Customer Reviews

Highlander: The Series - Season One

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Highlander: The Series was a fantastic TV Show. In my opinion, it far outdid any of the Highlander Movies because in episodic form, it could provide so much more depth to the characters than a 90 min. movie could.

I purchased this season set from the official Highlander site about a year ago. I paid MUCH MORE than Amazon is offering it for...but at the time there was no other way to get it.

This first season set contains what is commonly thought of by Highlander fans as the weakest set of episodes of any of the seasons. However, it does contain a few gems - "The Gathering" co-stars Christopher Lambert as "Connor MacLeod" in the only pairing of Duncan and Connor in the series run (until Highlander 4, of course). "For Tomorrow We Die" was another great episode with the first appearance of Xavier St. Cloud (Fine Young Cannibals' Roland Gift) and the season ending "The Hunters" (which introduced the watchers to the Highlander Universe).

The transfer is quite good - easily better than the VHS version and therefore the best you are going to get. Watchers' files are included on the discs which give you information on the immortals in each episode - kind of neat, but unless you have a very large TV, you may find it hard to read. The Highlander blooper reel and the behind the scenes initial promo video are also included with this set. There is also a feature that allows you to go directly to the quickening (if there was one) in an episode.

Also included was a CD-Rom of the entire first season's scripts.

As a completist, I would've gotten this season anyway, but I find that although there are some weak episodes here, most series start out this way (Star Trek The Next Generation) but get better as they progress. I am truly looking forward to seasons 2 and 3 and am hoping that they will be forthcoming sooner rather than later.

Well, one day producers Bill Panzer and Pete Davis had themselves a sit-down. They said, "We got us one great movie that did nicely in Europe but flopped us a pancake in the U.S. o' A. Wait a minute - we also got us a really, really bad movie that flopped everywhere. So what in the blazes do you we do now?" Of course, the answer was simple: make a TV series!

Well - maybe not that simple.

THE SERIES

Highlander (also known as Highlander: The Series) began its television life in 1992. Ladies' man Adrian Paul (once considered for the role of James Bond) played 400-year-old Duncan MacLeod, part of a race of Immortals who lurk in society's shadows. You cannot kill them, and they will live forever - unless, of course, you grab your trusty sword and decapitate them.

The first season of Highlander was all about grabbing an audience, and allowing the show to find its footing. The show got off to a reasonable start with its premiere episode, "The Gathering" (which featured Christopher Lambert, star of the film series). Eventually, the show began to evolve from an oddball sci-fi actioner to a sci-fi/action drama with brains. One of the best things about the first season of the show is watching its evolution, which is wonderfully apparent throughout the 22 episodes. [7/10]

THE VIDEO

Anchor Bay is my favorite DVD manufacturer. Never before have I come across a bad A.B. DVD, and Highlander is, happily, not the first. The video isn't excellent - there is some grain around here, and the first episode is very dark - but its enough to make anyone happy. [7/10]

THE AUDIO

Anchor Bay has done a great job with the audio. It sounds great in surround speakers (Queen rocks better than ever, man!).
During the Quickenings, the effect of the scene is heightened by the booming surround. The 5.1 mix is great; my only complaint is that quite often Roger Bellon's score goes way above the speaking of the characters, which can become annoying.

[8/10]

THE EXTRAS

As always, Anchor Bay meets my expectations. There is Watcher Chronicles for the true Immie fan (although the Watchers didn't actually feature in the show until the second season), as well as a feature that allows you to go straight to the Quickening in each episode. The final disc also includes an enjoyable Blooper Reel as well as scripts for all 22 episodes and a series promo. [9/10]

All in all, Highlander: The Series gets off to a great start on DVD thanks to Anchor Bay. Any Highlander fan will be completely satisfied. Great job, Anchor Bay!

OVERALL: [8/10]
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THE SERIES: [7/10] Fine start to an outstanding show.
THE VIDEO: [7/10] Nice job. Some grain, but nothing too bothersome.
THE AUDIO: [8/10] Occasional unbalance, but a great 5.1 mix nonetheless.
THE EXTRAS: [9/10] Enough to satisfy the Immortal inside anyone and everyone!
OVERALL SCORE: [8/10] Highlander: The Series rocked 12 years ago, and now - thanks to Anchor Bay - it rocks again.

