Customer Reviews

Highlander - The Complete Series (Seasons 1-6)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I much prefer the television series to the films, but that is not to say the TV show was perfect. The greatest weakness of both the TV series and the DVD disks would be inconsistencies. While the show had many strengths, writing was often uneven and the "mythos" of the show was tweaked on more than one occasion to fit the needs of storyline. This is sometimes awkward to watch, given that the one rule of fantasy is to stick to the "givens" you provide as a writer. The DVDs are equally "off" a bit. Commentary for the first two seasons is a tad snarky, and in season one, it sometimes looks like they grabbed the commentators on the way home from the grocery store to make their comments. Later commentary feels somewhat like a bottle of wine (or two) was used to "warm up" the speakers. The video capture also isn't great. Originally produced in the early 90s, this was one of the earliest series to be transferred to digital format. The kind of super-clean image and sound quality one becomes used to in modern DVDs are not present here, and my season one collection, bought many years ago, actually melted down. The sealant used on the inside rim of the DVDs leaked back into the disks and warped them, causing the need for me to re-buy the collection. I did, however, re-buy it, because for all of its flaws, there is something timeless about this show (excusing the obvious pun). The show excelled in casting, with Adrian Paul being the best immortal out there (apologies to Christopher Lambert). Mr. Paul not only had the exotic look appropriate to an immortal, but he clearly invested himself in the role in terms of physicality and dedication. The fights and swordplay are still some of the best I've seen in film, and the actor's range really increased during the run of the show, with new layers of emotional depths explored in every passing season. Adrian Paul was not the only good casting. All of the supporting characters, including the several stunning women, sidekick Stan Kirsch, the yummy Peter Wingfield, earthy and warm Jim Byrnes, and so many more, were excellent. Even the villains of the week were delightful. Rock stars abounded, and while not all of them were top-shelf actors (Roger Daltrey being a notable exception), the music that infuses the show is deeply engaging, from the opening credits by Queen to Jim Byrnes' soulful guitar solos. Half of each season was filmed in Paris. This brought a real visual richness not usually seen in syndicated television, and the flashback scenes, spanning thousands of years, were almost always done with an excellence that is hard to imagine on their probable budgetary limits. In terms of concept, the producers clearly struggled from time to time to find a way out of the "bad immortal gets head cut off" plotline that could have easily dominated the show. While they clearly mis-stepped here and there, the end product, taken as a whole, is a thoughtful and touching one. Duncan MacLeod is the ultimate hero figure ... noble, honorable, enviable perhaps, but deeply lonely. There are a tremendous number of series regulars who don't quite make it to the end of any given season, much less the series, but by having them enter and leave the life of the Highlander, we see a humanity within the immortal that is tremendously engaging. Despite the sometimes painful 80s fashion, I believe this series has a kind of universality. Worth it to anyone who likes action, romance, drama, and a little bit of magic. And who doesn't like all of that?

Duncan MacLeod is the Highlander, born of a race of immortals who can only die if they are decapitated. Duncan has already lived about 400 years and he is always on alert for any other immortals that want to take his head because in the end, there can only be one immortal who will rule the world. This is my all-time favorite t.v. series because Duncan proves that there still are men who believe in chivalry, not to mention a hot body to go with that chivalry! I'm sorry. That is not what makes this series so great, but it does not hurt. Duncan is a complex man and immortal who sympathizes with mortals and struggles with the warrior living inside of him. Not all immortals are like Duncan--most of them try to harm humans because they think they are the superior race. Here are my six favorite episodes:

Mountain Men: This is the episode where Duncan reveals that he is a fierce warrior, protecting his beloved Tessa from an immortal mountain man who has kidnapped her. Duncan fights this immortal shirtless with his long hair streaming down his back. What a visual!

The Darkness: This shocking episode is one where a key character is killed and a secret is revealed about another key character. The tragic ending to this episode is a lessen to all about the random violence that plagues our society.

Brothers In Arms: This is the episode that causes a rift between Joe Dawson and Duncan. Duncan realizes that he cannot truly be friends with a mortal because they are different.

Methuselah's Gift: A different, tender side of Methos is revealed in this touching episode.

Star-Crossed: Roger Daltrey guest stars as an immortal friend of Duncan's. The flashbacks are funny when these two are in a scene together. This episode, however, has a tragic ending.

Archangel: One of the most heart-wrenching episodes of the series. Duncan is tricked by dark forces and does something terrible to his closest friend. This was a shocking season finale and I was left stunned by it.

