Highlander

[Alex]

It does get better.

People say this, but it's one of those things where i just can't get through the crap first bits.
Like, i like some of the star trek shows, but when i try to watch Next Generation the acting is so stilted i just can't get passed it and have to stop watching.
It's a feeling i don't think i have had with a single modern show though.

[Treqqor]

People say this, but it's one of those things where i just can't get through the crap first bits.
Like, i like some of the star trek shows, but when i try to watch Next Generation the acting is so stilted i just can't get passed it and have to stop watching.

Which is kind of funny considering how GREAT some of the acting gets later on.

Why not pick up a few episodes later on in the series, episodes you've heard that are good? Trek and Highlander aren't incredibly serialized. There's no need to start from the beginning, I know I certainly didn't for both of them.

Watch some episodes that you hear are actually good and surprise yourself.
Then, if you like, you can go back and laugh at the earlier ones while appreciating how good it actually does get.

[Mat001]

People say this, but it's one of those things where i just can't get through the crap first bits.
Like, i like some of the star trek shows, but when i try to watch Next Generation the acting is so stilted i just can't get passed it and have to stop watching.
It's a feeling i don't think i have had with a single modern show though.

In Adrian Paul's defense, it's kinda understandable. A major issue with the show was that it was originally developed as a Connor MacLeod's continuing adventures, when Peter and Andrew Briggs first wrote the series bible for Bill Panzer and Peter Davis. When Paul auditioned, he had nailed it even though he didn't look like Lambert and didn't have his mannerisms. So the character of Duncan MacLeod was created as an alternative in case Lambert chose to appear in "The Gathering". If he didn't, then Paul would play Connor. Since a lot of the character was similar to Connor, this resulted in Paul trying to be a mix of both Duncan and Connor early on. Which did not work to his strengths. As the show went on, Paul got better as the character was defined thanks to David Abramowitz who became the showrunner. No, it's not perfect, but a lot better than the start of the series. For Stan Kirsch, it was one of his first acting gigs. Richard Moll was just channeling Clancy Brown.

"Star Trek: The Next Generation" got better after the first season and had some great acting.

Watch some episodes that you hear are actually good and surprise yourself.
Then, if you like, you can go back and laugh at the earlier ones while appreciating how good it actually does get.

Sound advice. Jim Byrnes, who played Joe Dawson, had one of the best acting scenes in season six's "Armageddon".

[Alex]

In Adrian Paul's defense, it's kinda understandable. A major issue with the show was that it was originally developed as a Connor MacLeod's continuing adventures, when Peter and Andrew Briggs first wrote the series bible for Bill Panzer and Peter Davis. When Paul auditioned, he had nailed it even though he didn't look like Lambert and didn't have his mannerisms. So the character of Duncan MacLeod was created as an alternative in case Lambert chose to appear in "The Gathering". If he didn't, then Paul would play Connor. Since a lot of the character was similar to Connor, this resulted in Paul trying to be a mix of both Duncan and Connor early on. Which did not work to his strengths. As the show went on, Paul got better as the character was defined thanks to David Abramowitz who became the showrunner. No, it's not perfect, but a lot better than the start of the series. For Stan Kirsch, it was one of his first acting gigs. Richard Moll was just channeling Clancy Brown.

"Star Trek: The Next Generation" got better after the first season and had some great acting.



Sound advice. Jim Byrnes, who played Joe Dawson, had one of the best acting scenes in season six's "Armageddon".

Channeling Lambert isn't the best idea anyway, in the strengths of the first film, his great acting wasn't one of the things i think of.
Kurgan though, he was awesome.

[Mike Pothier]

I watched the directer's cut of Highlander 2 a few months back. It... wasn't that bad. It wasn't great, but it actually made the movie coherent, and far better than the theatrical mess.

Honestly, if any movie is begging for a remake, its Highlander. I know most nerds hold it up as some holy grail of modern fantasy, but the movie had some huge flaws in it, and Christopher Lambert was one of them. He made a very piss-poor Scotsman, especially when acting next to a real Scotsman (albeit, playing an Egyptian playing a Spaniard.)

[Legato]

I watched the directer's cut of Highlander 2 a few months back. It... wasn't that bad. It wasn't great, but it actually made the movie coherent, and far better than the theatrical mess.

Honestly, if any movie is begging for a remake, its Highlander. I know most nerds hold it up as some holy grail of modern fantasy, but the movie had some huge flaws in it, and Christopher Lambert was one of them. He made a very piss-poor Scotsman, especially when acting next to a real Scotsman (albeit, playing an Egyptian playing a Spaniard.)

I was mostly in it for The Kurgan.

[Mike Pothier]

I was mostly in it for The Kurgan.

Oh yeah. Clancy Brown was head and shoulders the greatest thing about the movie.

