Reviews (32)

Great actions, but the story...
For Guyver fans like me (I've read the original Japanese comics that the movie was based on), you will probably be satisfied with this film. I mean, the costumes were good (good enough considering it was filmed in 1991, anyway), and the special effects, stunts and actions were great. But if you were looking for a strong storyline, then I suggest you turn to the animated series, which is a replica of the comic books. In my opinion I think the producers paid too much attention in special effects.

As for the acting... well, I almost thought the movie was trying to teach you speak proper English (maybe that was the producers' original intention to ensure its marketability in Japan?). Even the slangs and bad languages used were pronounced ever so clearly, word for word...

And why is Mark Hamil shown on the cover of the video with the Guyver costume, anyway? He's not the Guyver in the movie if I remember correctly...

Having said all this, DON'T miss out "Guyver 2: The Dark Hero". That's how a movie should, in my opinion, really be.

Good enough to see for yourself
I liked this movie because it is one of a kind (knowing that there is a Guyver 2) and it has set a standard for other movies that might be similar to it. If you liked this movie then you should see the second Guyver movie, it is better.

So much potential
Attempting to cash in on the recent success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the studio imported Japanese manga hero Guyver with high hopes of big draws. The film succeeds on certain points and fails on others.

The first problem is the script. The script went after the parent's wallets and attempted to appeal to kids, yet had probably a bit much graphic violence for parent's tastes.

The music was also an issue. Honestly it sounds like a really bored guy on a Casio. The lightness of the music took away from many scenes.

Jimmy Walker as a Zoanoid? Why the hell did he have to rap? Seemed like he had fun, though.

Some of the Zoanoids looked a bit cheesy too. The lizard bird chick for example resembled a furby.

Mark Hamill must not have known how cheesy the film was going to turn out cause he actually put a lot into it. As much as he could, anyway.

Of course it was mostly based around effects and it didn't disappoint there. The Guyver suit looked great. Though the costumes looked like costumes they were better than many I've seen. Plus there was a robot of some sort of dragon reindeer.

The Gore helped though it made the film seem bipolar. Had they altered the script to be more adult and match the darkness displayed in the directing and tweaked the music so it wasn't so slap-sticky this movie would be perfect. However due to it being simply fun to watch it deserves a 4/5.

Mostly garbage but a few good scenes here and there
But who on Earth is trying to sell this for $35?
I have not seen the Anime version, but I guess it can't be any worse than this.

This movie was mostly terrible.
But they were a few good scenes.
But who on earth is selling this mess for $35!? You have got to be kidding me. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

An Underrated and Relatively Unknown Little Actioner
Fans of the Guyver Manga, Anime and original live-action flick will get a kick out of this sometimes cheesy, but thoroughly entertaining flick. Sporting talent that includes Director Steven Wang (who also directed Drive, the Power Rangers Movie, and did special FX for a wide range of Horror and Sci-Fi movies) and David Hayter (voice actor for Solid Snake and writer of the X-Men movie screenplay) in the lead role of Sean Barker, Guyver 2 improves upon the original with a stronger emphasis on martial arts, drama, and character development.

Special effects, such as the transformation of Sean into the Guyver are either cleverly hidden, or done courtesy of CGI that still manages to impress nowadays. A well-done score by Les Claypool III helps add a dark mood and sense of urgency to many scenes, particularly fight scenes.

The majority of people seem to either love or hate this film, and I fall into the latter category; it's definitely gots its weak points with some cheesy villain character designs, gangster cliches (as depicted in the opening intro sequence), and the usual romance involving a cynical woman who eventually warms to a misunderstood hero. But all in all, it's definitely worth a rental for Sci-Fi fans who want some high quality cinematic junk food.

Fantastic comic-book movie!
The first movie (released as "Mutronics" in UK/Europe for some reason) was good but a bit too silly here & there.

This sequel is everything you should expect from a live-action Guyver movie - great fight scenes, blood & guts, fantastic special effects (especially for it's time), cool costumes and scary, disgusting looking (rubber!) monsters.

If they made a Guyver movie today, it would be CGI and zappy-zap effects and explosions all over the place.
Guyver 2 (or Guyver: Dark Hero) has discreet, early CGI which doesn't overpower the rough & readiness of this great movie. And it has to be said: The transformation scenes are really cool - the best being when he jumps off a cliff and shouts Guyver and transforms in mid-air!

Overall, this is a fantastic piece of sci-fi/comic book junk-food cinema which is still as great now as it was nearly a decade ago.

One of the best
I think that this movie is better than the first one. Plus, this movie is good enough to be in anybody's movie collection. To help better explain how sweet this movie is I am going to compare it to Spawn. The reason why I think these two movies are similar (and sweet) is because of the theme that both movies hold, how the main characters changed (mentally and physically) after recieving their new powers, how awsome their costumes were, and the carnage each of them released upon their enemies.

Everything the first *should* have been...
The first movie was junk, and a complete and utter disappointment on just about every possible level.

This film was about as good as an anime to live action adaptation can be without a big hollywood budget behind it. It kept the mood of the original manga and anime, and even though the film was probably on an even tighter budget than the first, Steve Wang did a great job of masking the special effect deficiencies with good lighting and camera work. The acting was surprisingly good for this kind of film, with the lead David Hayter being the standout as the Guyver's tormented host, and the fight scenes were very well done.

I'm eagerly anticipating the remastered widescreen DVD version, and will be picking it up the day it's released. Thanks, New Line!

A Good Sequal
When I saw "The Guyver 1", I thought that it was one of the very best superhero/sci-fi films ever made, ranking on a list of greats like "BatMan", "SuperMan", "Spider-Man", and "DareDevil." When I saw "Guyver 2", I thought that they had captured the essence of a superhero that didn't know if he was a good guy or not, like the same dilemma that was bestowed upon DareDevil in his film.

This has all the makings of a good "Comicbook-to-movie" film that it's over and above any understanding that superhero fans don't check out this film. It has good fight scenes (although some of the dialogue is a bit campy) and the special effects are good considering that it's an indie film. This is a must-see for all sci-fi and superhero fans alike. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Kung Fu Rascals
I worked on this movie as a volunteer for a couple of shooting days, so I am biased with my five stars. Steve Wang was a friend of a friend who worked on many of the creature effects. I knew about 1/2 of the people in and behind the movie, including the director, Steve Wang. I must say that watching this movie again brought back many memories from over a decade ago. Of course, I knew many of the inside jokes, etc. , but this movie is funny whether you knew the people involved, or not. The last I heard, Steve Wang was still somewhat interested in a sequel. Keep your eyes open...

kung fu movie's greatest hit
This movie has just about everything in it. from giant stone gods battling one another to mutant monsters running around. I rate this movie 4 stars for one reason. it has no ending to it
and as far as I know there are no other movies that were made. I've looked but have not seen any. I guess this movie is a stand alone movie.

very funny parody
I rented this movie by accident one day a few years back and my Wife and I have never laughed so hard in a movie. It take's 'B' movie Kung Fu to a never before seen level of camp and fun. ... Read more