| The Guyver | |
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Film poster |
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| Directed by | Screaming Mad George Steve Wang |
| Produced by | Brian Yuzna |
| Screenplay by | Joe Woo Jr. |
| Based on | Bio Booster Armor Guyver by Yoshiki Takaya |
| Starring | Mark Hamill Vivian Wu Jack Armstrong Jimmie Walker David Gale |
| Music by | Matthew Morse |
| Cinematography | Levie Isaacks |
| Editing by | Andy Horvitch Joe Woo Jr. |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
| Release date(s) | March 18, 1991 |
| Running time | 105 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Guyver (Released in the UK as Mutronics) is a 1991 American Tokusatsu film loosely based on the Manga series of the same name. The film was met with a mixed to negative reaction from critics and fans. A sequel was followed in 1994 called Guyver: Dark Hero, which was received more favorably than it's predecessor.
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CIA agent Max Reed witnesses Dr. Tetsu Segawa—a researcher for the mysterious Chronos Corporation—being murdered. Dr. Segawa had stolen an alien device known as “the Guyver” from Chronos. College student Sean Barker, whose girlfriend’s father was Dr. Segawa, finds the Guyver’s hiding spot while watching the forensic team investigating the crime scene. Through further events, the Guyver fuses with Sean and causes him to be covered in a suit of bio-armor. The president of Chronos, Fulton Balcus (David Gale), wants the Guyver back and sends his mutant henchmen, the Zoanoids, led by Lisker (Michael Berryman), to steal it back.
Glenn Kenny of Entertainment Weekly said the film features “surprisingly convincing costumes and effects, inspired casting, and energetic direction, [but] what sinks it is its unfortunate adherence to the time-honored direct-to-video clichés: an unearned paycheck for a onetime A-picture star, and a tendency to fall back on lame humor whenever the going gets slow.”[1]
David Johnson of DVD Verdict criticized the film’s “ham-fisted over-acting,” “ludicrous plot contrivances,” and “nauseatingly hokey soundtrack.”[2] Johnson called the film “a big, dumb joke,” saying: “Despite some good creature effects, the movie crashed and burned and crashed again, weighted down by preposterous acting [and] corny music.”[3]
Nathan Shumate of Cold Fusion Video Reviews criticized the film, in particular “the annoying demeanor and lack of personality” of lead actor Jack Armstrong, adding: “If there ever was a movie made for fan appreciation only, this is it, [...] but not everything can be blamed on audience unfamiliarity; there are plenty of elements in this movie that don’t work even by fanboy standards.”[4]
The film generated enough interest for a sequel, Guyver: Dark Hero, with Armstrong replaced by David Hayter in the role of Sean, which was more well-received critically than its predecessor.
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