Guyver: Dark Hero

If you have already seen the legendary "Guyver" manga (Japanese animation) series and enjoyed them, you are bound to love the second outing in the live action version of the cartoon. The suits and make-up are quite brilliant, but the icing on the cake is the Guyver itself - its exactly the way I pictured it to be when I saw the cartoons. The movie isn't for everyone, the storyline may seem weak on the outside, but if you pay close attention to it, it is quite well thought out. The acting is corny, but come on, is there anyone who would see a movie that even has "spectacular martial arts action" in the tagline for its acting? If you are considering seeing this, I believe it would be a better idea to hire the original 1-12 manga series and the first live-action movie, The Guyver (aka Mutronics).

It has been a year(Or three depending how you look at it) Since Sean Barker first became the Guyver and destroyed the Cronos Corperation and their shape changing killers the Zionoids.

As he struggles to find the purpose of the thing living inside him he is drawn to the caves of Utah where he will dicier the Guyver's true purpose.

It had been three years since the world had been exposed to the Americanization of a manga classic, some loved it,other despised it. The movie was inappropriately funny or unfunny,badly written and directed. The only redeeming feature where the really cool creature effects helmed by Co-Director Steve Wang.

Then came Guyver 2 this time helmed by Wang and it has to be one of the best sequels ever made. It stays more true to the comic,featuring some very cool monsters and some brilliant fight scenes choreographed by Drive action director Koichi Sakamoto which Steve Wang also directed.

It seems Wang wanted to be as faithful as possible to the original comic and he does it very well. One thing worth mentioning is a good acting turn by the voice of Solid Snake David Hayter who plays the role of Sean Barker, a role horribly done by Jack Armstrong(who?) in the original.

The story is better written in which Sean struggles with his curse that is the Guyver.

Although the acting is very hammy at times(What do you expect for a sci-fi b-movie) I recommend that people wanting to find out about The Guyver best watch the original anime show then view this live action version before viewing the first movie.

I also recommend you pick up the Region 1 uncut DVD as it presents the film in all its gory glory.

The only reason I picked up this vid to watch it is I'm an action lover, and this movie certainly delivers. If only there was an edited version, i.e no acting, just action. The SFX are passable, but really this movie is about the 4 set piece fights. Although there is a little bit of obvious wire work, the level of actual hands on fighting is excellent, all of which is executed with finesse, and loads of well deserved violence. And for a film that boasts such terrible "Days Of Our Lives" acting, the costumes and makeup rival anything I've seen recently.

Simply put, this movie does a better job of capturing the feel of the original manga/anime. The first movie did little else but spit in it's face. Not only is Dark Hero more accurate in it's presentation, but it's surprising good considering it's budget. Steer clear of the "Jimmy Walker" Guyver, and check this out.

For all intents and purposes, "Guyver: Dark Hero" is a fairly competent and oft-thrilling adaptation of the popular Japanese source material created by Yoshiki Takaya back in 1985. It boasts plenty of action, cool creature designs and blood by the bucketful. And as a follow-up to the generally disastrous 1991 release "The Guyver", "Dark Hero" is most definitely a substantial improvement, eschewing the comedic stylings and slapstick humor that plagued that film and replacing it with darker imagery and a more violent tone. In my review of the first American film, I noted that I almost viewed the franchise as being an adult version of properties like the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers"- a claim I'll stick to. And this movie delivers on that kitschy promise for the most part, despite a clunky and sometimes unsatisfying storyline.

It's been one year since Sean Barker (David Hayter) bonded with the alien Guyver unit and destroyed the vile Cronos Corporation. But Sean's personal life has suffered due to these events... His relationship with Mizki has come to an end and he is plagued by haunting dreams and the blood-lust that the Guyver brings to him as he uses it to fight crime. When he learns of a recent archaeological dig that has unearthed strange remains and cave-paintings appearing to depict the same symbols he sees in his sleep, he sets off to discover the truth behind the Guyver unit- along the way encountering a beautiful scientist named Cori (Kathy Christopherson) and learning that his Zoanoid enemies are still out there... waiting to strike back.

What makes this film work in comparison to the previous effort is the dedication returning director Steve Wang has to craft a tale true to the darker and more adult tone of the original manga and its earlier anime adaptations. Wang clearly listened to the fan-base and its general dismissal of that 1991 original and decided to reward those who stuck around with a proper "Guyver" story. And thus, the rating has been upped to a "hard R", the action is made far more brutal and hard-hitting, and the comedic overtones have been greatly reduced, giving the entire experience a more serious flavor. While it is true that this sequel has a greatly reduced budget and was released direct-to-video in 1994... these factors really don't have all that big an impact on the final product. It's well-made, with excellent fight choreography, a wonderfully moody score and excellent effects work for the most part.

I also felt the performances benefited greatly this time with the new cast. David Hayter- famous for being the former lead voice- actor in the "Metal Gear Solid" video-game franchise- makes for a very cool and troubled brooding protagonist. Sure, he's not the world's greatest on-screen actor, but he gives Sean a nice sense of pathos and also knows how to kick some serious butt. What more could you ask for? Supporting roles by the likes of Christopherson are generally well-played. And villainous roles are all adequately cast, including Bruno Patrick as a deliciously vile cretin of a baddie.

All that being said... the story is nothing to write home about, and it does drag the movie down a bit. I don't know if its because of the reduced budget or because they were afraid to try doing too much, but the plot is just generic and pretty darned unsatisfying at the end of the day. We've seen stories like this, told better, a million times before. Sure, you could argue that the story was never the main focus of the franchise, but it was still vital. I used to own the entire twelve-part OVA series based on the manga, and it did quite a bit with the setting and the characters. But this movie just feels like any 90's sci-fi action schlock flick. You know what's gonna happen. You know the twists and turns that are coming from a mile away. And there's no surprises at all.

It all comes down to this. "Guyver: Dark Hero" is not a great film. I don't even think you could make a compelling argument that it was even particularly good. But it is fun. It is entertaining. And it does nail the tone and the spirit of the original source material. If you're looking for the definitive adaptation of the characters and the story, you won't get that here. But if you're just looking for a halfway decent time and a pretty entertaining little film to enjoy, you could do far worse. The strong action, darker tone and halfway decent performances definitely make this one I could recommend. Especially if you're a fan of the series. And so, I give "Guyver: Dark Hero" a very enjoyable but only slightly above average 6 out of 10. Great entertainment value. So-so film.