Highlander

Rating:
Summary: Better, but still too little.
Review: While "The Highlander" has always been one of my favorite movies, I was greatly disappointed by the Tenth Anniversary DVD. The sound and picture were lacking, making my VHS cassette a cleaner option.

Fast forward a few years, and along comes the "immortal edition." Promises abound about more material, better picture and sound quality, and Bonus Queen music.

Did the new edition deliver?

While the plot and story are the same as always, quality of the presentation has been rather varied. The Tenth Anniversery edition was almost painful, so it was hard to imagine this version not being a step up. And a step up it was.

However, it could still be better. The picture's not as grainy, and the lips are actually in synch this time, but there is grain to the picture that's not even present in VHS. The sound is also a step up, but it could definitely better.

Part of the lure for me was the Queen material. The four videos seemed slapped in there (You can even hear the final notes of "The Show Must Go On," an unrelated peice of music, at the beginning of "A Kind of Magic") And the picture is not up to snuff with the other collections that contain these videos. Of the three music tracks, two are available on a Queen CD, where the mixes of several songs used for "The Highlander," which woulda been more appropriate, are still unavailable.

I recommend the movie itself, but could not in good conscience promote this edition and reward such a half assed job. The movie itself recieves 5 stars, the quality/presentation of it barely even merits 1 star.

Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: Nice set of extras-- music videos from Queen, and even an audio CD with Queen songs on it. The only thing missing is better picture quality, but it's clear that this encoding has reached the limits of the original film. I liked the addition of the WWII scene as well. Not really worth the extra money, but it's a nice item to have anyway.

Rating:
Summary: Save Your Money
Review: When is the industry going to realize that for those who saw the movie at it's original theatrical release, all we want is a beautiful transfer of the original film on DVD. No director's cut, no special packaging, no stupid videos...give us the movie in all its original soul!

If you are in DVD Region 2, one could own this true gem...but for the rest of us? The ignaorant film industry capitalists just want to make money on bastardizing what was once a true landmark in filmaking.

Rating:
Summary: NICE MOVIE BUT I FEEL TRICKED
Review: THE MOVIE ITSELF IS VERY GOOD. THE TRANFER TO DVD IS VERY CLEAR AND SHARP WITH NO VISUAL ARTIFACTS AT ALL. ALSO REMIXING THE SOUNDTRACK WITH DOLBY EX AND DTS IS A REAL PLUS! BOTH SOUND GREAT. THERE DID SEEM TO BE A FEW SCENES ADDED TO THE FEATURE ALSO. DISC ONE ALSO PACKS THREE QUEEN VIDEOS AMD A RUNING COMMENTARY BY THE DIRECTORS WITH THE MOVIE IF YOU CHOOSE THIS OPTION. THER ALSO ARE STILLS AND SCENCE SELECTION OPTIONS. THEY INCLUDE A CD OF JUST THREE QUEEEN SONGS AND NOT THE REST OF THE SOUNDTRACK. (OR ANY OTHER MUSIC FOR THAT MATTER).WHAT A GREAT WASTE TO PRESS A COMPLETE CD AND ONLY PUT THREE SONGS ON IT. THE PACKAGE IS ALSO GOOD AND BAD. THE GOOD: THE ENTIRE DISC PACKAGE IS COVERED IN SMALL GAGE BRUSHED ALUMINUM COVER. THE BAD: THE INNER PLASTIC PACKAGE ON MINE BROKE TO PIECES WHEN I OPENED IT THE FIRST TIME. THE PRICE FOR THIS PACKAGE IS JUST TO HIGH. NOT RECOMMENED AT THIS PRICE.

Rating:
Summary: Audio still not too great
Review: I bought this immortal edition hoping that the audio would be better than the previous DVD so imagine my surprise that it still is not that great. I have to turn the volume way up to hear the dialogue then down when the music is on. Why can't anyone seem to get it right with this movie?? I even tried different audio settings on both the DVD and my television. Next time they try to release this as improved-I'm saving my money and renting it first.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed in the Extras
Review: I figured for the price, that the CD with music from the movie would be the WHOLE soundtrack, but instead there are only THREE songs on it. If I had realized that's what I was getting, I would have been a less-expensive DVD.

The movie is as charming as ever, and there were some scenes I don't recall from the VHS that I am replacing with this ... but I think I paid too much.

Rating:
Summary: Good Movie - fair transfer
Review: I will not bore you with another review of the movie. But I will slam this attempt to make you part with more money. No extra insight into the making of, reasons behind or lost scenes. The second disk is a standard CD with the three main Queen songs. But the first is what is lacking the extras. It has the usual cast bios, trailers, posters and stills. But not much else that would make it worth the extra money. As for the Dolby Digital 5.1 - the music tracks come out real great but the rest of the soundtrack seems to come from only the center speaker. Save money and buy the first DVD and the musical soundtrack.

Rating:
Summary: This is definately The One.
Review: The disc transfer is excellent, and the disc is loaded with extras. This disc sets an example for all DVD makers to follow, and is again an example that Anchor Bay takes great care in it's DVD's.
The tin can in which the DVD is packaged is a nice touch, and it is decorated with a sword imprint.
The booklet I am not pleased with. Thge actual info is too short, and almost half the booklet is used as advertising material.
A question arises in the choice of bonus tracks on the extra CD however, surely "Who wants to live forever" would have fit in better?

Still this is possibly the best possible DVD this movie could have, it *is* The One.

Rating:
Summary: "To Live Forever"
Review: The latest DVD release of HIGHLANDER doesn't really improve on the previous version a whole lot. The first Disc has the film and all of the extras that were available on the Collector's Edition. The video transfer of the film is the same with only minor differences. As for the audio, the film now has a DTS track, that wasn't available until now...By now you must be asking yourself, if its only slightly better than the earlier DVD, then why should I bother spending the extra bucks? If you are as much of a Highlander movie fan as I am, then the reason to purchase this set, can be summed up in one word--Queen. The music provided by rock group, for the film, is unforgettable. Their music took this film to a whole different level. The film stars Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery. It tells the story of a race of immotrals who travel through time to defeat their enemies. The film has plenty of action and sci-fi swordplay that makes for an exciting film that has a cool story.

The second disc is a companion CD that pays tribute to Queen. As stated above, I think the group helped to make this low-budget action film the worldwide phenomenon, that it is today. The group also provided the music for another cult classic, FLASH GORDON, as well (I also recommend that film too). In summation, if you are a fan of the film and Queen, this edition is for you. If you don't like Queen all that much and you already own the other DVD, then stick with that disc, and skip this set

Rating:
Summary: A KIND OF MAGIC?PROBABLY THE CLOSEST THING TO IT!
Review: THIS IS THE BEST PRINT I HAVE SEEN SO FAR ITS NOT 100% PERFECT,BUT I DONT THINK IT WILL EVER BE BETTER THAN THIS.THIS 2 DISC SET HAS A 3 TRACK CD AND WIDESCREEN ANAMORPHIC PRINT,WITH 5.1/DTS SURROUND.INCLUDES 3 MUSIC VIDEOS,GALLERY,AUDIO COMMENTARY,TALENT BIOS AND TRAILERS WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR.I THINK LIVING IN THE UK,WE GET THE REGION 1 DISCS IMPORTED,BEFORE THEY ARE RELEASED IN THE STATES UP TO 3 WEEKS SOMETIMES,SO IF YOU HAVE NOT GOT YOURS YET IM SURE YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.ORDER NOW BEFORE ITS GONE.