The consensus is mixed: most critics find Highlander muddled and excessive, but several enjoy its sword fights, eccentric fantasy premise and willingness to be ridiculous. Praise clusters around the combat, with striking backdrops and energetic direction helping the action survive the storytelling. Sean Connery’s supporting turn is a recurring pleasure, bringing style and camp humour. The Queen soundtrack supplies outsized emotion for some, though it does not make the story engaging for others.
The chief reservation is coherence: the jumps between eras and genres leave several critics struggling to care about what happens. There is less agreement about pace, which the reviews describe as both frenzied and plodding. Empire enjoys Clancy Brown’s villain, while Variety finds him unimpressive. The Guardian is notably warmer than most, treating the deadpan comedy and eccentric ambition as reasons to embrace the silliness rather than merely tolerate it.