Customer Reviews

Highlander - The Search for Vengeance (Animated)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just finished watching Highlander: The Search for Vengeance and must say I'm pleasantly surprised. After watching sequels from some of my favorite franchise films I was worried this would fall into the same category. To be blunt I'm speaking of The Crow: Wicked Prayer and Highlander: The Source. (The Source can be purchased on DVD in Russia)

I'm happy to say that this film doesn't fit into either category. It has some excellent animation and doesn't walk all over the Highlander mythos (NO PLANET ZEIST). Now that being said I have to agree with the previous reviewer that the plot was kind of weak. For this reason I didn't give it 5 stars. However it didn't detract from my over all enjoyment of the film.

If your looking for comparisons I would have to say 2 parts Highlander + 1 part Vampire Hunter D + 1 part Ninja Scroll (same director for Ninja Scroll & Bloodlust).

I recommend this DVD to any fan of the aforementioned films. After watching this DVD I must say there is hope for the earlier mentioned franchise (The Crow). The Highlander has made a step forward with this superior animation. Perhaps next time we'll get a stronger story. I would love to see The Crow get this kind of treatment.

Colin MacLeod's bloodlust sustains him for hundreds of years as he hunts for the villainous Marcus, the man who killed his wife 1,000 years ago. We can feel his pain in every step as he seeks to quench his thirst for vengeance. Finally, a worthy follow-up to the original Highlander has arrived.

The Review:

Highlander is a 1980s sci-fi/fantasy movie starring Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery and Clancy Brown. Christopher Lambert plays the titular role of the Highlander, Connor MacLeod of the clan MacLeod. Connor, born in 16th century Scotland is mortally wounded during a battle with the evil Kurgan played by Brown, but Connor does not die. Instead he heals with a supernatural rapidity. He's subsequently chased away by his kinsmen who don't see his recovery as miraculous, but instead view it as a clear sign of witchcraft. Enter Sean Connery as Ramirez, an immortal, Yoda-like figure, who sports one hell of a Scottish accent for a man with a Spanish surname. Ramirez takes it upon himself to give Connor a crash course in swordsmanship and the pros and cons of immortality. On the up side Connor will live forever, unless someone cuts off his head, but on the downside immortals can never have children. Another possible downer is that immortals must fight each other to the death (by beheading) during a time called The Gathering, though never on hallowed ground, until only one remains. There can be only one, and that one surviving immortal obtains The Prize.

Highlander succeeds on several levels. It's a great adventure with two great, but contrasting settings--the sprawling, bucolic Scottish highlands and the gritty, cramped streets of 20th century New York City. The New York setting places stakes the film's claim on within the urban fantasy sub-genre and as an added bonus there are engaging romantic elements. Highlander has great fight choreography, beautifully shot scenes and a lot of little touches that catapult it to the status of cult classic. Highlander's soundtrack by Queen, which includes the tracks "Princes of the Universe," and the haunting ballad "Who Wants to Live Forever," cements the film's place amongst the elite of cheesy but awesome eighties action adventures. Check out the YouTube links to the aforementioned Queen songs for a little flavor of the 80s infused awesomeness of this film.

[...]

Fast forward some years and Hollywood has cranked out not 1, not 2, but 4 increasingly ridiculous sequels, one being so bad as to head straight to DVD. At least there was one, or two (heck maybe even three) respectable, if a bit workmanlike live action television series, with Adrian Paul starring in the most successful of the series. Then there was an animated series of which we shall not speak : (

During Hollywood's premeditated serial murder of the Highlander franchise, continuity was the first victim. I'd completely given up on ever seeing Highlander being given a proper sequel or being allowed to rest in peace. Then, a miracle. Japanese anime studio, Studio Madhouse, releases Highlander: The Search for Vengeance in 2007 and it is good. Nothing can resurrect the continuity that earlier sequels destroyed, but Highlander: The Search for Vengeance succeeds in resurrecting some of that original Highlander magic, minus the awesome Queen soundtrack (seriously Queen even classed up Flash Gordon, which alongside Max von Sydow makes that film watchable). The animation studio behind this latest Highlander also brought us the amazing Ninja Scroll as well As Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.

