea what's going on except that lambert's character might be ageless being [Music] that was a beautiful transition it is him he has the same name mcclaude 1536 he's been alive for at least 450 years this is very intriguing look at the beautiful cinematography the costumes classy brown there is one called among them the boy is mine oh i have to applaud the director for creating such a contrast between the past and the present i've seen better battle scenes honestly but considering the budget which doesn't look very high this is very well done fight me damn you no that's gonna kill you fight me you covered him oh nobody's fighting him because clancy brown's character wants to kill him fight me nancy brown makes such a good antagonist there can be only one there can be only one looks like he didn't finish the job well mr nash where were you going he has a false identity nash beautiful camera work honestly um the lighting is mighty impressive because this is all done manually it is over i don't think he himself knows that he's immortal yeah this one came unassembled he's recovering the sword a sword frank a very rare sword they probably think he was after the sword or something interesting the stories got me hooked okay his name is aman fazil and you thought about the price and cut off his head want to hear another theory this physio was so upset about lousy wrestling tonight he went down to the garage and in a fit of depression cut off his own head your [ __ ] nash you're cruising for a piece of ass whoa that's assault that is criminal assault the police could get fired over that am i under arrest not yet then we're through they don't have enough evidence to charge him i guess the story is coming together love the music victor krueger room 315 okay so he's clearly after conor and he has his own sword and now i'm pretty sure the person conor killed in the garage was also an immortal and that released a lot of energy or something i'm candy of course you are this is a medal found him on the dead guy under the garden fragments of metal on a human body that must be unusual for her that policewoman is here at exactly the same time oh no oh she's collecting more samples [Music] again this is freddie mercury's voice i'd like to walk you home brenda i can take care of myself it's quiet he's already tracked conor down [Music] nice to see you again i'm the only one there could be only one this is the second time we've heard that put your hands on your head another time highlander don't you ever follow me again he should have died i say he's got the devil in them they think it's witchcraft what's the matter too he's in league with lucifer you've the devil in you this is probably the reason he had to leave his clan yeah i'm not surprised there'll be no bonding here today we'll banish him wasn't she like completely in love with him the previous night then go while you still can i think he just gave him the sword look at these locations oh man jeez well technically he is an antique dealer so he has a legitimate excuse to have all of these antiques which he probably collected himself over the years looks like he found a wife and a place to live you can do that to me forever if you like my lord wow those words probably have more weight to them that she realizes [Music] sir sean connery greetings another legend what do you want you who are you we are the same mccloud we are brothers he has to be another immortal but we're not seeing him in the present yet oh that makes sense that's why she was so intrigued sometimes macleod the sharpest blade is not enough creative transition number three i cannot swim you spanish peacock get out you can't drown your fool you're immortal this is the first time he heard the words that he's immortal [Music] wow they actually probably built a huge tank to shoot these scenes this cannot be it's the devil's work even he thinks so because you were born different men will fear you you must learn to conceal your special gift until the time of the gathering it's a training montage technically if your head comes away from your neck it's over off balance corner if it came down to just us two would you take my head that's a perfectly valid question by the way we must fight until only one remains [Music] give me your hand brother wow he started off hating him and now there's a mutual respect but what i want is a family you cannot have a family we cannot have children oh you must leave her brother what an existential crisis he must be having right now mcleod when shakiko died i was shattered i would save you that pain [Music] that black knight was a cargo he is the strongest of all the immortals if he wins the prize mortal man would suffer an eternity of darkness in the end there can be only one there can be only one it finally is making sense there can only be one immortal at the end and it better be a good one oh would you like some more wine heather get out what's wrong where's connor where is he you're too late i've prepared him for you you waste your time and that's where he got his car from don't tell me he kills the girl [Music] [Music] one and this is the only way to kill an immortal by separating the head from from the body he's absorbing his power somehow the same thing with what happened to conor in the parking lot hello pretty what are you looking at rachel people are asking about you what am i supposed to say tell them i'm immortal oh she knows this is world war one don't be afraid everybody's dead i'm like you i'm alone come with me rachel yeah it's world war ii that's a didn't you nazi it's a kind of magic how about loneliness i'm not lonely i've got everything i need right here come in where are you going i forgot my earrings interesting view i said interesting view you bastard where did you find this your bio doesn't mention the met it says you work for the police what are you gonna do question is what are you gonna do you're gonna turn off the tape or you're gonna shoot me with a 45. i am not looking for a killer i am looking for a sword if i could verify the existence of such a weapon it would be like discovering a 747 a thousand