[Phelpzy]

I watched the directer's cut of Highlander 2 a few months back. It... wasn't that bad. It wasn't great, but it actually made the movie coherent, and far better than the theatrical mess.

Honestly, if any movie is begging for a remake, its Highlander. I know most nerds hold it up as some holy grail of modern fantasy, but the movie had some huge flaws in it, and Christopher Lambert was one of them. He made a very piss-poor Scotsman, especially when acting next to a real Scotsman (albeit, playing an Egyptian playing a Spaniard.)

Ramirez was what made that movie!

[Mike Pothier]

Ramirez was what made that movie!

Sean f-ing Connery, man. He makes every movie. Even LXG was watchable because of him.

[Mat001]

Channeling Lambert isn't the best idea anyway, in the strengths of the first film, his great acting wasn't one of the things i think of.
Kurgan though, he was awesome.

It wasn't that way in "The Gathering", but it was in "Freefall" which was filmed first as they were still working out Lambert's contract. By the time of "Sea Witch", the character of Duncan MacLeod was becoming his own character and Paul's acting started to move that way. Watch "Endgame" and you can see a world of difference.

I watched the directer's cut of Highlander 2 a few months back. It... wasn't that bad. It wasn't great, but it actually made the movie coherent, and far better than the theatrical mess.

Have you watched the behind the scenes of that? Gives you a good idea of how it wound this way.

Honestly, if any movie is begging for a remake, its Highlander. I know most nerds hold it up as some holy grail of modern fantasy, but the movie had some huge flaws in it, and Christopher Lambert was one of them. He made a very piss-poor Scotsman, especially when acting next to a real Scotsman (albeit, playing an Egyptian playing a Spaniard.)

Most fans are on-board and the ones who aren't, are the ones who just don't like remakes in general. Interesting story about Lambert, the producers and Mulcahy didn't know that he couldn't speak English very well. He was speaking phonetically throughout much of the film. That's why that line about Connor's muddled accent is in the film.

[Legato]

Sean f-ing Connery, man. He makes every movie. Even LXG was watchable because of him.

He made The Last Crusade the best out of the Indiana Jones films

[Alex]

(albeit, playing an alien playing a Egyptian playing a Spaniard.)

Fixed that for you mike.

[Mat001]

Not quite, for two reasons.

1. It's time traveling Immortal, nowadays.

2. Technically, Ramirez wasn't playing, he was an Egyptian. The general story if you include the second film, regardless of which version it is, is that the Immortals who were banished all suffered from rapid age regression which resulted in their being reborn on Earth. With their memories suppressed. The Kurgan was sent by Katana to kill all of them, so that no one could come back. This bit of detail wound up being a casualty of the Argentina economy.

As it is with the second film excluded, Ramirez was born Tak Ne in Egypt. Ramirez was just his most recent identity based on his time in Spain, having recently served Charles the Fifth of Spain.

[Alex]

Not quite, for two reasons.

1. It's time traveling Immortal, nowadays.

2. Technically, Ramirez wasn't playing, he was an Egyptian. The general story if you include the second film, regardless of which version it is, is that the Immortals who were banished all suffered from rapid age regression which resulted in their being reborn on Earth. With their memories suppressed. The Kurgan was sent by Katana to kill all of them, so that no one could come back. This bit of detail wound up being a casualty of the Argentina economy.

As it is with the second film excluded, Ramirez was born Tak Ne in Egypt. Ramirez was just his most recent identity based on his time in Spain, having recently served Charles the Fifth of Spain.

I am going by what i saw in the movies when i originaly watched them.
Therefor, Connery is an alien who was sent to earth, and the second film cannot be ignored.
He also has special powers like lightening.
He also comes from an alien planet but doesn't know what an airplane is.
...
That movie doesn't even make sense within itself.

[Mat001]

I am going by what i saw in the movies when i originaly watched them.
Therefor, Connery is an alien who was sent to earth, and the second film cannot be ignored.
He also has special powers like lightening.
He also comes from an alien planet but doesn't know what an airplane is.
...
That movie doesn't even make sense within itself.

The power is the Quickening which all Immortals have. When an Immortal dies their knowledge, strength, memories and some personality traits are all absorbed by the nearest Immortal. In the second film only, it can be channeled back out which is what Ramirez uses to save Connor and Louise. As to a plane, that's not that difficult to explain. The hover platform that Reno used and the glider pack that Corda used, were not invented yet on Ziest, when they were banished. Ramirez lost his head in 1542 and the first flight did not happen until 1903. Katana knows about Kansas and subways because he's been checking up on Connor for years, which is how he knows that Connor beat the Kurgan and that Ramirez had died.

And finally, yes, you can ignore the second film. Most people do, anyway.