The Search for Vengeance follows another immortal who predates Connor MacLeod by over 1,000 years. Spanning from 126 A.D. to 2187 A.D., from ancient Rome to World War 2 and beyond, this anime takes us on Colin MacLeod's journey to avenge the death of his wife at the hands of an evil immortal named Marcus Octavius. This is in essence a retelling of the original film, except the showdown with this Highlander's antagonist takes place not in 1980's New York, but in New York of the 2180's. The animation is fantastic and the movie's cheesy dialogue benefits greatly from the medium. Dialogue I would mock if it appeared in live action seems a bit more credible when delivered by animated characters. It took 21 years, but Highlander finally received a decent follow up.

Now, I have a soft spot for Highlander, and for animation as well that makes me somewhat forgiving of this latest Highlander film's flaws. To be fair the dialogue in spots is dreadful. Also, only Colin MacLeod and his antagonist, Marcus Octavius, are fully developed characters. Then there is really awkward love scene between cartoon stiffly animated characters. Anime excels at stylistic action animators for all their immense talents have yet to master subtler moods like tenderness. This inability is in part why this latest Highlander fails to capture the romantic elements of the original, but then again, it's not called Highlander: The Search for Love. Highlander is rated R for the usual 1980s dose of action violence. This brings me to my usual caveat. Highlander: The Search for Vengeance `s violence, though animated is a far cry from a Warner Bros. cartoon. Immortals lose their heads in graphic, blood spurting detail. This cartoon is not for kids. It is, however, for Highlander fans longing for a proper homage to the spirit of the original film. My recommendation is to watch both, but if there can be only one, then watch the 1986 original, which, of all the many films baring the Highlander name, stands out as the prize.

FTC Advisory: I purchased my own copy of Highlander: The Search for Vengeance.

forget such things as plot. Useless!!!!

Just bring in the body count and flying heads please!!!

On this take of the Highlander legend, we find a Scotsman named Colin who was born in the 2nd Century when his clan was killed by an immortal named Marcus Octavius who was a Roman emperor at the time. He was also killed by this same immortal but returned as one himself.

Years later, he was adopted by the clan Macleod and was killed in battle but came back again. Like Connor and Duncan, he was rejected by the clan as he continued to search for Octavius.

In the modern era, he finally finds him but now has to make a choice between love & honor Vs. pure vengence as the people in the city are dying but his lust for revenge for his clan has not abated.

While not a great film, it is certainly better than the recent trash known as The Source! The animation for it is nothing groundbreaking but good! The Highlander story is tailor-made for anime and we can only hope there are more features.

Since the original film was released in 1986, Highlander has seen four movies, two live action TV series, and a children's animated series. With the exception of the first TV series, all of those spinoffs were universally terrible. Luckily, Highlander: the Search for Vengeance finally dusts off the franchise and realizes its potential.

This movie is not a children's show. Don't confuse it with the animated series years ago. The film involves on-screen beheadings, mutilations, and sex. It also doesn't explain much about the immortals that serve as the focus of the movie. It's assumed that you're already familiar with the long-running franchise, and that you don't have to be brought up to speed.

The movie itself is fantastic. It takes everything that Highlander has traditionally messed up -- a post apocalyptic environment, an immortal supervillain, and ghosts, for example -- and makes them fit naturally into the world. It retains the awesome action that made the first movie a hit, and includes the moral ambiguity that served as the appeal of the first TV series. The main character, Colin MacLeod, is a man obsessed with killing the immortal who crucified his wife thousands of years ago. On his journey to finally get revenge, however, he becomes an inspiration and a hero to the people that his foe Marcus Octavius is now oppressing. The immortal must leave two thousand years of vengeance behind to save the day.

