1. Highlander 2: The Quickening Ignores Everything In The Original (Seriously)
The tagline for the original Highlander, "There Can Only Be One," should have applied to the movie itself. No bad sequel can even compare to how much Highlander 2: The Quickening disrespects the original. 1986's Highlander is a fantasy film about immortal warriors who battle throughout time to be the final Immortal left. It became a cult classic and is highly regarded even if it does feature Sean Connery playing an Egyptian-born Spaniard, which does not explain the Scottish accent. Considering it was unsuccessful at the box office, Highlander should have remained a sequel-less cult fantasy film. However, the 1991 sequel rewrote every clever concept from the original by setting the film in the future, reviving Connery's character, making the Immortals extraterrestrials, and making the plot as convoluted and confusing as the original's is straightforward and enjoyable. To be fair, director Russell Mulcahy (who also directed the original) disowned the sequel and claims that the company financing it took control of it. Nonetheless, while both Mulcahy's director's cut (released in 1995) and the producer's cut (released in 2004) of Highlander 2 are better regarded, neither comes close to the original. Nor has any of the subsequent Highlander films or the various television series, all of which ignore the events of Highlander 2. Like this article? Let us know in the comments section below.
Chris McKittrick is a published author of fiction and non-fiction and has spoken about film and comic books at conferences across the United States. In addition to his work at WhatCulture!, he is a regular contributor to CreativeScreenwriting.com, MovieBuzzers.com, and DailyActor.com, a website focused on acting in all media. For more information, visit his website at http://www.chrismckit.com.
