Highlander 2: The Show Must Go On

Added opening Fanedit.org logo

Opening scene based on the EURO version showing Brenda’s death. Onscreen date changed from incorrect 1994 to 1995 to match her gravestone seen later in film.

Custom opening credits. Red text on black a la Highlander 1. New Queen song - THE SHOW MUST GO ON.

MacLeod drives to the opera. Based on how the US cut places this scene. It has expository VO from MacLeod explaining the Shield and how it affects life in 2024. I’ve put this scene before the opera like the US cut did, instead of its intended place afterwards. The Shield is such a far out premise you really need some backstory on what’s happened between the 1995 prologue and the jump to 2024. I don’t like the text dump they used up front to achieve this in the SPEC version. A couple of EURO shots in there as well so we transition from MacLeod surveying the decaying state of things to outside the Opera house. All Zeist references removed or replaced.

The Opera. Cut the original opening credit sequence that played over a long sweeping shot inside the opera house. Shifted and reworked the audio of Gotterdammerung to hit story beats a bit better. Used SPEC pics but with additional VO lines for both MacLeod and Ramirez taken from US cut (minus any Zeist specific references).

First Opera flashback. Added shot of the Sun pulled from Army of Darkness to show there is no Shield here. Mostly used SPEC pics but with the heavy orange colour they applied in that version removed. Red/Orange are the Shield colours so it would not make this part distinct. Used the original VFX shot featuring the downed flying ship from the US cut. It's funky and it fits the future timeline I’m placing these scenes in better than the ruined stone buildings that the SPEC replaced it with. Custom on screen text revealing that we are indeed in the far future.

Ramirez addresses the rebels. Mostly SPEC but removed a line where he is addressed as Ramirez by a man in the crowd. We never reveal what his and MacLeod’s names are in this future. Trying to sidestep that potential plot hole. Added lines referring to the Quickening back in from the US cut. Removed the sudden attack by General Katana’s forces at the end. To me it made it seem like this was the same battle we are just about to see. As if Connor was chosen as leader, got immediately attacked, was defeated and captured all in the space of a single afternoon! We instead transition back to the opera house after Ramirez says “You start with Katana”. Added back the audio of MacLeod actually saying “Katana” out loud from the US cut instead of just mouthing it.

Second opera flashback. Largely SPEC with the same orange tint removed. Swapped some shots with ones unique to the EURO version that featured more machine guns and explosions.

MacLeod in Dungeon. Used US cut pictures as SPEC was severely cropped for some reason. Took out a reference to Ramirez name again.

Trial scene. Custom VO dialogue for the omnipresent Judge. Trying my best to clarify as many motivations and logic as I could think of. Things still require a fair bit of suspension of disbelief! Grabbed shots from all versions to cover the duration required. MacLeod and Ramirez’ exchange is taken from the US cut to put back the Quickening references and the kind of magic call back which I like.

Cobalt break into Shield control. This is the first scene where the SPEC picture quality really takes a nose dive. Mostly used the US cut for picture. So no pointless talk amongst the guards about there being fish being in the lake. Any extra bits that weren’t in the US cut were taken from the EURO version.

Cut MacLeod trying to call Alan and being accosted by street thugs. MacLeod scaring off the thugs with just a look is too badass for him at this stage in the proceedings. He really should only get his mojo back once he’s immortal again.

Katana receives his orders. Picture quality again was very poor in SPEC so this uses upscaled REN pictures as this scene isn’t present in any of the theatrical releases. Again new VO from the omnipresent Judge to give more plot explanation and motivation for Katana. Custom VFX of holographic newspaper created by me to give a reason for going to 2024 of all years.

Katana dispatches Korda and Reno. US cut pictures again. Katana’s dialogue changed with AI to reference going to the past instead of the future. Also Katana leaves at the same time as the 2 assassins instead of sending them on ahead. I wanted to limit the amount of information the future could know about the past to explain the choice of going to 2024 of all years. So unlike the other versions, Katana has no way of knowing they’ve failed to kill MacLeod. I figured it best to send them all together and just assume Katana is exploring elsewhere when Korda and Reno attack MacLeod.

