--- title: "Highlander II: The Quickening" year: 1991 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/highlander-ii-the-quickening" fi1m_score: 24 critics_score: 22 critics_reviews: 10 published: "2026-09-16T14:37:24.793516+00:00" updated: "2026-09-16T14:37:57.083137+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Highlander II: The Quickening (1991) Directed by Russell Mulcahy · 1h 40m · MPA R · Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Science Fiction **Fi1m score: 24** · Critics 22 from 10 reviews *In a sentence:* The immortals have a home planet now, which seems a good place to leave them > Russell Mulcahy’s sequel gives its immortals an alien origin and leaves the story harder to follow. Some visual care and Sean Connery’s amusement survive, but neither makes these 100 minutes worth the effort. ## Synopsis Connor ‘The Highlander’ MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) returns in a story that links the immortals to the planet Zeist. An energy shield provides a further complication, and events move across time and space as the fantasy takes on a science-fiction setting. Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery), Louise Marcus (Virginia Madsen) and Gen. Katana (Michael Ironside) are among those involved in the conflict. David Blake (John C. McGinley) also features as the story connects the immortals’ alien origins with the problems surrounding the shield. ## Review *Highlander II: The Quickening* is a bad sequel with enough visual polish to make its failures more trying. Russell Mulcahy attempts to carry a fantasy into science fiction, but the added explanations make the story harder to follow. The immortals acquire an origin on the planet Zeist, and an energy shield becomes another complication to understand. Most critics find the resulting plot incoherent; we agree, although occasional signs that the cast are enjoying themselves keep it from being wholly joyless. The screenplay by Peter Bellwood, from a story by William N. Panzer and Brian Clemens, spends too much effort extending the mythology when the immediate action already needs explaining. We were irritated by the jumps across time and space, because each shift demands attention without making the conflict easier to grasp. Accepting an alien origin for the immortals is hardly an unreasonable request in a fantasy. The trouble starts when accepting it still leaves us struggling to follow what is happening and why it matters. Christopher Lambert has the difficult job of keeping Connor ‘The Highlander’ MacLeod worth following through this confusion, and the performance does not provide enough conviction. Virginia Madsen fares little better as Louise Marcus, struggling to make a character matter while the plotting consumes so much attention. Sean Connery brings some welcome amusement to the proceedings. His apparent willingness to enjoy this material offers a small relief, though a performance can only do so much when the surrounding film keeps losing our interest. Phil Meheux’s cinematography gives the film a polish that the writing never earns. There is care in the image, and the elaborate production design offers something to look at while the story struggles. That pleasure wears off as the effects become another thing competing for attention in a film that already needs simplifying. Russell Mulcahy can still make an action sequence briefly lively, but these passages are too isolated to give the rest much momentum. The effort is visible even when the excitement is missing. The editing is credited to Hubert C. de la Bouillerie and Anthony Redman, and the cut never makes the changes of time and place easy to follow. Too often, a transition gives us another situation to decipher before the previous one has become interesting. The pacing remains heavy despite all this movement. At 100 minutes, the film feels needlessly long, and even the action fails to relieve the drag for more than a short stretch. Stewart Copeland’s music offers little help, failing to supply the excitement that the action and explanations cannot sustain themselves. There is no reason a fantasy sequel should be forbidden from venturing into science fiction. An extraterrestrial account of immortality could support an entertaining adventure if the characters had clear purposes and their choices held our attention. Peter Bellwood’s screenplay does not manage that basic work. Even without any attachment to the earlier mythology, there is too little here to make the new version engaging. The cast’s occasional amusement suggests a less solemn, more enjoyable film might have been possible. Those glimpses are too brief to make this an agreeable bad-film evening, and the confusion becomes tiring well before it becomes funny. Admirers of elaborate fantasy settings may find a few things to inspect, but that is a thin reason to stay. Save the evening for an adventure that can make its characters worth following. *Fi1m score 24, published 16 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The consensus on Highlander II: The Quickening is heavily negative: nine of the ten reviews reject it, with plot confusion the most persistent complaint. Praise is scarce and centres on isolated pleasures rather than the film as a whole. Variety finds that the action sequences bring it to life, while the Los Angeles Times enjoys the elaborate production design and the cast’s evident amusement. There is little agreement that these compensate for the storytelling. The main divide concerns how much enjoyment survives the muddle. The Los Angeles Times offers the sole mixed assessment, finding the sequel clearer than its predecessor and receptive to its self-mockery. Most critics instead describe an incoherent science-fiction turn that damages the original’s fantasy premise. Even the visual appeal is disputed: Time Out finds slick images but excessive effects and leaden pacing, while Collider criticises cheap-looking production and unconvincing effects. The spread is overwhelmingly towards rejection, with one comparatively forgiving response. ### Reviews we read (10) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kevin Thomas (60/100, inferred): The film improves on the original by clarifying some of its vagueness while joking about its own confusing premise. The critic praises the elaborate production design and the cast's evident enjoyment but notes it remains best for those unconcerned with logical coherence. