the OBJECTIVE JERK

WHY HIGHLANDER STILL HITS HARD AND How A Reboot Could Get It Right

• Jerk • Season 4 • Episode 222

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We trace how Highlander became the cult classic that it is, and how it influenced this podcaster as a young boy, reflecting on cherished DIY toy sword that was made as a result of viewing the film. Jerk weighs what a respectful reboot needs, from casting to theme, and invite listeners to share remakes that actually worked.

• Tech glitches and getting the mic rolling
• Silhouette tee designs and Cricut export struggles and eventual win
• Using Highlander art to stress-test workflow
• Introducing the film to a new viewer at home
• Memories of the 1986 release and Queen’s soundtrack
• Quick hits on sequels and the TV series
• Casting chatter for the reboot and expectations
• Immortality, loss and why the myth endures
• What breaks reboots and what could save one
• Open questions for the audience to weigh in

“Can you think of a remake that actually worked? Put it down in the comments”


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Again, thanks for hanging out with me!

Please feel free to comment or send an email to theobjectivejerk@gmail.com

SPEAKER_01:

You were listening to the objective jerk and I am said jerk. What's up? How's everybody doing? I I almost didn't record this because I was having technical problems. And uh when stupid shit happens, I get pissed off. I don't want to deal with it. I mean, I want to get it fixed, but then I'm just like, I don't feel like recording anything else. But I'm doing it. And of course, it was something stupid. It was just this audio splitter jack thing. I I think I need to get a new one. I just I'm always thinking it's some other problem, and then it always ends up being that. Anyway, what's up? I don't know, I was kind of doing some stuff, and it's just one of those things where it's like I'm in my head about something, and uh so I just I want to talk about it, I want to discuss it.

SPEAKER_00:

And just cut to the chase, Highlander and talk about Highlander.

SPEAKER_01:

The original film and some of the sequels and the series and then the reboot that's going on. I'm working on shirts, obviously. And I was I was trying to I mean I got it down now, but I was practicing making it's hard to explain. I mean, I'm just doing like simple designs, single color, black or white, so a black black print on white shirt or white print on black shirt, but I haven't done any black shirts yet. So it's just kind of silhouette style, kind of whatever, you know, something basic. But it's kind of it's stuff that I kind of like. But so I got a couple different things. I made a sleep token shirt for my oldest son. I made a What Would Jesus do thing that turned out pretty good for my one son, and then I made a basketball what's his face? Donovan Mitchell, who they call the Spider-Man. So I, you know, did him. It was like dunking, and there's like spider webs around it and stuff. He was alright, it was pretty good, but I don't know. I could do better, I think. But anyway, so I got a bunch of different ideas and stuff going on, and then I was thinking about like some of the classic films that I like, you know, Big Trouble in Little China, Tremors, Highlander, some stuff like that, right? Just to kind of make my own little artwork. And I don't like to I like to get a piece of so like I'll get a band that I like and I'll I'll get find a good picture that it looks cool. I don't put the band name, I don't put the film name, I just put like lyrics or something so that only like a true fan would recognize, you know. So somebody who doesn't really know will see them be like, what is it? And you know, they're not a fan. But somebody that knows will be like, oh dude, that's that's Highlander, that's whatever, you know what I mean? That's like that's kind of like the thing that I and maybe so that's like my niche, and maybe not many people will, you know, think it's cool, but whatever. So yeah, so I was practicing converting or exporting my design to Cricut to cut because Cricut wants you to use their stuff and pay to do whatever. So it they make it a little more difficult, I guess, which makes sense, but so I was playing around with different settings and how to you know put my designs together and get them to export so they export as they are when I export them, and and then you know, cricket can pull them up with the same dimensions and everything, and nothing changes. So I finally got that figured out today. And I figured out with my my the last shirt I made from my son with the Donovan Mitchell, the basketball one, but then I wanted to try it again, so I grabbed the movie poster from Highlander, which was actually kind of like an animation-looking one, and it's like the quickening part, and so I was playing with that and did some stuff, and because I wanted to I didn't want to make that shirt necessarily, it was just I wanted to do all the things that I do that give me problems, and I was testing to see if what I learned, if it would, you know, if it would send or export the the design, the file correctly, and it does. So I'm happy about that. So got that figured out. So then, yeah, so I was just you know working on that, and then my oldest son came in and and he was like, What is that? And I'm like, you don't he's like, look at it. Like he he thought it was something else, and then I was like, No, it's something he's like, oh he's like, Yeah, I've heard I've he didn't know what it was about, and I was like, Oh man, I failed you. How do you how have I not and the the the film is I have a bunch of classic old films that I have in my cart on Amazon, a Blu-ray, that are always there, and then like whenever if I gotta order something, I gotta make it you know equal to$49 for eligible shipping fee, then I'll grab a movie. And but a lot of times by the time you know I need to do that, that that movie's no longer available or whatever. So Highlander is always either getting pushback or whatever. Just I haven't bought it, and but I need to though, because I have a feeling that I don't know, will it be more expensive when the reboot comes out or will it be cheaper? I don't know.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm thinking it'll be more expensive because then popularity will, you know. But anyway, so was talking to my son about you know the movie and explaining him the design I did.

