Highlander: The Search for Vengeance (2007)

I heard this was the best Highlander film out there, with the exception of the first, of course, and I also love good Japanese anime, so I thought it was going to be a win-win. Wrong. While the animation is well done, the script is abysmal, the characters cardboard and the story the lowest common denominator in Japanese and Hollywood visions (the writer of the script is not Japanese).The story is that of Colin, who gets the honorary and completely pointless McCloud after he helps the Scottish clan in a battle. He is on a quest for vengeance against the guy who killed his girl. He goes on doing that for more than 2000 years, relentlessly. That's it. Nothing more. The bad guy is a Roman who wants to create the perfect order, so he is progressively furthering every dictatorship that ever existed: Japanese warlord, Nazi, etc. and now, in the post apocalyptic future, he built his own little empire, again.The fact that every time Colin appeared and destroyed this guy's dreams I was thinking of "God dammit, why do every time Chinese people try to build up a wall, Mongolian people have to come and knock it down!" did not help to make me take this film seriously.Bottom line: the ridiculously simplistic and clichéd script, with weak undeveloped characters stoped me from enjoying the otherwise good (but in no way original) animation. Almost a complete waste of time.

Some crossovers work, some don't; sadly, "Highlander – Search for Vengeance" belongs to the second category. Not just that but it seems that certain films don't translate into other mediums. As example, I'd like to point out the live action adaptation of the anime "Fist of the North Star" – it worked fine as a cartoon but was a rather laughable film. Although not as awful as mentioned "Fist of the North Star" live action, "Highlander – Search for Vengeance" remains somewhat of a failed experiment.Being both a fan of the original "Highlander"-franchise and mildly interested in anime ("Ninja Scroll" being among my favourites), I looked forward to seeing this film and knowing that this wouldn't be a kids cartoon, like the awful "Highlander"-animated-series, expected a more adult-oriented approach. It was, giving us that graphic violence which we've come to expect from this particular type of anime but more blood and gore never equated to a better "Highlander" film.Where did it go wrong? In my personal opinion, the supernatural elements never had a place in the franchise, being part of the trouble that has plagued "Highlander"-sequels and TV-shows. "It's a kind of magic", and that's all that the "Highlander"-fan needs to know. That was the magic of the original "Highlander" concept: these were people like you and me, with the exception that they were immortal, fought with mean-a** swords and had to fight to the last man. What we get here are demons, cyborgs and sorcerers, set in an end-time scenario, which would fit better in a "Fist of the North Star"-film; hence, the flashback-sequences are the highlight of the film. I could go on and point out that the abominable "Highlander: The Source" took place in a similar setting, using the concept "magic" short of making Duncan McLeod pulling a rabbit from a hat. However, that wouldn't do "Search for Vengeance" justice – even if flawed, the anime is infinitely better than the (hopefully) final "Highlander" film.For 'conservative' "Highlander"-fans, "Search for Vengeance", especially those not familiar with anime, is an odd little curiosity – for anime fans it's regular fare, pretty much "Ninja Scroll" set in the "Highlander"-universe.Giving it 5 points from 10 would be very well-meaning.

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.

I have just purchased HIGHLANDER: THE SEARCH FOR Vengeance from my local wally-world and I was blown away from the very beginning.I'm a bit familiar with the body of work that the crew at madhouse have done (NINJA SCROLL AND X come to mind) and I have to say that this one is the best yet from him. I'm also glad that the guys who brought HIGHLANDER to life in the first place had a hand with it.I won't ruin the story for those that are reading this review, but if you are familiar with anime and the sweeping style that comes with it, as well as the movies that I've mentioned, then you will not be disappointed.Watch it, rent it, buy it! Enjoy it.