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-01-ca-467-story.html) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (40/100, inferred): Audiences unfamiliar with the first film will struggle to follow the incoherent plot that jumps across time and space. The critic notes that the film comes alive in its action sequences but criticizes the overall narrative confusion. [Read](https://variety.com/1990/film/reviews/highlander-ii-the-quickening-1200428886/) - **Time Out** (30/100, inferred): The sequel's slick visuals only highlight how empty the story has become. It features leaden pacing, excessive effects and a lack of imagination. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/highlander-ii-the-quickening) - **The Telegraph** (15/100, inferred): The piece portrays Highlander II as a colossal flop and one of the worst sequels ever made, a disaster hated by critics and fans for retroactively ruining the original's lore with a botched story about immortals. It notes the film's commercial failure and production troubles while acknowledging some residual charms in the rushed final cut. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2026/06/14/sean-connery-disaster-of-highlander-2/) - **Empire**, Kim Newman (10/100, inferred): The critic finds the sequel totally incoherent, with a plot that makes no sense and tired visuals from the director. They single out the confused story premises for complaint. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/highlander-ii-quickening-review/) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (10/100, inferred): The critic finds the film hilariously incomprehensible and one of the worst science fiction movies ever made. He singles out its absurd plot involving immortals from the planet Zeist and a nonsensical energy shield for ridicule. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/highlander-2-the-quickening-1991) - **The AV Club**, Tasha Robinson (10/100, inferred): The review lambasts the film for its terrible acting, plotting, dialogue, special effects, music, action sequences, continuity, story logic, and jokes. It discusses the troubled production history and the 'Renegade Version' DVD cut in a critical context. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/highlander-2-renegade-version-1798209167) - **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (1/5): The critic finds the sequel a major disappointment, ruined by its clumsy shift into clichéd science fiction that undermines the original's fantasy. She singles out the weak script and lacklustre performances, noting that even the cast's efforts cannot salvage the film's desperation and poor execution. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/highlander-ii-the-quickening-1991-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) - **Collider**, Samuel Williamson (10/100, inferred): The critic portrays Highlander II as an incomprehensible disaster with a nonsensical alien-origin plot, cheap production values, and unconvincing effects that even its director wanted to disown. Mulcahy's later Renegade Cut fails to fix the fundamental mess. [Read](https://collider.com/highlander-2-the-quickening-director-russell-mulcahy/) - **Den of Geek**, Alex Carter (10/100, inferred): The critic concludes that Highlander II is awful and retcons the original film disastrously. They single out the nonsensical plot involving aliens from Zeist and the director's disownment of the film. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/what-went-wrong-with-highlander-ii-the-quickening/) ## Details - **Director:** Russell Mulcahy - **Director:** Russell Mulcahy - **Screenplay:** Peter Bellwood - **Story:** Brian Clemens, William N. Panzer - **Cinematography:** Phil Meheux - **Editor:** Anthony Redman, Hubert C. de la Bouillerie - **Music:** Stewart Copeland - **Producer:** Peter S. Davis, William N. Panzer - **Cast:** Christopher Lambert as Connor 'The Highlander' MacLeod; Sean Connery as Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez; Virginia Madsen as Louise Marcus; Michael Ironside as Gen. Katana; John C. McGinley as David Blake; Phillip Brock as Cabbie; Rusty Schwimmer as Drunk; Ed Trucco as Jimmy - **Runtime:** 1h 40m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 1 November 1991 - **Genres:** Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Science Fiction - **Budget:** $34 million - **Box office:** $16 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV2yoL_GkEY ## Where to watch in the US - Starz: streaming - Tubi: free, hd, leaving 2026-10-01 - The Roku Channel: free, hd, leaving 2026-10-01 - Amazon Prime Video: add-on - Hulu: add-on, hd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $7.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-16.* Also available in: AT, BE, CA, CH, DE, FR, GB, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Highlander* (1986), Fi1m 75: The simpler choice for immortal rivalries with characters worth following. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/highlander.md) - *Escape from New York* (1981): A grim future, clear stakes and action that respects the clock. - *Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain* (1983): For extravagant fantasy action that can move faster than its explanations. - *The City of Lost Children* (1995): An elaborate science-fiction setting whose oddities reward a little patience. - *The Green Knight* (2021): For fantasy that gives its mortal hero time to be frightened. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/highlander-ii-the-quickening