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Region 4 Winners and Losers

Region 4 Winners and Losers

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Explanatory Notes
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Highlander II: The QuickeningR1
    This film is still available in its theatrical edit (Highlander II: The Quickening) in Region 2 in a similar format to the Region 4 release. In Region 1, this version of the film has been (wisely) recalled and the film is now only available in Region 1 as a Director's Cut (Highlander 2: Renegade Version). (Note that it was never intended by the film-makers that the film title carry the by-line "The Quickening". This was added to the title by the studio as an afterthought just prior to the theatrical release, to prompt a more direct connotation for audiences to the original film. I now think of this woeful theatrical version as "Highlander II: The Quick Version" in order to distinguish it. The never-intended by-line has been officially dropped from the film's title by the film-makers in putting together their 1997 director's cut, the "Renegade Version".) 

    The Renegade Version boasts numerous advantages over the Quick Version, notably the addition of some 19 additional minutes of restored footage and the complete re-arrangement of events and re-edit of the film in order to convey the plot and sequence of events as they were originally intended by the director. The result is a 100% improvement over the hackneyed theatrical edit, which made absolutely no sense at all and had glaring continuity and plot inconsistencies as a result of the re-arranging of the sequence of events. Apart from restoring the full plot so that the film now makes (somewhat) more sense, steps have also been taken by the director and producers in the Renegade Version to appease fans' loud screams of anguish over the Planet Zeist plot, and so in the Renegade Version all references to the Planet Zeist have been completely eliminated. Instead, now the immortals are simply from "a long time ago" here on Earth, and when they are exiled from their time they are simply exiled into the future on Earth. This removes the single largest cringe-factor for Highlander nuts. It still doesn't explain or excuse numerous contradictions with the first film, mind, but it at least eliminates the biggest single element of ridicule from the sequel's storyline. The Renegade Version also restores various sequences as flash-back sequences (a trademark of the first film), rather than just a single, boring, chronological run of events as it was hackneyed together in the Quick Version.

    In comparison to the Region 1 Renegade Version, Region 4 misses out on:

  • 109 minute director's cut reinstating the film as it was originally intended to be shown,
  • 2.35:1 (but unfortunately not 16x9 enhanced) aspect ratio video,
  • English and Spanish subtitles,
  • Dolby Digital 5.1 (THX-certified) audio,
  • Audio commentary by director and producers explaining what went wrong, why the theatrical version was a mess and giving a detailed scene-by-scene guide to all the changes made for the director's cut,
  • Featurette "Highlander 2: To Be Or Not To Be A Sequel?" (18 minutes), and
  • Photo gallery of over 100 stills, including behind-the-scenes shots and pre-production sketches.

    It is an obvious choice.