It was hard to pick my favorite episodes, but these stood out in my mind. Fantasy and Sci-Fi fans will love this series, not only for the fantastical elements, but because of the moral issues also dealt with in this series. The outstanding sword fighting and historical flashbacks are a few more highlights in Highlander, the Series. Highly recommended!

Excellent series! However, surprisingly, you can get it much cheaper at the "Highlander Store". This is surprising to me because it is not normal that you can get the best pricing from the original sources. It is usually the case that you get better pricing via third party resellers. Regardless of the cost anywhwere, it is well worth every cent! "There Can Be Only One". Better get yours.

Having experienced the "fair" video quality of the VHS version, I had been looking forward to the DVD transfer. While I think the transfer to DVD was well done, there appear to have been some manufacturing issues. The playback of several DVDs in the set either froze or were scrambled and the only way to get around them was to skip to the next chapter and use rewind to back up (carefully) to the problem location and restart from there. Season 6 was the worst of the sets. Unfortunately, the vendor who sold me my set (YOULIKETHAT) continually promised to replace the defective DVDs right up to the 90 day Amazon "guarantee" limit and then quit responding to my inquiries so be careful who you buy these from. That said, if you are a Highlander series fan, I believe you will fully enjoy the DVD version including the "extras."

This show was sometimes great entertainment to me. Basically a dimestore romantic-adventure novel brought to life. I think the producers were mostly successful with providing something for everyone. The shows ranged from brilliantly written, to definitely a bit cheesey. The dvd collection is better than the vhs, however questions did arise quickly about it's quality. I think it was the 2nd episode on disc one, when the disc appeared to be sort of freezing up for a minute. I hit FF for a second, and it was fine again. ( This was with a brand new dvd player ) Since that occurance, I have not yet run into any other problems; although I've only watched 1/3 of the discs. I did have a couple other little gripes about these dvd's, but nothing too serious. I would have preferred more than three episodes on a disc...a typical season for ex. has NINE discs- three unfolding booklets of 3 discs, which all fit into this 1/2 box...I wasn't too crazy about that at all. There is however a lot of content within them if you like bloopers and interviews and watcher chronicles...I do and I don't.. I mean, it's tough enough to watch all 6 seasons..I really don't need boxes hoggin up all my shelf space just so studios get extra market value-which is also why it took em so long to go over to dvd's, and why it's off the air. Nevertheless, I do still appreciate the Highlander phenomenon. It's solidly entertaining while it also demonstrates virtues that I like. I can live without the Duncan Macleod boxer shorts though, and the pillows with kissy lips, and the rest of the merchandising extraveganza. THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

Not one of my personal top 10 shows, but enjoyable anyway.

I ordered this item and Highlander:Raven separately, only to discover that Raven is included with this item already. $30 wasted on a duplicate.
The image on Amazon's page is misleading, showing only 6 boxes instead of 7. Hopefully this review will help others avoid that mistake.

While the content of what I was able to view was very good, I did have a problem with a few disks. The last disk of season two could not be read by my player, Missed the season finally. Two other disks had individual episodes that would not read. Tried the above on two other DVD players, same results.

Good quality picture on my 46" Samsung HDTV. Decent volume stabilization across DVDs. Pricing was better than most competitors.

Over all decent, Frank

This amazing fantasy series lives up to all the excitement and action I came to enjoy in the original movies.
Fast paced with intriguing story lines it never fails to leave me wanting to watch the next episode.
Special effects are good although some stunts require a bit of a stretch of the imagination, but after all this is fantasy entertainment of the highest calibre.
Well packaged and presented, you could not ask for a better gift for fantasy/action lovers.

If you were a big fan of the TV series Highlander or a fan of Adrian Paul then this is a "must have" for you! You can watch the characters grow and mature and meet some new and interesting immortals. The best thing is you don't have to wait for the season to be renewed. A good touch through out many of the episodes was the friendships and trust that developed between the mortals and the immortals. The flashbacks added history and background to the story and the characters. The cost per disc is fantastic especially if you buy it used. It came to less than $10.00 per disc at the time I bought it. I bought the 6 sets used and had problems with Saeaon 6. The shipper replaced it, no questions asked.

I was thinking of buying this for awhile, I have loved the series since it first came out. If you notice the individual seasons are selling at less than $30 each now, if you buy this you are paying twice as much than you should...