Highlander

Rajaah · Jun 11, 2021

j00t said:
It's been talked about in this thread already, but endgame (#4) transitioned from Conner to Duncan as the main protagonist. By this time the show had garnered a pretty strong following and the movies weren't really doing well. Unfortunately endgame didn't do that well either and that was basically it. Syfy made for tv movie "the source" has simply been referred to as a bad fever dream by everyone involved.

Yeah, I knew they didn't do well, but it's even worse than I thought:

I would have guessed $60-70 million for the first four. This is actually kinda shocking. Highlander III performed respectably enough to possibly garner a small profit, but the rest were full-on bombs. I'm also surprised that:
-HL2 didn't perform better, given that I remember it having a lot of hype
-HL3 didn't perform worse, given that it followed HL2 which could have killed the franchise

It's possible that HL3 did as well as it did because it was released in the middle of the show (Season 3 to be exact) and the show was doing very well at that time (scoring its biggest ratings by far up to that point). That said, Endgame really should have performed better since it was actually based off of the show. Maybe show fatigue had really set in by that, especially after Season 6 and The Raven.

This was also kind of interesting. Shows the average rating (quality, not viewers) for each episode. Proves a few things I said above:
-Season 1 starts out bad and gets way better as it goes on
-Seasons 1, 2, and 6 have the lowest lows
-Seasons 4 and 5 have the highest peaks
-Season 3 is the most consistently good, even if it doesn't have the highest peaks

Another interesting thing is that apparently Season 4 is the only one that doesn't improve once it moves to Paris. In that one season, outside of the season finales, the Seacouver episodes are rated more highly than the Paris episodes by a shade. I guess it makes sense, because it's the only season where I barely remember the Paris episodes while remembering the first half well.

I think I'm due up for a series rewatch, along with HL3 and Endgame at the end. I appreciate Endgame because I think it gave the audience what it wanted. Duncan Vs. Connor, then the winner versus the Big Bad. Only way it could have been better in that regard is if the Big Bad were someone we knew already, like Kronos. Also has Donnie Yen which is cool. I could see Connor fans despising the movie though.

Rajaah · Jul 11, 2021

Apparently Kurgan is going to be played by Batista in the reboot.

Weak AF, but anyone is weak AF compared to Clancy Brown. I'm changing my avatar to recognize the one real Kurgan.

j00t · Jul 11, 2021

Rajaah said:
Apparently Kurgan is going to be played by Batista in the reboot.

Weak AF, but anyone is weak AF compared to Clancy Brown. I'm changing my avatar to recognize the one real Kurgan.

batista's a surprisingly good actor so i'm not angry about it or anything... just... why are they calling it a reboot if it's clearly just a remake?

Szlia · Jul 11, 2021

I guess it's a reboot if they plan to make other movies that are brand new stories instead of remakes of Highlander 2, 3, etc...

Rajaah · Jul 11, 2021

At least this time they can avoid making the mistake (IMO) of having the first movie end in a way that makes any kind of sequel tremendously inconvenient.

A one-off Highlander remake? Bleh. A remake that sets up 1-2 sequels that tell a coherent story? That could be pretty good, actually.

There's also a part of me that would like to see The Series get another run somehow with new characters etc. However, there's about a 0% chance it'll have the charm that the original series did. Half of what I miss about that series is the cast, too. The Series is a lot like 24, it's just something I can revisit from time to time to remember those days, but it can't really happen a second time.

Chukzombi · Jul 11, 2021

Rajaah said:
Apparently Kurgan is going to be played by Batista in the reboot.

Weak AF, but anyone is weak AF compared to Clancy Brown. I'm changing my avatar to recognize the one real Kurgan.

christ, he's the Idris Elba of tough guys.

hey lets get a black guy for this role. how about Idris Elba? cant miss!
-boardroom applauds.-

hey lets get a big tough guy for this role. how about Batista? cant miss!
-boardroom applauds-

Rajaah · Jul 11, 2021

Chukzombi said:
christ, he's the Idris Elba of tough guys.

hey lets get a black guy for this role. how about Idris Elba? cant miss!
-boardroom applauds.-

hey lets get a big tough guy for this role. how about Batista? cant miss!
-boardroom applauds-

It's surprising that Batista hasn't made it into Fast and Furious yet. And that Rock and Cena haven't been in the same movie.

But yeah, I'm pretty tired of seeing Batista in everything. He's a mediocre actor and his politics suck (which is probably why he's getting so many big roles).

jayrebb · Jul 12, 2021

Rajaah said:
And that Rock and Cena haven't been in the same movie.

too corny. think they know better to put 2 WWE guys together

It is funny that batista is the go-to now for "big guy" casting notes.

Zweischneid · Jul 12, 2021

Dunno. I kinda liked Bautista before he shit the bed with that Zombie movie.

He's no Daniel Day Lewis, but at least he tries to play different characters, etc.. in ways the Rock or so just fucking don't.

Chukzombi · Jul 12, 2021

Zweischneid said:
Dunno. I kinda liked Bautista before he shit the bed with that Zombie movie.

He's no Daniel Day Lewis, but at least he tries to play different characters, etc.. in ways the Rock or so just fucking don't.

people genuinely like Dwayne Johnson. most people like Drax.

