The Highlander franchise was long dead to me after Highlander 2 the Quickening and there was only one in the franchise that actually claim the title of being the only as well as the best Highlander in the series which was the original cult classic.
Some critics called it the best sword and sorcery flick during its time while others say the sequels will never live up to the expectation of the original. Finally the fans and newcomers alike will enjoy the latest sequel to the Highlander franchise Highlander : the search for vengeance by director Yoshiaki Kawajiri the man responsible for the most entertaining as well as violent ninja movie Ninja Scroll.
The latest installment which is in anime format tells a story of our anti-hero Colin Mac Leod a new character to the Highlander universe as he continue to search for his immortal rival Marcus Octavius, the man responsible for the murder of his love Moya and tribe Clan Mac Leod.
The anime movie is set in the distant and somewhat disturbing future which bring back memories of the Mad Max Movies as well as a combination of Blade Runner. Now Colin is a man who finds money through bounty hunting in a world ravaged by pollution, global warming, epidemics and war.
Colin soon discover that his immortal rival Marcus is a sort of ruthless dictator in a nearby Metropolis and so begins again his quest to make Marcus pay for his attrocites with the help of a group rebels as well as a prostitute with a heart of gold name Dahlia. Overall the anime brings backs memories and elements of the actual cult classic but what makes this Highlander diferent to me is the way the anime talks about the most common theme in games and movies which is revenge.
The anime movie brings a diferent approach to the theme of revenge by showing flashbacks of Colin past which will bring you back to the fall of Rome, clan battles in the highland of Scotland and world war 2. The movie concentrate on the consequences of revenge and its effect on the people.
Bottomline: almost every character is well developed in the anime movie which also include Dahlia and Colin immortal rival Marcus. Marcus ambition to create a new Rome is clearly explain. In the end, There can be only one in the Higlander franchise, and Highlander the search for vengeance has claim that title.