Shield control reacts to time travel disruption - all EURO shots.

MacLeod goes to the bar. We’re still in bad SPEC picture quality here. So the US cut is used for most of this scene. The SPEC version actually inserts the “Katana Receives His Orders” scene into the middle of this scene by showing them able to observe MacLeod in the present somehow. Thankfully the US cut has the original uninterrupted version. The shot of MacLeod looking up at the disturbance in the shield is pulled from EURO cut. The wound healing is also taken from the EURO cut. Removed A Kind of Magic from the jukebox. A more appropriately downbeat song from Innuendo plays instead - LOST OPPORTUNITIES.

Louise meets MacLeod outside the bar. SPEC returns to actual HD here so it’s used for everything until they drive away in the Porsche. Then we switch to US for red shield optical effects as well as the conversation with Louise where she mentions she used to work at The Shield Corporation before she was fired for asking too many questions. Again not sure why the later versions took this plot point out. But it helps explain how she can hack into TSC tech and that will pay off again down the line. Extra lines about MacLeod knowing he’s close to dying and his sudden convolutions being caused by the Quickening are taken from EURO.

Korda and Reno attack. Largely SPEC except for 1 red shield VFX shot that’s from the US cut. Reduced the amount Korda laughs manically throughout. Added extra fire to completely hide MacLeod inside the flaming wreckage of the tanker to help maintain continuity. Removed the weird visual joke where Korda sets a passerby on fire after he asks for a light. Also trimmed the time for Korda’s flaming corpse to hit the ground as it hangs a tad too long.

Ramirez appears in Scotland. Red shield VFX from EURO and US cuts. Rest of scene untouched from SPEC.

Cut scene where Louise and MacLeod inexplicably have sex in an alleyway immediately after he has become young again. Not only is it a bizarre choice but they will not be romantically involved in this edit. MacLeod has already had two major loves in his life, Heather and Brenda. He’s not looking for another.

Louse and MacLeod talk at his home. Moved the establishing shot of the building exterior from a later scene to here in order to shorten a long take that’s used to open this scene. Louse used to recap all the aliens, Zeist and MacLeod becoming immortal again in this single long take. I kept only the parts of her speech that could still apply to this edit and trimmed the rest of the shot to fit. Rest of the scene is untouched and all uses SPEC.

Ramirez gets a new outfit. I cut the opening of this scene which shows him walking down a street and admiring some modern technology. It clearly looks like daytime and the whole point of the shield is it’s always night. We start as he enters the tailors and then the scene plays out as it does in the SPEC.

Ramirez on the plane. Used the US cut VFX shot of the plane as it has the red Shield with a lovely practical model of the plane. SPEC used for the shot of Ramirez looking out the window but shifted red instead of blue. Cut all the scenes set inside the plane as they’re just over the top comic relief and add little.

Louise asks about a blue sky. The establisher for MacLeod’s house was pulled from this scene. So since it’s already been used I bring in Louise’s question about the blue sky over Ramirez looking out the window of the plane in disbelief at the red shield. The rest of the scene uses unaltered SPEC footage.

Cut Katana’s arrival scene and the entire subway derailment. I assume the subway scene is trying to outdo the Kurgen running amuck in the first film. But it goes way too far for my liking with everyone on the train dying. So I was always going to cut it. Now that I’ve made Katana travel to the past at the same time as Korda and Reno it serves no purpose anyway. As an aside, in my opinion the scene worked the best in the Zeist versions of the film where Katana has literally just become immortal for the first time and becomes drunk with his newfound power. In the later versions where he’s always been immortal he just comes off as suddenly maniacal.

MacLeod visits Alan at the Shield Corporation. Again the picture quality of the SPEC goes back to being bad for this scene. So the EURO version is used for MacLeods arrival to show the red shield as well as the first part of his conversion with Alan. Once they turn to reminisce about the launch of the shield we go to the REN cut before transitioning to the US once the flashback begins. The US cut has all the original VFX and a more appropriate colour grade for this flashback. On screen caption changed to “Shield Control December 1999”. Another FYI, the original plan was for there to be a total of 12 Shield installations spread across the globe. Each one codenamed after a different month. What we see in the film was supposed to be the final one, called the December Installation. That’s why the plaque on the model says December 1999. It’s the installation name, not a month. But this idea wasn’t well conveyed in the theatrical cuts and flat out dropped by the later versions so that there is just one single Shield Control. Thankfully the December thing can be hand waved away by making it the month the Shield was activated.

