Highlander is a film and television franchise that began with a 1986 fantasy movie starring Christopher Lambert, who plays Connor MacLeod, the Highlander. Born in Glenfinnan, in the Scottish Highlands in the 16th century, MacLeod is an Immortal. Over the years, Highlander has seen four movies, two television series, an animated series, future anime project, an animated flash movie, fourteen original novels, comics and licensed merchandise.

"From the dawn of time we came, moving silently down through the centuries. Living many secret lives, struggling to reach the time of the Gathering, when the few who remain will battle to the last. No one has ever known we were among you.....until now."

 

Highlander

The first film of what became a series,"Highlander", directed by Russell Mulcahy, was released on March 7, 1986 with the tagline, "There Can Be Only One." The film features a number of flashback scenes establishing Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod's early history and builds up to his final destiny as the greatest of the mysterious immortals. Through a mentor – Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez played by Sean Connery, he learns of the existence of immortals such as himself, who occur spontaneously throughout history. The immortals can only die by being beheaded and must battle each other to the last, until the 'Gathering' when the last immortals left will battle until only one remains to take 'the Prize'. The Gathering occurs in modern-day New York and sees the Highlander, who has fallen in love again despite trying to cut himself off from humanity in general, narrowly defeat his powerful and evil enemy, The Kurgan, whom he has encountered through time and who has slain Ramirez and many others.

The film remains arguably the best-known piece of the Highlander mythos, and the one best-received by the public. It introduced many themes and concepts that were further explored by the later movies and TV series.

Highlander II: The Quickening

Highlander II: The Quickening, directed by Russell Mulcahy, was released on January 31, 1991. The film mainly takes place in 2024, with flashbacks to events in 1999 and also a very distant past on the planet Zeist. MacLeod designed an energy shield to protect Earth after its ozone layer began to disintegrate, but the shield's heavy red clouds and blocking of natural sunlight have plunged mankind into despair. The shield has also fallen under the control of the Shield Corporation, which taxes for its services in the pursuit of profit. Meanwhile, MacLeod has physically aged into a frail old man, part of winning the Prize, and expects that he will eventually die of natural causes. He suddenly was rejuvenated and became immortal again upon the sudden arrival of new immortals, who were sent to kill him by an old enemy on Zeist. He then joins with Louise Marcus (Virginia Madsen), who had led a group of terrorists who tried to take down the Shield.

This film offers an alternative origin for the immortals, who are depicted as aliens exiled to Earth from Zeist. In direct contradiction with the original film, Ramirez and MacLeod were friends before their exiles from Zeist. In the original, they first met in Scotland in 1541, with no mention of Zeist. This was a primary reason the movie immediately met with harsh criticism from critics and audiences alike. Fans of the original were not pleased with Immortals' coming from another planet, and with the return of Ramirez, whose dramatic death scene in the original was considered among its highlights.

Russell Mulcahy was disappointed with the movie as originally released, so much that it's said he walked out of the premiere after only 15 minutes. He later made his own Renegade Version with a proper sequencing of various scenes, and the filmmakers' explanation for why the movie turned out as it originally did. Filming had ended late and over-budget, and much of it was done in Argentina, which at the time was experiencing hyper-inflation. The insurance company decided to take "creative control" from Mulcahy so the resulting movie would see maximized revenue. One of Mulcahy's most dynamic alterations was the relabeling of the Zeist footage as a flashback to an ancient, technologically-advanced civilization on Earth. In 2004, a Special Edition was released, featuring several distinct alterations, including new computer-generated visual effects throughout the film.

Highlander III: The Sorcerer (Highlander: The Final Dimension)

Highlander III: The Sorcerer first released on November 25, 1994. MacLeod battles a warrior who missed the original Gathering because he was buried in a cave. Kane (played by Mario Van Peebles) is a master of the "power of illusion," which allows him to create false imagery to deceive his enemies. Connor, who has lived with his adopted son John for years with the belief that he is the final Immortal, must return to New York and finish the job he started in 1985. Along the way, he finds a new love, Alex Johnson (Deborah Unger).

The third movie ignores the science-fiction elements and plot inconsistencies introduced by the second film; it deliberately stands as an alternative sequel. However, some see the "three men in a cave" plot twist as contradicting the original film as well. Whether or not it is a retcon of the ending of Highlander is debatable. It also does not acknowledge the television series, and effectively contradicts the events of the pilot episode to that spin-off, much to the chagrin of some fans.

Highlander: Endgame

Highlander: Endgame, first released on September 1, 2000, was an attempt to merge characters from both the original film and from the Highlander TV series. The story follows Duncan MacLeod as he confronts Jacob Kell, a renegade immortal with a posse of warriors and an impressive body count. Kell, who holds a centuries-old grudge against the elder Connor MacLeod, has taken the lives of Connor's loved ones. Connor has spent a decade trying to escape the game in a hidden Watcher fortress known as the Sanctuary, but he and Duncan must now confront this new threat to the Game.

