Guyver (1991) Reviews

• Twisted Mutant Insane Cyborgs

  Sambo90002003-09-02

  Despite what many reviews say, I really liked this. It may be dated in special effects, and be crawling in flaws, but it is a generally enjoyable movie. Sean Barker finds a strange alien mechanical looking device that merges with his own body, turning him into a cyborg-like superhero. When Zoanoids, Werewolf like people that can turn into mutants, appear and start chasing him down in order to obtain the device, Sean uncovers Khronos Corp.'s evil schemes. Fans of the Guyver cartoon and comics may or may not like it. A lot of the "best bits" from the cartoon's storyline are involved in this movie but are done slightly differently. While the action and Zoanoids(monsters) seem like an adult version of the Power Rangers, and some of the tongue-in-cheek gags almost take over the Guyver's story, something about the movie is just irresistible. The problem is it's impossible to put your finger on what it is. Reminiscent of a lot of the late 80s to early 90's action comic inspired movies, the movie never takes itself too seriously. Weather that's a good or bad thing is your decision. There are times where the comic relief, or purposely amusing action scenes can start to become annoying, as any fan of The Guyver is obviously looking for some serious action and gore. It does have it's moments in that department, however. The movie covers most of the main Guyver story, apart from the actual origin of the Guyver. A sequel, "The Guyver: Dark Hero" spawned from this(although it can be watched on it's own and understood, especially if you have seen the cartoon or read the comics), which takes The Guyver much more seriously, and uncovers the origin of the Guyver, whilst at the same time throws constant violent action at you. Casting is good in the means of appearance, Mark Hamill as a CIA agent must have boosted the sales of the film, and Michael Berryman makes the perfect mutant, with his bald head and evil stare, but the acting could use some work. Hardcore fans of the cartoon or comics may be iffy about the tongue-in-cheek humor used in this movie, but as long as it's not taken too seriously it can be a great movie to watch. The important part is that it FEELS like The Guyver. If you don't want to put up with lots of flaws and comic relief gags, then go for "The Guyver: Dark Hero" which is much more similar to the cartoons and comics.

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• typical americanisation of an oriental creation!!!

  chris_thespaceman2002-09-25

  I have to admit, i had seen this film before i even knew that guyver was originally a japanese manga comic, which then became a highly popular anime series. so i was originally impressed with the film (except for the rappings scenes).the novelty of the film wore off when i saw the anime and i realised it had been americanised BUT.... fighting scenes were pretty good and the make up and costumes were brilliant, especially the Guyver bio-booster suit. (to find out what that means watch the anime series). if you like this film, then trust me you will like sequel, which gets pretty deep into the guyver units history!!!

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• It may not be a thoughtful film, it may not be a good film, but that doesn't mean its not fun!

  marc_wrz2002-08-02

  When I was younger this was one of my favorite movies of all time. Well, needless to say I grew up. I watched it again and while the plot is weak, the acting isn't all that great, its still a fun movie to kick back and watch! Boasting Mark Hamil as the star since he's the only recognizable actor, you'd think he's the hero, well he's not, he's just a government agent who allies with the the Guyver, a college student named Sean by day, super-power alien-warrior by night. The movie is in fact actually somewhat based off the anime pretty well. The movie is pretty much the first episode of the anime, just tweaked to America and aging the characters and well rushing the end of the anime to the live-action. Although the budget is under a million dollars the SFX are actually pretty good. Those rubber suits have never looked better! Plus there's a good Jaws parody that results in the death of J.J. Walker! The movie makes me laugh sometimes intentionally and sometimes not, but I had fun the while way thru, so give a 10!

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• Great Adaptation

  lordzedd-32007-04-28

  I've seen the old Guyver cartoon and some of the newer Guyver cartoon and I got to admit that I am impressed with this American adaptation of the material. The creature effects and designs are perfect, the Guyver design is perfect. It's an almost perfect movie. Now it does get a tad goofy at points, but not too bad. Plus, if you ask me and you haven't. But I think they over hyped Mark Hamill's part in this movie. He does a great job, but the original video box and I think the movie poster leaves the impression that he's the Guyver and he's not. So long story short, this is a great adaptation of the comic book and the cartoon show. If you are a fan of the comic or cartoon show, then watch this movie. If not, then I wouldn't. 9 STARS.

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• "I am the Guyver!"

  Backlash0072001-10-23

  The Guyver is not the best film, but it's certainly not the worst. Let's just say Brian Yuzna has been involved in better films. If you can survive the Jimmie Walker rap scenes, you'll be able to survive this movie. You know from seeing Jimmie Walker's name in the opening credits that there is going to be a Dyno-mite joke cracked somewhere. It is extremely corny (EXTREMELY), however the creature designs are actually original and cool and make the Guyver worth watching. The Guyver itself is awesome. The movie does have its moments ("I am the Guyver") though. The main reason I am commenting on this mediocre movie is the presence of Jeffrey Combs. He plays Dr. East, and all Re-animator fans will get the joke there. Also Dr. Hill from Re-animator plays the villain once again. If your in the mood for something that requires a short attention span or you enjoy corny movies (I belong to the latter), then watch the Guyver.

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