Alan reveals the Ozone layer has repaired itself. Once we return from the flashback we again use a mixture of REN and US footage. I cut the shot of Blake eavesdropping on their conversion as it gives away that he knows what they are discussing. Without it his entrance is more of a shock and we hope MacLeod and Alan have gotten away with it. I’ve also trimmed the time between Alan typing the first half of the coordinates and Blake interrupting him as it was too long of a pause.

MacLeod visits Brenda’s grave. Although the SPEC footage isn’t as bad here it’s been colour graded to hell and back. Plus the scene of Brenda’s death that I use to open my edit is inserted as a flashback in the middle of this scene in the SPEC. Thankfully this scene is present without the flashback in the US cut (though curiously not it’s not in the EURO cut at all) So that has been used here. I’ve removed any talk of returning to Zeist and shifted some lines about as well.

Louise explores MacLeod’s artefact room. All SPEC footage as we’re back to proper HD again. Nothing changed.

Katana in the taxi. Largely SPEC footage. Trims to the taxi driver’s stream of consciousness dialogue. We use EURO footage for the pan up to the roof and the VFX shot of Katana up there. This scene usually comes before the Brenda’s Grave scene. But I’ve rejigged the order so I can have Katana on the rooftop directly transition into MacLeod arriving below. This is to let a new Queen song play across both scenes - BIJOU.

MacLeod fights Katana. Audio of Katana talking about power as MacLeod is ascending the staircase has been added from the EURO version. Fixed the aspect ratio of the POV camera that drops towards MacLeod. Most shots are from SPEC except the 2 red Shield VFX shots mid fight which are from the US cut.
Louise and MacLeod talk about his past loves. All SPEC and basically untouched. Cut MacLeod saying “No” in response to Louise asking if he ever gets used to being alone. Lambert’s expression sold the answer without words.

MacLeod and Ramirez spar. Untouched SPEC footage. Replaced Ramirez saying “To Zeist” when they toast with just “Cheers”. Pulled from You Only Live Twice.

Katana crashes the board meeting. This and the following scene in Alan’s office follow the technically incorrect US cut order. As written, Blake sends Alan to the prison Max for being a traitor first and then we hear him gloating about it when Katana comes into the boardroom. But I think the reverse order actually works better. Katana wants Blake’s help in finding MacLeod, Alan being sent to Max is therefore the plan they hatch to bait MacLeod into trying to rescue him. That helps connect the dots to why Blake and Katana are already waiting at Max when MacLeod arrives.

Alan is sent to Max. Same details as above. All SPEC footage except for the final shot which is from the US cut as it had a stronger ending to the scene with Blake snapping his fingers.

MacLeod and Ramirez discuss the Shield. All SPEC except for the VFX shot outside the window that comes from the EURO version.

Breaking into Max. The old VFX shots showing the outside of Max were in my opinion the most underwhelming ones in the film. The limited structure shown is either out of scale or layered incorrectly in the comp as MacLeod’s car seems to pass behind it as if it’s a small building in the foreground rather than a large one in the background. So this is the one redone effect that I’ve kept from the Special edition. I’ve replaced the Shield in these shots with one of the original 90s red ones so that only the Max building itself is new CGI. All of the footage for this scene is from the SPEC version. But with a new Queen song - THE HITMAN.

MacLeod and Ramirez return to life. No changes. All SPEC.

The group splits up and finds Alan. No changes. All SPEC.