- Thomas Benton

I remember watching the highlander television series as a kid, trying to catch it when it was on. I missed most episodes though, and was pleased to see they had put it out on DVD. Overall it's a nice box set, not quite as nice as some out there, but it holds up okay.

There's 3 episodes per disk, except for the eighth disk, which has one episode, a blooper reel, and a behind the scenes featurette. The ninth disk is reserved for the scripts of each episode, which is a nice touch. I did wonder why they chose 3 episodes per disk, it's an unusual number, and they could have put four or five on a disk. I can only guess that they wanted a large number of disks to make it look impressive.

Each disk is pretty simple; there's no fancy introduction, just the Highlander logo with a still from each of the three episodes below it. A lightning bolt lets you select the episode, which takes you to the menu. The menu is a little confusing, but it gives you more shots from the episode so you can determine if you've seen it, or if you want to see it. One thing that's nice is the Watcher Chronicles. Even though there was little mention of the Watcher's in this season, there's a special screen detailing Watcher information, like the immortals and mortals involved in each episode, swords used, etc etc. It's kind of useful.

Another nice thing in the episode menu is the large Q that allows you to skip directly to the Quickening sequence, if there is one in that episode. This is great if you want to watch the fight scenes, or if you want to know when to look away if they make you squeamish.

There aren't a large amount of special features, but for the price and the number of disks it's a good deal. It also takes up a lot less space than the VHS tapes for the same season.

Watch the birth of a legend! Highlander: The Series, Season 1 on DVD is a collection of all 22-episodes of the premiere season. See how it all started with Christopher Lambert reprising his role as Connor MacLeod, cousin to Duncan, as a guest star in the very first episode. "Same clan, different vintage." It was the perfect tie-in to the movies and a nice hand-off from Christopher to Adrian. From the very first episode the action, adventure and romance that would become hallmark to this series began. We see a friendship grow with Richie Ryan, a young mortal whom Duncan and Tessa befriend from the start.

Season 1 also introduced us to many memorable and seminal characters such as Amanda, played by Elizabeth Gracen and Hugh Fitzcairn (Roger Daltrey), two of the best characters to repeatedly show up for all six seasons. And the recurring bad guys would become icons themselves with Peter Hudson playing the evil Watcher James Horton and Roland Gift as Xavier St. Cloud. Both of these actors made such an impact that they were brought back for several more episodes over the next six years. Many of the episodes in this first season established canon early on. Episodes such as "The Gathering," "Band of Brothers," and "The Hunters" all established core concepts that would be built upon in the years to come.

This DVD collection also comes with a ton of bonus features beginning with Bill Panzer providing a short commentary before almost every episode. He addresses where story ideas came from, problems with filming, and even the untimely death of Werner Stocker, the actor who played Darius. Disc 8 contains a fantastic Blooper Real set to music and a behind the scenes 30-minute series promo produced to sell the show and introduce it to the public. You get to see many of the behind-the-scenes faces that, early on, were responsible for getting the show on the air. What's even more special is that this promo has interviews with Bob Anderson, the sword fight choreographer for Seasons 1 and 2. It is rare to find an interview with him. Highlander Season 1 is a must have for starting a Highlander DVD collection.

The amazing thing about Highlander: The Series is how they are able to introduce us to Duncan Macleod and maintain most of the continuity of the original movie. It is a constant debate among fans of SF/Fantasy as to which telivision series based on a movie or movie franchise translates best to the small screen. Well folks, this is one of the major contenders!
Duncan Macleod is the cousin of Conner from the original movie and has come to tell us that The Gathering hasnt ended and Conner needs to rejoin the game. Conner is reluctant but, when his lady love is put in danger its time to get back to business. This series has all the elements that made athe movie great while still managing to be original.

This DVD set introduces us to the life of Duncan MacLeod, of the Clan MacLeod! A play from the great film 'Highlander' this series is packed with action and romance, comedy and drama; not only a favorite of sci-fi fans, but a favorite of fans of good, fun drama. The romance is packed into this set with Duncan's love interest, Tessa. I just can't get enough!

In addition to the wonderful 22 episodes this set also includes such fun extras as bloopers and outtakes, behind the scene commentary, and the watcher's chronicles!

This set is a must have for any sci-fi or great television fan!

