Fantasy franchises can change and evolve just as much as sci-fi, and one of the finest examples of this was Highlander, a film about an immortal warrior who must fight similar people and gain their power upon beheading them in combat. It’s a clever concept but one that still stuck with fans decades later.
Highlander is an impressive example of fantasy at its best, and with Henry Cavill leading a reboot headed by Amazon MGM, there’s more than enough reason to claim Highlander was truly one of the greatest fantasy stories around. But while its reboot reinvigorates the stories for new fans, it can also help them rediscover a fantastic film and the strong stories that followed after.
Highlander Introduced a Unique Concept for Fantasy
1986’s Highlander follows Connor MacLeod, a Scottish Highlander from the 1500s who discovers, after not dying to a mortal wound in battle, that he is immortal. It’s not long after he’s driven from his home and finds love in a quiet cottage that he learns from a fellow immortal of the Quickening, an ability that grants them immortality and immunity to damage save for a beheading.
He spends centuries trying to thrive while also fighting those who would aim for his head until, as the story goes, there can only be one. It’s a simple concept, yet one fantasy stories have never deeply explored. The idea of immortal warriors may be part of a lore but never one that is highlighted. Yet for Highlander, it’s something that serves to make what should be simple into something far more epic.
Centuries of amalgamated battle tactics in the mind of one immortal alone is a great idea, but to have them fight in an endless war like superheroes in the streets is even more impressive. It pushes fantasy into the modern day without compromising the “magic” and helps establish The Lord of the Rings-esque concepts into a narrative that wouldn’t normally feature it.
A story about one man’s fight for normalcy is what makes Highlander so unique, and to see a reboot revisit the narrative is a fantastic way to refine what came before. Highlander was already an impressive story, but a more modern take can finally showcase its strengths and hopefully right some wrongs in the series.
The Highlander Reboot’s Direction Is an Incredible Draw
Former stuntman and John Wick director Chad Stahelski is bringing the next era of Highlander to life with a reboot starring Henry Cavill as Connor MacLeod. Not much is known about the plot, though it’s assumed that it will honor the key elements of the original; it’s clear from early photos that this film is focusing heavily on style in the same way John Wick did.
There are elements that are clearly designed to call back to the things that made John Wick so fun to watch, and if Stahelski nails the tone, it’s possible he could do to swords what John Wick did for guns in the stunt and choreography world. Swordplay movies are notoriously rough to get intricate or exciting, and come from an era with very few daring do.
Franchises like Zorro showcased the potential of sword combat on film, and Henry Cavill’s The Witcher helped movie choreography move away from the speed and power of Star Wars into something far more intricate and technical. Now, Highlander can push things to the next level in ways never shown on a larger scale.
One thing the original film struggled to do was showcase the various immortals still alive in the present day and how their fighting styles differ, leading to exciting fights. Unfortunately, the first film never delivered something like that, and the sword combat was heavy on punching and slashing but not much flourish.
With Stahelski at the helm, it would be fun to see a Scottish Highlander take on a samurai as they both adapt their styles with others to make something wholly unique. There’s so much room for improvisation that, combined with the fantasy element, can give something truly interesting and compelling. It can also give viewers a new type of action to look at that moves beyond gunplay.
Highlander’s Reboot Can Finally Fix a Major Issue with the Series
Highlander’s fantasy concept is one of the best in modern entertainment but is bogged down by sequels that muddled the intended elements of the first film, and even when it was fixed, it was too little too late. In Highlander II: The Quickening, the franchise changed from solely fantasy to sci-fi by revealing that Connor was actually an alien from the planet Zeist.
With a whole realm of lore never explored, the second film undid the mystery of the first by adding unwanted lore that made it hard for audiences to latch on for another outing. By the third film, things were changed as the second film was recut to fix the change, and the third ignored the storyline completely.
Though the change was smart for the sake of the story, it was too little too late, and what deserved to be one of the greatest fantasy franchises in cinema scuttled itself faster than it succeeded. Now, with a new film, things can change for the better once again and in a massive way.
It’s not confirmed that aliens won’t play a role, but considering how well that went over the first time, it’s safe to assume the Henry Cavill film will avoid that plotline. Now it can be a fresh start for the series to expand on its fantasy elements for a new generation and bring something exciting to the story.
From new and exciting fights to a tighter lore that could hopefully lead to a new trilogy, there’s a chance for Highlander to deliver something very special. Rather than be a fantasy series with the ingredients to be a masterpiece, these films can redefine the genre for a modern audience and give fans one of the greatest modern fantasy stories ever.
- First Film
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Highlander
- First TV Show
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Highlander: The Series
- Created by
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Gregory Widen
- Latest Film
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Highlander: The Source