With a terrific plot, excellent art direction, and solid voice acting (including an appearance by Jim Byrnes, who played Joe Dawson in the series), Highlander: the Search for Vengeance finally takes the floundering franchise and produces a gem that hasn't been seen in over a decade. The only thing it's missing is Queen on the soundtrack.

I got this because I thought the team who brought up Vampire Hunter D would knock the highlander story out of the park. They sort of took it to a new place, but this DVD is not as great as Hunter D: Bloodlust, which is one of my all time favorite anime. I gather, like me, it will be enough to get you curious. Take the ride by all means, just prepare NOT to get blown away like Bloodlust did.

This ones alright. The fact that the Highlander has lived all this time, supposedly met his true love over and over again, and never realized it, gets his ultimate revenge, and still never figures "it" out while the villian has, is, well, frustrating. By the end, I almost wanted the bad guy to win just because he has figured out through the time he has walked the earth, to better himself in so many ways. The hero is only led by revenge and, even with the help of a spiritual guide, is still lost. The guide eventually gives up on him. As an animated piece, its entertaining. I dont think i would say rush out and buy it. That is unless you dont care about such things. My opinion, things like this storyline, frustrtate me. I guess though, it is called the search for vengeance, so what do you expect. Just my opinion.

I wasn't sure about what to expect from this one. I mean, everybody loves the Highlander franchise, but what would the Japanese take on it be? The answer is a brillaint animated reinvention of a bonafide action/fantasy classic with all of the thrills of the original propery and none of the baggage of the sequels. As with the preceding work of animated genius, "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust" (which shares a director and artistic style with this film), this was a true collaberation between eastern and western styles and ideas. The result is extremely complimentary and I can only hope we see more of this in the future. If you aren't familiar with the original film, I'd suggest you view it before taking this one on, as very little time is wasted on exposition. The writers assume you know what's up and treat the story accordingly. The biggest difference between the original films and series is that Colin McCloud's focus isn't on hunting the other immortals to gain their quickening and the whole "there can be only one" battle royale aspect. In fact, he attempts to avoid a confrontation early on with an adversary (with a giant chainsaw...cooool!) who seeks to take his head for that reason. Colin wants the blood of one man and one man only: Marcus Octavius, the Roman ruler who crucified his wife and destroyed his homeland. His quest for vengeance has him chasing his much-more-skilled adversary throughout human history; from feudal Japan to WWII to where we meet him in a post-apocalyptic future (my favorite kind of future!). He is accompanied only by the spirit of an old druid and his 2000 years of hatred as he tracks his foe to a ruined city full of sick, wretched souls living underground in need of a champion to lead them in revolution. But Colin has wasted his entire existence pursuing vengeance, so what does he care, right? Perhaps a bit of perspective on the nature of life, even mortal life, can show him the way. The story is great, the art is beautiful, the action is brutal, and yes there is sex and nudity involved so don't buy it for the kiddies. This is great, R-rated animated entertainment and a great way to spend an hour-and-a-half. It's also a wonderful tribute and addition to a franchise that has seldom lived up to it's potential. Like I said, this is a remake done right; it reinvents the characters and concepts of the original without being just a copy. Now if only Queen had been on the soundtrack....

I have to admit, when I first that the producers of the "Highlander" franchise were producing an anime film, I was intrigued. I've never been a huge fan of anime, but the idea was an interesting one. And the final project more than delivers. David Abramowitz, who served as head writer on the television series, has crafted an exceptional story that combines the best of "Highlander" with the best of anime. The animation is exceptional, with fantastic visual effects and outstanding fight sequences. The voice cast does an exceptional job with the characters. "Highlander: The Search for Vengeance" is a fantastic anime film that will please both "Highlander" fans and fans of Japanese anime!
Movie/DVD Grade: A