Highlander: The Source

Highlander: The Source is the 5th installment to the "Highlander" film series is currently being filmed. It is unknown as of yet whether there will be shown in movie theaters or if it will go directly to DVD and VHS. It will follow Duncan MacLeod as he encounters a new threat in the Guardian. It will be set in the near future during a time of economic despair and (as stated on the official website) is to be the first in a new trilogy of films.

Spin-offs

The various spin-offs can be divided into two categories: one that follows the timeline started by the 1992 television series (dubbed the "Duncan" timeline), and those that function as stand-alone spin-offs.

"Duncan" Timeline

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  Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul)
  A 1990s TV series used the same basic ideas as the films, and was simply called Highlander: The Series. Its first episode was released on October 6, 1992. The series centred on Connor MacLeod's younger Immortal "clansman" Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul). Connor (Christopher Lambert) made a guest appearance in the first episode to ensure continuity.

• Highlander: The Raven was a series that took one of the characters in the previous live-action series, Amanda (Elizabeth Gracen), as its central character. She was accompanied by former police officer Nick Wolfe (Paul Johansson). The first episode was released on November 7, 1998.

• A 2001 animated flash series, The Methos Chronicles, was an internet flash series based on Methos (voiced by Peter Wingfield), a character drawn from the television series. This short-lived series lasted only one eight-episode season. The animation quality was consider by most to be poor, but it has found a cult following.

Stand Alone Series

• A 1994 animated series, Highlander: The Animated Series, was set in the far future, and featured the character of Quentin MacLeod, voiced by Miklos Perlus. It is not within the continuity of the live-action series.

• The producers are making a new anime series/movie called Highlander: Vengeance. It is about a new Highlander named Colin MacLeod. Set in the future, Colin has to battle Immortals and giant robots. It is not in the continuity of either the films or the series.

Other Media

• The Best of Highlander: The Book by Maureen Russell

• Highlander Novels:

Highlander (novellization) by Garry Kilworth

Highlander: The Element of Fire

Highlander: Scimitar

Highlander: Scotland the Brave

Highlander: Measure of a Man

Highlander: The Path

Highlander: Zealot

Highlander: Shadow of Obsession

Highlander: The Captive Soul

Highlander: White Silence

Highlander: An Evening at Joe's

• The new Highlander comic book series from Dynamite Entertainment, featuring a stunning array of cover talent and the creative team of Brandon Jerwa, Michael Avon (Red Sonja) Oeming and artist Lee Moder.This series takes place in the period of the first film, and was launched with an introductory priced #0 issue.

• The Original Scores CD - Highlander; Highlander 2: The Quickening and Highlander: The Final Dimension.

• Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods - a 1994 video game based on Highlander: The Animated Series.

• Future Highlander Video Game - a MMORPG video game is currently in development. It will be based in the movies and the TV series under the working title of.[1]

Continuity

To newcomers, the most confusing aspect of the franchise are the blatant inconsistencies and paradoxes between the television series and the films. To explain the paradoxes presented, the entire Highlander franchise may be seen as completely separate storylines, occurring in alternate realities. The common thread between the realities is the succession to the first film.

• The reality of the original film and Highlander II, in which Connor spends his mortal life dedicated to solving the environmental problems of the Earth until his immortality is returned to him with the arrival of his old rival General Katana and his henchmen.

• The reality of the first Highlander and Highlander III, which establishes that a group of Immortals - trapped in a cave centuries prior to The Gathering - escape after MacLeod's fight with Kurgan, and the battle for The Prize begins again.

• Any of the realities featuring the first film and/or a stand-alone spin-off, such as the 1994 animated series and Highlander: Vengeance. These are typically "loose" follow-ups to the original Highlander at best.

• The reality of a retconned Highlander in which Connor does not win the prize, followed by the Highlander television series, Highlander: The Raven, Highlander: Endgame, Highlander: The Source, and any subsequent sequels featuring Duncan MacLeod. In this reality, there is a much larger number of Immortals still living in the 20th century, with The Gathering having only begun in 1985.

In the final reality, Connor's battle with the Kurgan (as alluded to in the Series pilot and in one later episode) is simply viewed as the beginning of the Gathering, and not a final fight for "The Prize." The second and third films, as well as the stand-alone spin-offs, are not officially considered part of the series universe. Also, some fans disregard the franchise altogether and only acknowledge the original film.

References

See also

• List of Highlander Immortals - A Complete listing of every single Immortal to appear in anything Highlander.

External links

• Highlander comic publisher Dynamite Entertainment
• Unofficial Highlander WWW and Mailing list Archive Site
• Highlander Filming Location