Zweischneid · Jul 13, 2021

Nah. I "liked" Bautista (as an actor) because he was doing both Drax and roles with a (slightly) different pitch as in Blade Runner, James Bond, whatever. And because he is himself NOT Drax.

If the Rock isn't literally playing himself, Fighting with my Family-style, he's breaking immersion and thus ruining the movies he's in. Hulk Hogan probably had better acting chops than the Rock, no matter how much fun he might (?) be in person.

Khane · Jul 13, 2021

Zweischneid said:
Nah. I "liked" Bautista (as an actor) because he was doing both Drax and roles with a (slightly) different pitch as in Blade Runner, James Bond, whatever. And because he is himself NOT Drax.

If the Rock isn't literally playing himself, Fighting with my Family-style, he's breaking immersion and thus ruining the movies he's in. Hulk Hogan probably had better acting chops than the Rock, no matter how much fun he might (?) be in person.

Gavinmad · Jul 13, 2021

Zweischneid said:
Hulk Hogan probably had better acting chops than the Rock

Of all the retarded shit that you post on this forum, this is by far the dumbest.

Chukzombi · Jul 13, 2021

Gavinmad said:
Of all the retarded shit that you post on this forum, this is by far the dumbest.

what, you didnt cry at the end of Suburban Commando?

Grizzlebeard · Jul 13, 2021

I kind of don't mind Henry Cavill but I don't see why the Highlander needs to be some ripped fucker now.

Part of the charm of the original was Christopher Lambert was so slight when paired off against Clancy Brown.

I'd hazard a guess the average sci-fi fan isn't going to be some pinnacle of human fitness so throwing Cavill up there as the everyman is already causing a disconnect with the audience.

ohkcrlho · Jul 13, 2021

Grizzlebeard said:
I kind of don't mind Henry Cavill but I don't see why the Highlander needs to be some ripped fucker now.

Part of the charm of the original was Christopher Lambert was so slight when paired off against Clancy Brown.

I'd hazard a guess the average sci-fi fan isn't going to be some pinnacle of human fitness so throwing Cavill up there as the everyman is already causing a disconnect with the audience.

Same thing with Kyle Reese.

j00t · Jul 13, 2021

i think it's less about finding someone who has huge muscles to play conner macleod, and more about the person that is passionate about the project just happens to have huge muscles. same with geralt, he's never been portrayed with some herculean physique, but henry cavil is a HUUUUGE nerd and has enough clout behind his name right now to get projects like these some good PR

Lithose · Jul 13, 2021

Zweischneid said:
Nah. I "liked" Bautista (as an actor) because he was doing both Drax and roles with a (slightly) different pitch as in Blade Runner, James Bond, whatever. And because he is himself NOT Drax.

If the Rock isn't literally playing himself, Fighting with my Family-style, he's breaking immersion and thus ruining the movies he's in. Hulk Hogan probably had better acting chops than the Rock, no matter how much fun he might (?) be in person.

What people fail to get about acting is there are two main axis its judged on--the ability change how you express yourself so as to take on another character or mimic someone else. Someone like Gary Oldman is a master at this.

But the second aspect, that's really just as important--is the ability to convey emotion and illicit emotion in others (Charisma). Plenty of actors only ever play themselves, but they have the ability to express themselves genuinely in spades.

The Rock is the second kind. Extremely expressive and charismatic. Doesn't make him a terrible actor, it just means he doesn't have the range to fit in a wide variety of roles. But a lot of the best actors fit in this same box. Its actually a rarity when an actor can do both really well (Like Danial Day Lewis, Marlon Brando or Hopkins)

Gavinmad · Jul 13, 2021

I mean I'm not gonna claim the Rock is an elite level actor, but when does he ever get cast to play anything other than what he physically is? He did a great job playing an awkward nerd in The Rock's body in the Jumanji remake, and he did a solid pretending to be a mild mannered pansy during the parts of Central Intelligence that called for it (not an endorsement of that movie btw).

The problem is not that his acting abilities are limited, the problem is that his entire existence as a person is defined by that physique and you can't cast someone who looks like that in any other kind of role.

Sanrith Descartes · Jul 17, 2021

Lithose said:
But the second aspect, that's really just as important--is the ability to convey emotion and illicit emotion in others (Charisma). Plenty of actors only ever play themselves, but they have the ability to express themselves genuinely in

This doesn't get enough attention. Roles where the actor cant show his/her face really demonstrate who has acting chops. Forced to wear a mask for instance in the role. Not makeup which allows expressions, but like Man in the Iron Mask or V for Vendetta where it is absolutely expressionless.

Highlander

Honorable Member

Honorable Member

Silver Baronet of the Realm

Member

Honorable Member

Millie's Staff Member

Honorable Member

Naxxramas 1.0 Raider

Molten Core Raider

Millie's Staff Member

Molten Core Raider

Got something right about marriage

Mr. Poopybutthole

Millie's Staff Member

Ahn'Qiraj Raider

Silver Baronet of the Realm

Silver Baronet of the Realm

Buzzfeed Editor

Mr. Poopybutthole

Veteran of a thousand threadban wars