Highlander II: The Quickening - Release and Reception

Release and Reception

Highlander II: The Quickening was released on November 1, 1991 and opened at #3, grossing $5,280,490 in 960 theaters in the opening weekend. Despite its negative reputation, in the US, it grossed $15,556,340, nearly three times as much as the original. In the UK, it pulled in $9,319,978 at the end of its run. In Spain, it pulled in 1,128,132 admissions at the end of its run, and in Australia, did $2,616,414. In France it pulled 1,377,109 admissions. It was # 20 of the top grossing films in Italy during its run there, and did 7 million in Germany.

Upon release, this film was met with harsh criticism by both critics and audiences. Based on 23 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently holds a 0% "Rotten". Common criticisms included the lack of motivation for the characters, the new and seemingly-incongruent origin for the Immortals, the resurrection of Ramirez, and apparent contradictions in the film's internal logic.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a score of 0.5 star (out of four), saying: "Highlander II: The Quickening is the most hilariously incomprehensible movie I've seen in many a long day—a movie almost awesome in its badness. Wherever science fiction fans gather, in decades and generations to come, this film will be remembered in hushed tones as one of the immortal low points of the genre."

Giving the film a score of 2 out of 10, IGN's review of the film said: "How bad is this movie? Well, imagine if Ed Wood were alive today, and someone gave him a multi-million dollar budget. See his imagination running rampant, bringing in aliens from outer space with immensely powerful firearms, immortals who bring each other back to life by calling out their names, epic duels on flying skateboards, and a blatant disregard for anything logical or previously established—now you are starting to get closer to the vision of Highlander II.

Awarding the film one star out of five, Christopher Null of FilmCritic.com said, "Highlander has become a bit of a joke, and here's where the joke started. ... Incomprehensible doesn't even begin to explain it. This movie is the equivalent of the 'Hey, look over there!' gag. You look, and the guy you wanted to beat up has run away and hid."

David Nusair of Reel Film Reviews gave the film two stars out of four, saying: "It's hard to imagine Highlander II appealing to non-fans of the franchise, as the film barely captures the sense of fun that was so prevalent in the original. With its complicated storyline and dreary visuals, it occasionally feels more perfunctory than anything else—though, to be fair, it's nowhere near as bad as it's been made out to be over the years."