SPEAKER_01:

And then I had him watch the trailer. And then I'm like, man, I gotta I gotta order this thing. I gotta buy it before the reboot comes out. I mean, I guess it's still I mean it's being made right now, so it's gonna be a while, but so then I just I don't know, I just been since then I've been like just in the back of my head thinking about the movie and everything, and the reboot and everything. So I kind of wanted to discuss it, but there's like my wife, she don't care, she don't know. My my oldest son who would know something doesn't, so again, I failed him. He likes to watch a lot of the old movies, and I'm showing him a lot, but that's just one that's fell through the crack. So I got no one to talk about it. So that's what I got this thing and the camera for, I guess. But Highlander came out in 86, I want to say. So the Highlander film was let's see when it was the original one.

SPEAKER_00:

They're gonna come here.

SPEAKER_01:

So I have the 86, okay, yeah. So that means I was eight years old. I was thinking I was younger, but I guess that sounds about right. But so that movie came out, and I remember watching it like as soon as it was on cable, HBO or whatever. Saw the movie with you know my parents or and I think it was like the first like non-child, you know, grown-up film that wasn't Star Wars that I sat through and watched the whole thing, you know what I mean? And so it's technically like the first, I mean maybe not technically, but I mean it was R-rated, right? I could say maybe that was like the first R-rated film.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm not sure I'm gonna look it up. I think it probably was.

SPEAKER_01:

But it was just other than Star Wars, that was like the first film that I really got into and was like a fan of.

SPEAKER_00:

Trying to see what it was rated. Is it on him that uh probably does somewhere, but it's like I'm not gonna I hate when I'm reading.

SPEAKER_01:

Doesn't it say at the beginning on Wikipedia?

SPEAKER_00:

Rated R.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, you know what? Probably showed on this poster right here. Yep, rated R. Okay. So yeah, so I don't think there was nudity in it, but so that was the first, you know, first film outside of Star Wars that I really enjoyed and really liked as a kid. And I liked it so much, like, so my stepfather he made me a sword. I remember very vividly, it was out of an old broom handle, so it was rounded on the end. And then he got like some faux fur, you know, fake fur wrapped around it, got some like like some kind of tiny rope that was like a shoestring rope or like a boot, work boot rope or lace, like a work boot lace or something. He glued it on there in like a spiral for like a grip, and then he put like a deer horn on the end of it, you know. So it was it wasn't really you know, Highlander inspired. It was more of like a barbarian kind of whatever. But I love that thing, man. I yeah, it was. That was one of the one of my favorite, I guess, toys or whatever I had for a little while. And then I think like I stopped playing with it a little bit, and I probably left it somewhere, and then my stepdad used it for a fire poker, and I was kind of pissed off. But anyway, so there was that, and then you know, the Queen song, Princes of the Universe, was the you know, the in the beginning of the film, and I thought that was a cool song, and I remember I think I talked about this before, but I had my stepbrother record, or he offered to, I think, or I don't know, but he got his little boom box and we played it on uh so we must have had the did they buy it or maybe he rented it. I don't know. How did we do that? Anyway, I just remember being there with him and he recorded on the boombox the beginning of you know the movie, which was the beginning of the song. And and then I just remember somebody yelling in the background at the end, and so it it's not the whole song, but anyway, so I just remember those two things. And yeah, it was just it was a cool movie, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

But I haven't watched it in a long time. I can't remember the last time I seen it, actually.

SPEAKER_01:

And then, you know, they had the sequel, Highlander 2, which was interesting, but kind of weird. Sean Connery was back as Ramirez. I don't know. I don't think I hated it, but if I were to watch it now, I probably wouldn't like it. I just remember that first part where he he's an old man and he kills those people in their little flying things and has the quickening and he's young again. And then oh, and then when him and Ramirez get all rattled up with bullets and then they bring him into the morgue and they come out. That's about the two things I remember about that film. And then there was a third one, which I don't think I seen. And then there was the one then there was the series that had that other guy, and you know, I don't think I I might have watched an episode or two, but I don't think I really I didn't really watch it. I don't remember it. I mean I remember it, but I don't remember watching it. And then they had the film that had the series guy and and what's his face from the film, Connor McLeod.