years before the wright brothers ever flew wow i didn't realize the significance of that you must leave her brother i love freddie mercury i love freddie mercury's voice [Music] this is a very appropriate song as well who wants to live forever the idea is very interesting living forever but nobody probably wants to live forever i've never really known why you stayed because i love you as much now as the first day we met i don't want to die i want to stay with you will you do something for me connor this is weirdly emotional i didn't expect that will you light a candle and remember me on my birthday i love he burnt his house because he has no purpose for that anymore what a beautiful scene it seems like a hundred years it's been a hundred years so the gathering is here don't ever speak to me this is a classic queen song hammer to fall love this song [Music] [Applause] oh man if i shot somebody full of lead and they disappeared i'd be freaking the heck out jesus decent [Laughter] hit a explosions across his neck hey moran headhunter 3 cop zero he's a guy who's been creeping around since at least 1700 it's not possible obviously for you he still lights a candle on her birthday happy birthday caster gear is gone only you and i remain that means they are the only remaining immortals who cuts your hair i am in disguise what do you want your head and the prize safety pins on his neck ramirez's display did not cut deeply enough i took his head and raped his woman before his blood was even cold oh she was not his woman she was your woman and she never told you goodbye macleod we will meet soon enough it's better to burn out than to fade away it's better to burn out than to fade away that was the last line of kurt cobain's suicide note i thought it was kurt cobain's words what are you doing here i'm looking for a dead guy named nash i think he kind of has to come clean right now because she knows a little too much i've been alive for four and a half centuries work i can't get involved not again most people are afraid to die you're afraid to live don't lose your head hello pretty yeah i don't think he's crazy i think he's just left for too long your friend is a real screamer i'll be waiting rachel there are some instructions in the desktop there's a power of attorney for you you're not coming back even if you kill him you're not coming back sweet rachel you always knew this would happen russell lashed eyes tonight [Music] hey it's a kind of match oh man [Music] taking down the whole scaffolding brenda's in real trouble like i said before the film is like really good the only weakness i found is the actual choreography of the action sequences [Music] the cinematography of the film has been solid most of the darkly lit shots were they are beautiful and well thought out [Music] good for her what kept you that was a good one-liner again this is a gorgeously lit scene [Music] oh that was satisfying there can be only one there can be only one and there is only one [Music] what a scene the special effects here are not the best but again considering the budget not bad the last remaining immortal so this is where it all began can you tell me about the prize it's like a whirlwind in my head but if i concentrate i know what people are thinking all over the world i can help them understand each other wow what am i thinking you're thinking whether or not you can love me i'm just like you i can love and have children live and grow old you never prepared me for that you spanish peacock the price is mortality patience highlander you have power beyond imagination don't lose your head that was a really good movie guys there can be only one very satisfying thank you thank you for the recommendations okay i took some time to collect my thoughts first off that was so much fun i didn't expect to enjoy a lower budget fantasy film so much but i did unlike flash gordon queen's music wasn't central to the story here but i'm not complaining for a second mercury was and is the king for me now that that's out of the way this film was surprisingly good the story writing concepts cinematography editing and the music were its trends in my opinion whereas the weakness would be the fight choreography let's start with the directing by uh russell mulcahy mulcahy i'm just going to call him the director and the script by gregory wyden peter bellwood and larry ferguson the writers and the directors start the story of relatively slow with the introduction to the immortal conor mcleod as he defeats another immortal we slowly get to know his powers with an excellent transition to the 1500s where more exposition is given to his character and his clan and where he's generally from the scottish highlands this is where we also get introduced to the kurgan the most powerful immortal who wants to kill everyone else by everyone i mean other immortals and claim the prize what the prize is was carefully and smartly avoided till the final act which was a great choice by the way and that kept the audience's interest throughout the runtime the reveal was very satisfying because the prize turned out to be unlimited knowledge and mortality thinking of it now looking back it's kind of obvious but i honestly didn't see it coming which is a good thing the film followed a traditional 3x structure in the first act we get introduced to the characters and the mythology of the world the second act was mostly dominated by ramirez connery's character training conor for his inevitable battle with the kurgan and the final act was the actual confrontation itself in the midst of all of this there was a subplot involving brenda and her quest to find the source of this mysterious japanese sword that has been folded 200 times that conor was wielding that subplot was very interesting i think it wasn't completely necessary but it added depth to the story highlander deals mainly with the theme of immortality and the sacrifices that come along with it it asks the question would you want to live forever in the form of freddie mercury's voice in a song living forever might sound great at first or at first glance but honestly would you really