Highlander: The Search for Vengeance (2007)

I agree with another user here, that this animated entry into the Highlander saga is indeed better than the real life sequels to the original Highlander. I still wasn't entirely convinced about this movie. Set in the (apocalyptic) future, I've seen better animes than this one. One of them being "Fist of the North Star". You can't really compare those two movies (although apart from the time setting, there seem to be some other similar parts) other than the fact that they are both animes.And of course the fact, that these movies are not suitable for children. It's again the fact, that some animated movies are for an adult audience. And this one too, for it's depicting/showing of violence. My summary then-> It won't be a waste of time if you watch this movie, but it won't blow your mind either! :o)

I am big fan of Yoshiaki Kawajiri and it pains me to see such a production with his name on it. Yes, the visuals are great, but even they get irritating as the movie goes on, because someone decided that almost every action scene and many of the ordinary ones should be done with 3D, and when you see that same method re-used for the 50th time in just 80 minutes... well not only isn't it impressive anymore but very annoying. Whatever the problems the movie had, I wouldn't be that disappointed if it wasn't the *STORY* - awful, cliché after cliché, unbelievably cheesy b-movie lines and one of the worst juxtaposion of sex scene ever (lighting candles??? what the hell?!)... The script really ruins everything good, and the characters are very flat and stereotypical, not to mention most of their designs are almost copy&paste from Kawajiri's previous works. And not only the characters are copied but whole scenes (e.g. the battle on the rooftops - Animatrix: Program), and though not 1:1 you still get a bitter deja-vu quite often.So thank you but I'd stick with Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and Ninja Scroll - Highlander is no way near them.

I can't say is the best anime seen by me...i was a little disappointed in seeing that the idea of people living underground and the fact that they eat rats resembles with the one in Demolition man ,also the final image of the sun rising was like the one in Wonderful days but without the same effect.Don't try to find strong relationships between the characters,there are none.The main character is boring but trying to be mysterious.The good part is that it has no boring dialogue and there is a lot of action but some parts of the anime are predictable. The story is plain but it's OK if you don't have anything to watch... there is worse anime than this.

First things first, this is a typical Kawajiri film, as you may or may not know, Kawajiri is like a Japanese Frank Miller, meaning all his work share a distinctive feel to them, and follow a similar path story-wise. Some people call this auto-plagiarism, and bash it. However if you are like me, and have really liked his work, from Ninjascroll, to the Animatrix short, from "wicked city" to "vampire hunter D bloodlust", "lens-man", "Cyber city Oedo", etc etc. Then the mere prospect of watching some part of the highlander myth animated in this fashion will have your blood boiling. If you haven't guessed it yet, I really liked the film.Lets start reviewing it part by part.Story: It fits in the Highlander myth, this is not about any known Mcleod, so you may think of it as an alternative story-line. Everything is a little clichéd though, still beats the crap out of any Highlander sequel so far.Setting: The movie takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, very kawajirish, it has this "Fist of the north star" feeling to it, huge bad guys, wrecked urban landscapes, silent heroes, you know the drill.Character design: Again typical kawajiri film, busty women, sharp factions, impossibly muscular males, you may love it or hate it, I really like it. This is no Inuyasha, boy....Animation: Very Good, some less than stellar CG shots, and "matrix moments", if you can deal with that there are really well choreographed fights to be seen. Specially gorgeous are the fights that take place in the past.Sound: Mostly OK, some voice overs could have been better, the movie comes in English just like Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust. There are some great accents to be heard when the Highlanders speak, however some secondary characters could have used better actors.Music: Gorgeous, really symphonic gives the feeling of epic and greatness to the whole movie.So if your love for highlander allows you to overlook some small flaws, and some kawajirisms you'll really like the movie.