The year is 1986: the world had already seen The Terminator become the perfect blend of action and sci-fi, and producers everywhere struggled to recapture that pop culture phenomenon. Fantasy films were in high demand at the time – both Excalibur and Legend revitalized the genre with gorgeous visuals and epic stories.
Now, what if we combined the grandeur of a fantasy epic with the raw action of a movie like Commando? Why, we would get something like Highlander. At least, that was the plan. As ambitious as it was, Highlander isn’t exactly what someone would call a “flawed masterpiece.” With more lows than highs, it’s with great sorrow that I must tell you: Highlander hasn’t aged well. Not at all.
Highlander’s Most Ridiculous Historical Mistakes Explained
No one wants to be that guy – you know, the buzzkill who spoils all the fun with trivial stuff like “historical accuracy” and something called “a coherent plot.” Still, when it comes to Highlander, I think we should definitely address some of the holes in the movie’s kilt.
First, we just can’t ignore the infamous “Samurai” sword. It was the 80s, and katanas dominated pop culture. Every action film had one, and Highlander couldn’t ignore the trend. In the movie, Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez, Connor MacLeod’s (Christopher Lambert) mentor, wields a katana forged by the legendary Japanese blacksmith Masamune himself – a sword made, according to the film, in 593 B.C. That’s close to 2,000 years before the oldest katanas ever created. It would be like Connor arriving at battle in the Scottish highlands in 1540, driving a 2025 Ford Bronco.
It’s the little details like those that kind of ruin the “historical fantasy” tone of Highlander. It might not seem like much at first glance, but before you know it, the little details build up and become massive plot holes.
The Real Reason Highlander Feels So Boring at Times
For a movie about immortal swordsmen who routinely decapitate each other in epic one-on-one battles, Highlander is surprisingly slow. Unexpectedly so, even. Occasionally, the plot completely derails to focus on the police procedural aspect of the story – and that’s simply not interesting enough to keep viewers engaged.
When you have an entertaining villain – played by Clancy Brown, no less – and the promise of epic swordplay so close at hand, freezing the plot on its tracks to focus on the obligatory ‘80s romance subplot and a police investigation that seems to lead nowhere feels almost like a betrayal of what Highlander could truly be.
Highlander Could Have Been a Masterpiece—Here’s What Went Wrong
Highlander can be summed up in just one word: frustrating. You can literally see the potential behind the concept. Christopher Lambert’s performance was great, and Clancy Brown is amazing as always. The lore behind the Highlanders is rich enough to sustain a franchise that’s been going on, in one way or another, for forty years.
Perhaps that’s why so many fans who consider the 1986 classic a guilty pleasure are so excited to see Henry Cavill’s take on the source material. Directed by John Wick’s Chad Stahelski, the upcoming Highlander reboot might finally do the franchise some justice. And considering how stacked the cast appears to be, and the director’s experience with action choreography, the new Highlander is shaping up to be the ultimate version of this epic saga. “There can be only one,” as they say.
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