want to see your loved ones die over and over again that sounds terrible that would make you desensitized to the world and life itself the value of life i mean it was very interesting to see how differently the kurgan and connor handle this living forever means that human interactions are pretty much meaningless and the price being mortality was extremely fitting and that made the story even better the conclusion was pretty predictable though with conor killing the kurgan and being the last immortal technically there was none left as he became mortal at the end i also appreciated the fact that their immortality and how they became that way was not addressed at all there was a throwaway line about why does the sun rise so this explanation would have probably cheapened the story and would have been too reductive in my opinion so great choice anyways the overall writing and the directing of the film was solid the cinematography of highlander was stellar one of the strengths of the film one of the highlights for me considering the budget it was honestly impressive from the scottish highlands to the beautiful cliffs and the landscape shots the lighting work particularly in the darker scenes in new york city they were just gorgeous you could really tell that this film was a labor of love for the production team the transitions used in the film were very creative especially the time jump moments i think there were three or four of them that really commanded the attention of the audience and that's the reason i think the editing of the film was great um the fighting scenes were unfortunately a weakness for me as the choreography was a little too weak or maybe it was a camera work i i can't put my finger on it but uh for a film primarily about sword fights there were quite a few scenes it would have it could have been done a little better the music of the film was excellent you already heard me falling in love with mercury's voice all over again so i'll keep the fan balling to a minimum just know that i loved it the sound design itself was pretty good too in both eras i love the contrast between the bustling sounds of new york city and the lively villages of scotland the noises made by the quickening and the sounds made by the clanking of the swords that were satisfying too awesome work in this department the sets and prop of the film they're very good considering the budget again i love the stark contrast between the past and the present the sets were varied and i would say they looked realistic for the most part i loved all the props made for the film including the antiques and the actual swords made for the characters too moving on to the three main leads christopher lambert played conor mccloud at first i found his performance to be a little too subdued and stoic but i quickly changed my mind halfway through the runtime when i realized that there were narrative reasons for it i think the reason his performance was so reserved was the fact that he couldn't allow himself i mean his character couldn't allow himself to be emotionally attached to any mortal being since he knew that he would lose them eventually like his beloved heather uh there was also a notable noticeable difference uh between his accents in the past and the present and that goes to show the dedication of the actor to his role clancy brown played the kurgan his acting here was the clear standout for me he had the most unhinged and intimidating presence from the outside he probably looked and sounded crazy but i'm pretty sure he wasn't he was quite sane he was just so confident in being immortal being alive for thousands of years knowing that he cannot die and i think that was a reason at least the main reason for his outlandish behavior i really enjoyed his performance overall it's between this and the green mile he can really play a great antagonist finally sir sean connery played ramirez he had a huge name but i'll just call him ramirez the immortal who ended up training conor although this clearly wasn't connery's best acting work he was still very good in his role as the mentor figure i expected him to die as i did not see him in the future but he did most of his work before his death i also liked the fact that his voice was still referenced several times several times after he died showing that he even after he died he was technically immortal in the sense that his teachings still guided corner even as he faced off against arguably the strongest being on the planet good stuff as for criticisms i've already mentioned the main one i had of the film the fight choreography but apart from that overall highlander was an excellent excellent film of excellent fantasy film that stood the test of time the directing concepts cinematography editing and the music were excellent and the performances by lambert brown and connery weren't bad too this is a film i will be watching every couple of years when i want to feel immortal thank you for the recommendation guys by the way i heard that there might be a remake of this film starring henry cavill personally i don't think it's a very good idea to make a cult classic like this but i'd love to hear your opinions about it there could be only one anyways thank you for watching i have a patreon page consider being a patreon subscribe to the channel do check out my other videos like if you like this video dislike it if you didn't i will see you in the next one bye there can be only one [Music] you

Channel: Shan Watches Movies

Views: 22,151

Rating: 4.972414 out of 5

Keywords: Reaction, First Time Watching, Commentary, Review, Movie, For The First Time, React, Film, Watch Through, watching for the first time, Analysis, Critic, Entertainment, First time reaction, Movie reaction, shan watches movies, sean connery, christopher lambert, clancy brown, highlander, highlander the one, highlander movie reaction, highlander reaction, highlander review, first time watching highlander, Russell Mulcahy, there can be only one, highlander 2021, henry cavill, 1986

Id: _l94Cms9PH8

Length: 30min 45sec (1845 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 09 2021