SPEAKER_00:

From the Clan McLeod, right? That's how it goes. And I think that's it.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, there's been comic books and other stuff, but so now they're doing a reboot, and here we go again, right? Just ruining more stuff. However, so far, it sounds pretty good. The director, it's the what's his nuts, the John Wick guy, Henry Cavill. The thing that's cool about Henry Cavill is he's passionate about his what he does, and he wants to make sure that it's done right. You know what I mean? I mean, obviously he doesn't have as much pull with some things as he does with others, but still it's kind of it's comforting, and it's like if you know he's in it, then it's not gonna be a retarded film. So, you know, John Wick director, Henry Cavill in it. Henry Campbell's kind of a big dude. It's kind of weird to think of him as Connor McLeod, but I'm fine with it, I guess. But let's see, so I just search assistants, so I guess it's AI. Look at me using AI. The Highlander Reboot is an upcoming action fantasy film directed by Chad Stahelski. Wait, is that the same guy? Yeah, I think so. Featuring Henry Cavill as Connor McLeod, set into released by Amazon MGO Studios. Oh, does that mean it's gonna be on Amazon Prime? It reimagines the story of the Immortal Scottish Warrior who must battle the Kurgan for a powerful prize. Let's see. The film features a significant budget over of over 100 million and will be distributed by Amazon Studios. So is that I don't know. I'm still confused by all that Amazon Studios because well, the He-Man movie is Amazon Studios, I think, and that's gonna be released on theaters, so I don't know. Anyway, Henry Cavill, Connor McLeod, Russell Crowe as Ramirez. I think that works. You got oh yeah, they were both in Superman or Man of Steel. I just realized that. Dave Batista as the the Kurgan. Man, I don't know. He's gonna have to, he's that's a tough role because what's his face was awesome. He was freaky in that movie, dude. Man, what's his name?

SPEAKER_00:

He was in Shawshank Redemption. I can't think of the actor's name. I keep track of my time.

SPEAKER_01:

Clancy Brown, I think his name is. Wow, did I just remember that? Clancy Brown, dude.

SPEAKER_00:

That yeah, that kind of freaked me out when I was younger. Like he was scary. Clancy Brown did an awesome job, so Batista's gonna have to do his own thing. He's yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

He's gonna have to he's gonna have to forget what Clancy Brown did and just try and do his own thing and hopefully he does well. He seems to be a pretty good actor. I don't know. I mean that one's fine, I guess. I don't know. I think I don't know, is there anybody else you can think of that would have been better?

SPEAKER_00:

Kind of menacing.

SPEAKER_01:

What's his face too? Didn't he like slim down so he's not as big? So he's gonna be like smaller than I don't know. We'll see. I'm sure it's gonna be fine, but anyway, okay. Brenda Wyatt as Marissa Abel. Is that the woman that he in the 20th century or 19th century?

SPEAKER_00:

His girlfriend or whatever. So then Heather McLeod, Karen Gillian. That's a girl she was in Galaxy not Galaxy Quest. Guardians of the Galaxy. Yeah. And Jumanji, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And she's Scottish, I think, in real life, so that works. Jimon Huansu. I can never say his name. Sunda Kastargia. So that's the guy that is friends with Connor. They meet on that bridge. That bridge. That bridge! The bridge in like Central Park. And they're buddies, and then he ends up getting killed by the Kurgan.

SPEAKER_00:

Let's see, Jeremy Irons, leader of the Watchers.

SPEAKER_01:

I don't remember that.

unknown:

The Watchers.

SPEAKER_01:

It's been a while since I've watched it. And then Drew McIntyre's Angus McCloud. So that's probably back when he was when he becomes immortal from this clan, obviously.

SPEAKER_00:

Angus. I think that's the guy that.

SPEAKER_01:

So it looks like they're sticking with the original one for the most part. The project has been in development since 2008. Damn. With various directors and writers attached over the years. I mean, you're always hearing about films. Oh, they're gonna do reboot with this, and then blah, blah, blah, blah. And it's like every kind of movie is they're talking about rebooting. But but see, this is the kind of movie I think that needs to be reboot more because it didn't do well in theaters. I mean, it's a cult classic now. Well, I don't know. The thing is awesome, still holds up. And then I don't know, it's been a while now, but they remade it, or it's like a prequel, which I think would have been fine if they didn't do special effects. If they would have dractical effects, it would have been a lot better. I think the idea was pretty cool. But anyway, current says principal photography began January, so not oh yeah, so recently. Scotland, after delays due to actor injuries. The screenplay is written by people I don't know. Story follows Connor McLeod, who discovers he is an immortal warrior, destined to fight others like him for the prize, a quote unquote prize. The quickening! Are they gonna still call it the quickening? He must confront the crew the Kurgan, the crew the Kurgan. I said earlier, the Kurgan. A cruel and powerful, immortal in a climactic battle. The film will feature a soundtrack that oh, Queen is gonna be in there again. That's cool. The reboot aims to modernize the franchise while staying true to its core mythology. So let's see, explore more. What are the main plot differences? Do they even know? The Highlander reboot will ex where am I at? We'll explore a broader character arc for Connor McLeod and incorporate elements from the original film. Focus on the mythology of the immortals. It aims to take a prequel approach, allowing for more character development before. So I was probably gonna spend a little more time in Scotland back in 15, whatever it was. I guess, yeah, understanding the lore more, maybe, or I don't know. You know, the time where he's being trained by Ramirez and stuff. I think that's probably maybe gonna be more of a substantial amount of the film, which would be cool. Like the first half is basically him in Scotland getting trained by Ramirez, learning, you know, that he's immortal and all that stuff, and then and then the second one. It'll start off, you know what's gonna happen? It's gonna start off in a UFC fight. Because remember the original one was a wrestling match? It's gonna start off a UFC fight, and then it'll be like that, and then it's gonna flash back. But I think the flashback is gonna be sounds like it's gonna be a lot longer. Alright, let's see. This is what themes and motifs are explored in the Highlander Reboot storyline. So this is all AI. The Highlander Reboot explores themes of immortality, the struggle for power among immortal warriors, and the emotional toll of living through centuries of loss and violence. That's the thing, man. Imagine living forever. Like, I think it'd be cool at first. I think when you're getting to be about 200, it'd be like, dude, this is getting old. I don't know. It probably would get old, and then something, you know, the invention of cars or whatever, something you know happens and it's like, oh wow, this is cool, man. But anyway. It also delves into the concept of destiny as the protagonist. Connor McLeod confronts his past and the cyclic cyclic wow, I can't say that. Cyclical cyclical? Cyclic? Cyclical. Yeah, cyclical. Man, that's hard to say. The cyclical nature of conflict among his kind. Ultimately framing the battle for the prize. They keep saying that. I hope they still call it the Quickening. Oh, that's what the second one was called, huh? Islander 2, the Quickening. Anyway. So, I don't know. I guess, you know, once we get a trailer, we'll kinda know more. Hopefully. Hopefully, it's good. I'm it's probably gonna be pretty good. But you know, like, I just watched again the Total Recall remake that came out in like 2012 or something. Watched it with my son. I have the original on Blu-ray. And I used to have the second, but uh my cousin got it or something. I don't know what happened to it. But I think the second movie, I mean, the the second one would definitely be a lot better if there was no first, really. They didn't really deviate too much from the original. And then the things that they did was like kind of weird. Like, I don't know, like his friend, just so many things you like, you knew what was gonna happen before it's gonna happen because they you know you're thinking about the original film, and then it just plays out just like the original one. Except for a couple things, a couple little things. But I mean it all looks pretty good, and it was it's actually I remember watching it, and I was like, you know what, this isn't too bad. I don't I don't this is better than I remember. And it was good up until the point where he got to the leader of the resistance, and they hooked him up and found out like he was, you know, malware, and all of a sudden the the bad guy just come busting in, and it's like, how the hell did they get there so quick? Like they just connected him, they're in like this dead zone where they gotta wear pro masks and all this stuff, and then like they just show up. So that was kind of like, what the crap? I don't know. So once once Breaking Bad, you know, meth lab guy showed up, I think the movie just kind of went to shit. Not because of him necessarily. I didn't really like his character though, and then like he's fighting with what's his face at the end, it's like you got this old dude. I don't know. It's just yeah, the third act just kind of sucked. I thought it was pretty good up until then, but it wasn't anything new, it just it was like the original, but it was just visually updated and a little better, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

That was loud. I heard that in my headphones.

SPEAKER_01:

Anyway, so yeah, so okay, what's it what's a remake that was good though? That one wasn't bad, but most of the time remakes and reboots just suck, man.

SPEAKER_00:

Especially now I mean if they go at it like trying to make a good film that's you know, it it it respects the original, but is trying to just update it with technology and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01:

Not so much, you know, oh we need it for I hate when they're like, oh, for the modern audience. Then you when they say that, you know it's gonna suck. But I'm trying to think of their if there's a a remake that was actually pretty good. I mean, the it's been a while, I guess, but the longest yard remake with Adam Sandler. I enjoyed that. I think that's pretty good. The original one's a little more serious, but I don't know. I think it's pretty good. What else? What else? Remake, remake, remake. I mean, there's a lot of films that are remakes that you don't even realize are remakes.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, most films are a remake, you know. Honestly. Movies that were made in the 20s or 40s or something.

SPEAKER_01:

Man, I can't think of something. Can you think of one? If you can, put it down in the comments. Alright. No. Anyway, that's it. I just felt like talking about Highlander. You've seen it, the original? Do you like it? Is it one of your favorites? What about the sequels? What do you think? Did you watch the show? I know a lot of it was popular, I know that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Let me know. But that's it. Appreciate your time, and I guess I'll see you next time. Alright. Thanks. God bless. Bye bye.

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