Just when you thought all was said and done and the world of immortals had drifted off into the mists of time, onto the scene steps a new MacLeod. His name is Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul), distant relative of Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert star of 3 previous highlander films). Duncan brings a fresh new look to the life of being an immortal. Handsome, debonair, but with a rough scottish quality, Duncan with his beloved Tessa take the life of immortals to even greater depth. Watch the series unfold with each stroke of a sword and crash of the quickening!
This DVD set is a must have for any highlander fan or for anyone who loves action, adventure, and drama coupled with superb detail and technology.
Take your imagination into immortality with Dolby Surround sound, Direct to flashback scenes, Direct to Quickening excitement and even bloopers and behind the scenes looks at the making of the series.
Who wants to live forever?!? Get a taste of forever by purchasing this Series!

Highlander: The Series Season 1

A DVD Review

The award winning television series based on the movie of the same name in which an immortal hero from the Highlands of Scotland must fight immortal baddies to the death with swords. To the death you say? Why yes, to the death, because even though the characters are immortal, if their heads come away from their bodies, it's over. So through the centuries these immortals have fought one another to survive, struggling to reach the time of The Gathering when the few who remain will battle for the Prize of ultimate knowledge and power.
Like most first seasons Highlander gets off to a shaky start. The first few shows must be used to both introduce the concept, as well as the characters. In the first episode, "The Gathering" The audience is introduced to Duncan Macleod of the clan Macleod played by Adrian Paul, younger (by 50 years) kinsman of film Highlander Connor Macleod played by Christopher Lambert. In an almost unheard of move, the powers that be managed to get Lambert to appear in the first episode as a sort of passing of the torch, or sword as the case may be, from one immortal to the next which in my opinion gives this series more credibility that many other TV shows based on movies have. We are also introduced to Tessa Noel, Duncan's love for the past 12 years played wonderfully by Belgian actress Alexandra Vandernoot, and a street punk named Richie Ryan, played by Stan Kirsch, who will turn out to be much more than he appears later on in the series.
One of the problems the powers that be had with the show for the first half of the season at least was figuring out how to do a weekly action/adventure program based on a character that has to fight to the death to survive. Originally they decided that Duncan would not only fight the immortal baddie of the week, but also get himself involved in mortal affairs, solving crimes and meting out appropriate justice. A noble concept, but one the writers and producers ultimately could not make work, as one will see in viewing the series; the "immortal of the week" episodes were for the most part stronger, writing wise and visually. The show was a Canada/France co-production so about half way through the first season, the show moved to Paris to shoot, and it is at this point that the series really takes off. The viewer is introduced to Darius, the immortal warrior turned Catholic priest and long time friend to Duncan, played by the late Werner Stocker, immortal baddie Xavier St. Cloud (Fine Young Cannibal lead singer Roland Gift), and the incorrigible Hugh Fitzcairn, played by the Who's Roger Daultry.
The stories are told, for the most part, in the modern day with the occasional flashback to a point in Duncan's past in which he found himself in a similar situation, or when he'd had a run in with the immortal of the week, or an old friend. The first season, for it's occasional faults, does still manage to convey the happiness, and the heartache that Duncan has gone through in his four hundred years, giving the viewer a sense of the "magical" world of the immortals, as well as a peak into how the series would progress over it's next five seasons.
The DVD set includes eight discs featuring all 22 episodes of the first season from "The Gathering" to "The Hunters." It also includes a ninth disc which is a CD-ROM containing all the first season scripts. Extras include pre episode intros by Bill Panzer, the original series promo "Making of" featurette, Watcher Chronicles of all the mortals and immortals from season one, and a hilarious ten minute blooper reel. The sound is remixed in Dolby Digital 5.1 (like EVERYTHING that's on DVD SHOULD BE these days, but alas, isn't) and sounds better than it ever has before, both on TV and on the VHS season releases, and is presented in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio in which it was originally shot.

All in all, the first season gets three stars out of five.

This first season of Highlander was very good. The characters were developed quickly and the story lines kept improving. The action was never misplaced. This season draws the viewer into the lives of Immortals and how their way of life effects them and the people they are close to. The season starts off running and never stops. Once you begin you will want to continue to explore the life of Duncan Macleod the Highlander!

If you love, or even like, the Higlander story, this box set is a great start to owning all of the seasons. I was not impressed, however, by the extras. The watcher files were too small to read and Mr. Panzar's explanation of each epsisode is pretty rough. After the first two episodes, I skipped the watcher files completely, and patiently watched and listened as Mr. Panzar recounted some history of the making of each episode.