In this thrill-a-minute action adventure, Sean Barker (Jack Armstrong) is a college student who discovers the “Guyver”, an alien mechanical device that merges with his own body, turning him into a super-powerful cyborg fighting machine. The device belongs to Chronos, an evil corporation run by human mutants that metamorphize into monstrous soldiers called “Zoanoids”. Chronos badly wants the Guyver back and sends a gang of Zoanoids to kidnap Sean’s girlfriend, Mizuki (Vivian Wu). Sean rescues Mizuki with the help of Max Reed (Mark Hamill), a CIA agent determined to keep the device from falling into the hands of Chronos. However, the rescue attempt is not completely successful, thereby triggering a series of epic battles between the forces of good and evil.
What We Thought;
Despite some highly impressive practical effects, costuming and make-up effects, The Guyver might be one of the worst movies ever made. I understand why it’s a cult flick, but I also understand why I had never seen it before and don’t remember anyone ever talking about it.
I’ll start with the positives which are the effects, costuming and make-up. It’s an early 1990s flick so it doesn’t rely on CGI/VFX. It’s classic practical effects with people in costumes and make-up. It’s cool if you are into that sort of thing which I totally am. Humans turn into aliens and the college student becomes The Guyver, a man inside armor who can fight the aliens. It’s all very, very cool.
Unfortunately the action choreography makes The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers look like John Wick. When in the costumes, the fighting is slow and overly staged. I know we’ve come a long way with action choreography since the 1980s and 1990s, but even taking its year of release into account, this is bad and barely watchable. The martial arts training segment is slow and The Guyver fighting bad guys and then the aliens is even worse.
The lead actor has the charisma of a wet sock. He’s wooden, generic, has no fighting ability whatsoever. There’s nothing about him worth rooting for. Mark Hamill is the biggest name in it and this reminds of us why he’s known for Star Wars and not many other live-action films. He’s not good in it. Jimmie Walker gets to rap and be a walking stereotype even by 1990s standards. The only one even trying is Michael Berryman so I give him credit. It’s produced by Brian Yuzna and features some of his regulars (David Gale is the bad guy and his Re-Animator co-star Jeffrey Combs makes a cameo). I don’t know what is worse, the acting or the dialogue although even if the writing was better I still think the lead would have ruined any good dialogue with his delivery.
All that being said, if you are a fan of The Guyver, this release is seriously killer. The Limited Collector’s Edition comes with a 4K disc, Blu-ray disc and CD soundtrack. Plus it’s jam packed with bonus features including numerous commentaries, interviews, outtakes, costume testing and more. This is a must own for diehard fans for sure.
Bonus Features:
- 4K ULTRA HD + BLU-RAY + CD SOUNDTRACK | LIMITED COLLECTOR’S EDITION CONTENTS
- NEW 4K restoration of the original R-rated 35mm camera negative by Unearthed Films
- Blu-ray of the feature film and all new extras
- The Guyver Soundtrack composed by Matthew Morse
- Booklet
- DISC ONE – FEATURE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
- NEW 4K restoration of the original R-rated 35mm camera negative by Unearthed Films presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio in HDR
- NEW Commentary with co-directors Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang, moderated by Dom O’Brien, the author of Budget Biomorphs: The Making of The Guyver Films
- DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
- Optional English SDH Subtitles
- DISC TWO – FEATURE & EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)
- NEW 4K restoration of the original R-rated 35mm camera negative by Unearthed Films presented in 1080p HD in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio
- DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
- Optional English SDH Subtitles
- NEW Commentary with co-directors Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang, moderated by Dom O’Brien, the author of Budget Biomorphs: The Making of The Guyver Films
- NEW Interview with producer Brian Yuzna
- NEW Interview with co-director Screaming Mad George
- NEW Suit Tests with commentary by co-directors Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang
- NEW Outtakes with commentary by co-directors Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang
- NEW Gag Reel with commentary by co-directors Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang
- NEW Production & Artwork Gallery
- Alternate Title Sequence
- Trailers
- DISC THREE – SOUNDTRACK (COMPACT DISC)
- The Guyver Soundtrack composed by Matthew Morse
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