Highlander II: The Quickening

Highlander II: The Quickening is a 1991 science fiction film directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Christopher Lambert, Virginia Madsen, Michael Ironside and Sean Connery. It is the second installment in the Highlander film series and sequel to the 1986 fantasy film Highlander. Set in the year 2024, the plot concerns Connor MacLeod, who after regaining his youth and immortality sets out to free Earth from the corrupt Shield Corporation, which is operating an artificial ozone layer.

The film was shot almost entirely in Argentina during the country's economic woes; the film's investors and completion bond company eventually took direct control of production and final edit, removing director Mulcahy and his creative influence while changing parts of the story and the established canon. The resulting film, which was released on 12 April 1991 in the United Kingdom and 1 November 1991 in the United States (the latter in an eight-minute shorter cut), was panned by critics and fans, and is considered to be one of the worst films ever made.

The Renegade Version was released in 1995 on home video, which attempted to address the story problems. It was followed by the Special Edition DVD release in 2004, which made major changes to the special effects. The follow-up Highlander III: The Sorcerer follows the events of the first film, in the process contradicting and completely ignoring the events and revelations of Highlander II.