Fan room trap. This is another example of Louise getting sidelined in the later versions. In the EURO cut we actually see her try to hack the keypad to get them out. So I’ve put those shots back in. The rest is from the SPEC version. I’ve also added a digital countdown timer to the door display to show she did manage to actually hack it. They just have to wait 60 secs for it to open. This is what Ramirez must buy time for with his sacrifice. It gives a reason for the doors to finally open rather than it being random. I’ve also cut out Ramirez driving his sword into the ground and I’ve painted it out of any subsequent shots where you can see it. There’s a big plot hole regarding how MacLeod gets this sword back. He uses it to fight Katana at the climax but we see it’s still stuck in the ground as they escape the fan explosion. Since there’s no footage of Ramirez giving it back to MacLeod then it’s best not to draw the audience’s attention to it here.

Jeep theft and fight with Katana. All unchanged from SPEC except for trying to change the look to a red day-for-night style to match the Shield in this version.

Cut scene where Blake and Katana are seemingly bored waiting for MacLeod. Katana asks if Blake is still on his side. Inconsequential and actually contradictory to their mood in the scenes that immediately follow.

Louse and MacLeod climb above the Shield. OK this was a tricky one. The shots where they are climbing the hill before going up the ladder are only in the EURO cut (although this scene takes place much earlier in the film there) The ladder ascent all looked good in the SPEC version. But the following scene where we learn that Blake is well aware the Ozone layer is fixed, as well as Katana’s belief that MacLeod will come to him if they just wait, have the worst picture quality of the whole SPEC. Interlaced artefacts baked into oddly smeary frames. I had a look at the same scene in the Renegade DVD and those issues are there as well. This lends credence to my theory that several sections of the Blu-Ray are just lifted straight from the old Renegade master tapes and have inherited all their analog issues. But I wanted this scene in there to get this information across. And I found a workaround using the Cannes Teaser Trailer included on the Blu-Ray’s extras. This is a 9 minutes teaser designed to drum up distribution support for the film at Cannes back while they were still filming in Argentina. It has a few short sections from this problematic scene crosscut with other things. And the bits we do have look so much better than what’s in the Special Edition itself! So I’ve employed the same cross-cutting technique to add these little snippets into the ladder climb sequence with Blake and Katana’s conversation playing out over the action.

Above the Shield. This is a combination of SPEC and EURO with some new custom red shield VFX shots. Most importantly I’ve included the pay off from the EURO cut where Louise is overjoyed at finally seeing a blue sky.

Katana turns on Blake. The long opening shot with the metal shutter is only found in the EURO cut. It helps clear up what Katana and Blake are talking about here. Katana is still expecting MacLeod to come to him but Blake spots their stolen jeep heading for the Shield generator instead. When he mocks Katana with “Looks like you fucked up partner” this is what he’s referring to. The REN and SPEC versions lose Blake looking out the window and have Katana spotting the jeep instead which muddies the waters a bit as Blake isn’t even facing the window in those versions. Once Katana’s turns on Blake we’re back to SPEC footage except for the VFX shot of his body falling, which is from the US cut.

Shield Control shootout and final sword fight. As mentioned before this gunfight is gone from the SPEC cut. MacLeod just walks straight to the beam chamber while Louise seemingly hides round a corner. Always happy to give Louise more to do I’ve reinserted the gunfight using a mixture of US and EURO footage. Once inside the main chamber all the beam effects in the SPEC were augmented with new swirling CGI. I’ve used the old solid beam effects from the US cut and overlaid them on top of the SPEC footage to try and get the best of both worlds. Some shots were not worth trying to combine sources and so they’re just pure US only. I’ve edited things so the action now bounces back and forth between MacLeod and Louse several times and this whole sequence is scored with the title track from the Queen album - INNUENDO.

MacLeod destroys the shield. I’ve moved the final Quickening from before MacLeod steps into the beam to happening while he’s in there. I assume that with Katana dead, MacLeod is once more the last immortal and so he should become mortal again after experiencing this Quickening. And the Shield beam would kill him instantly if he goes into it then. In this edit he is still immortal when he steps into the beam and it’s the power of the Quickening being released inside it that destroys the Shield. Mostly used the US cut with some SPEC reaction shots of Louise and a couple of custom VFX created to show a glimpse of things once the Shield is gone. Rescored with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s cover of Innuendo.

New ending montage. Set to Queen song - THESE ARE THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES.

Second End credits song - RIDE THE WILD WIND

Adding closing Fanedit.org logo over the tail end of the song.