Critics’ reviews

Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)

10 reviews from 10 publications. Critics’ score 22: 0 positive, 1 mixed, 9 negative.

Back to our review of Highlander II: The Quickening

22
Positive
0
Mixed
1
Negative
9

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.

Los Angeles Times
1 November 1991 · Kevin Thomas
60*

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.

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Variety
31 December 1990 · Variety Staff
40*

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.

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Time Out
30*

The sequel's slick visuals only highlight how empty the story has become. It features leaden pacing, excessive effects and a lack of imagination.

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The Telegraph
14 June 2026
15*

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.

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Empire
1 January 2000 · Kim Newman
10*

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.

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RogerEbert.com
1 November 1991 · Roger Ebert
10*

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.

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The AV Club
29 March 2006 · Tasha Robinson
10*

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.

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Eye for Film
8 July 2012 · ★ · Jennie Kermode
20

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.

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Collider
30 November 2023 · Samuel Williamson
10*

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.

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Den of Geek
19 August 2014 · Alex Carter
10*

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.

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Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate