Filipe Manuel Neto
Written on 10/18/2022
**An apology to the fans of the first film, which is still not very convincing.**
Sometimes, even the most innocent and naive movie lover can understand that a movie is going to be a huge failure. That must have happened with “Highlander II”, since it is almost certainly one of the worst sequels ever made. After deciding to make this film, the producers and director Andrew Morahan were aware of this, and they corrected it by deciding to pretend that this film never existed, returning to the original and building on that foundation. The result wasn't a success, but at least it wasn't an insult either.
The script for this film shows us what happened after Connor MacLeod left Scotland, still wounded by the death of his first wife. He goes to Japan, where he seeks out a wise sorcerer named Nakano. It turns out that there was another immortal warrior interested in going against Nakano, to kill him and absorb his magic and power: Kane. The fight ends in the sorcerer's death. In the present day, his cave is discovered, along with bones and remains that point to the Scotsman's presence, which intrigues archaeologists and historians, as Connor, now a respectable antiquary, prepares for the ultimate battle with Kane.
All right, the script is really a mess and admits very silly possibilities for the eyes of anyone who understands and studies history. However, it is a much more decent script and much more in keeping with the original film, which can be said to be a positive point. Nevertheless, it doesn't bring anything really new or fresh, except for a few scenes that are set in the Baroque period and Revolutionary France. Even the villain is, at heart, a retelling of the villain from the first film.
The cast does what they can, but only Christopher Lambert deserves to be given the thumbs up for a satisfying job. There are a lot of cliché situations or scenes where we get the feeling that the characters are not acting intelligently. Mako tries to be very genuine and gives his character a certain authenticity, which was positive, but everything else is forgettable. Mario Van Peebles seems to bet everything he can on his voice, the huskiest and most cavernous he can get, and Deborah Unger is just the pretty face of the moment.
Technically, the film also sought to recreate the look of the first film. There are some points to highlight, namely the good work of the cinematography and the visual and sound effects, which manage to give the film some of the spectacular effects of the first one, without the freshness and authenticity. I also liked the period scenes in general. While not brilliant, they were a welcome addition that shows us a little bit of the main character's backstory. The soundtrack again bets on heavy rock, but is generally forgettable.
