Publisher: Manga Entertainment
UK release: 9th July
US release: Now available
Price: £16.99
The Highlander mythology is one of those franchises that has often seemed to survive despite itself. The first film - featuring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery - became a genuine slow-burn, cult phenomenon but almost every sequel that followed (and good luck on even trying to establish any coherent through-line or real continuity there) has misfired spectacularly. The true heir to the film, the TV series (headlined by Adrian Paul) which ran for six seasons through to the end of the 1990s, elegantly explored new ground and made the most of over a hundred and twenty hours, building on every action-filled, emotionally rich facet of immortality, life and death. But when the TV cast switched to the cinematic arm, even they couldn’t bring about any real enthusiasm for patchwork projects with either too may chiefs or unfortunate Indians or simply bungled production choices. Let’s not even get started on the forthcoming fifth live-action film, The Source - due out in the West in a few months time but already savaged by the fans and critics alike.
But in Highlander’s twenty-first year there is a glimmer of hope. Highlander: The Search for Vengeance is the franchise’s first anime outing and on initial viewing one has to wonder why this wasn’t attempted before. Sure there was a forgettable kids‘ ‘animated series’ which has vanished into the mists of time, but this much more mature outing - combining the best of the anime format with ready-made and expansive mythology from the Highlander universe - seems to succeed on almost all counts.
The project (very much a mix of eastern and western attitudes) is directed by a legend in the world of anime, Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D etc) and he brings the usual level of expertise to the proceedings. The story comes from David Abramowitz, who was head writer for the live-action series during its most successful seasons and a man who - in the wake of controversial Executive Producer Bill Panzer’s sudden death earlier this year- is probably seen as the last best hope and guiding hand for Highlander.
For Vengeance he is able to more fully explore the idea of a fluid moral code: asking which is worse, a man who commits great sins and comes to regret them, or a man who pledges his life to destroy an evil but may waste the potential of his life in doing so at the expense of all else. The central Celtic character, Colin MacLeod (you were expecting a new surname?) sees his people butchered, his lover crucified and his future destroyed by despotic Marcus Octavius and resolves to hunt him down and make him pay. Through the subsequent years and centuries they battle, each time Colin coming close to losing but their encounters often cut short by outside factors. Eventually, in one of those post-apocalyptic futures where it’s all gone to hell in a gold-plated hand basket, Colin finally finds the ideal moment for revenge - but what will it cost him?
While its true that anime brings with it a brash and sometimes over-the-top style that does not always sit perfectly with elements of the established Highlander continuity, for the most part both sides of the project blend successfully. Traditional animation and well-selected moments of effective CGI perspective come together well. Few budgets for live-action outings could extend to massive roman-Scottish battles, spitfire dogfights over the English countryside and a vast futuristic metropolis rising from the ruins of the future… and yet with animation they are merely a few brush-strokes away. Highlander is famous for its flashbacks and Vengeance makes the most of them in both scope and setting. This genuinely feels more thought-out and ambitious than the live-action chapters which often fell short of their potential and execution. Here, for the first time in a long while, there’s a feeling and kind of magic much missing from the franchise in recent times. In short, it’s the best thing to happen to Highlander in years.
The start of a solid partnership that could lead to further animated sequels or other just-as-well conceived Highlander projects, there is something here for committed fan, anime enthusiast or just casual viewer and its good to be able to genuinely report that for any Highlander project. With this and the successful comic from Dynamite, there may just be life in the Immortal franchise for a while to come.
http://www.highlandersearchforvengeance.co.uk
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John Mosby After coming runner-up in the Jackanory Writing Competition, John Mosby eventually became a freelance entertainment journalist and has spent the last fifteen years or more discovering his and others’ delusions of adequacy. He’s written three books including two official tie-ins: X-Men: The Essential Guide and The Making of Barb Wire and has eMCeed conventions in Los Angeles and Sydney. In March 2006, will help host a major Highlander event at the Royal Armouries in Leeds (www.highlanderworldwide.com). He edits Impact magazine - available in most Borders, W H Smith, Barnes & Noble etc. and Verbatim (e-mail him at a.j.mosby@btinternet.com for ordering details)