It’s About Damned Time Someone Did This: ‘THE GUYVER’ (1991) – 4K Ultra Review

A lot of film nerds wax nostalgic about the “classic” films of the 1980’s and early 90’s. By “classics” they generally mean the slasher flick boom, the original Star Wars trilogy, Indiana Jones and the like. But some of us long for the days of batshit crazy, over-the-top, mind scrambling fare that people like: Stuart Gordon, Charlie Band, and David Schmoeller, among others, were assaulting our senses with. Long revered as a classic entry in the gonzo sci-fi/action genre, The Guyver gets the all inclusive 4K Ultra treatment from the guys at Unearthed Films.

Synopsis

“A young man merges with a mechanical device, becoming a cyborg superhero. Strange creatures emerge, seeking to reclaim the device. He uncovers a plot to genetically engineer monstrous creatures.”

Featuring a veritable “who’s who” of genre stars, and Luke Skywalker vs. JJ Walker, they don’t get much crazier, or entertaining, than The Guyver, co-directed by Steve Wang (Predator) and Screaming Mad George (The Abyss).

Have a look at the trailer!

The Story

Dr. Segawa (Greg Joung Paik; Get Smart) steals an alien device from the evil Chronos corporation, run by Fulton Balcus (David Gale; Re Animator). Hot on his heels is Balcus’ henchman Lisker (Michael Berryman; The Hills Have Eyes) who confronts the good doctor, where they’re both revealed to be Zoanoids, engineered alien-human hybrids. Lisker manages to dispatch the doctor and retrieve The Guyver, a biomechanical super suit of armor, and return it to his boss, only to find it’s been swapped with a toaster.

Enter CIA agent Max Reed (Mark Hamill; Star Wars), who witnesses the incident and informs Segawa’s daughter Mizuki (Vivian Wu; The Last Emperor) and leads her to the crime scene. Unbeknownst to them, they are followed by Mizuki’s boyfriend Sean (Jack Armstrong; Twisted Twins) who discovers the hidden device (in a plastic lunchbox!), and eventually learns to use it to defend himself against various baddies. Soon Sean and Mizuki are sucked into a whirlwind of espionage, alien plots, and epic battles between good and evil!

Behind The Scenes

A Japanese/American co-production, loosely based on the manga of the same name, The Guyver certainly has a lot going on in its 93 minute runtime. This frenetic pace is part of what makes it so entertaining, there’s literally never a dull moment! The effects are flat out amazing, with inspired bladder use and rubber suited madness! The plot is absolutely insane and where else can you see Mark Hamill, in a ridiculous moustache, channeling Powers Booth as Philip Marlowe, eventually turning into a kind of cockroach? Nowhere else, that’s where!

You also get some superb fight scenes, Jeffrey Combs as Dr. East (get it?), JJ Walker (Good Times) rapping…badly, and even scream queen royalty Linnea Quigley (Return of the Living Dead) popping up in a scene, The Guyver, in spite of all the craziness and excess, works extremely well, and holds up as an exercise in fun, zero fucks given, filmmaking.

The Extras

And, holy shit guys, Unearthed Films must have killed themselves putting this 4K Ultra edition together! Disc 1 (4K) has the film proper, restored from the original 35mm negative, and it looks spectacular! New commentaries from: George, Wang, and the EFX guys round out the disc. Disc 2 (Blu-ray) has the same commentaries, but also adds an exhaustive amount of extras, including: interviews with producer Brian Yuzna (From Beyond) and George, suit test footage, outtakes, a gag reel, galleries and trailers. Disc 3 (audio CD) features the film’s soundtrack.

The slick black snapcase is enveloped in a cool slipcover, and includes three versions of artwork and an insert booklet with testimonials on the film from author Dom O’Brien and composer Matthew Morse.

Final Thoughts

Goofy, kooky and a helluva lot of fun, The Guyver is one of those rare gems that actually deserves an all encompassing release like this. Like the bastard sci-fi cousin of Society, it’s one of those underseen (is that even a word?) films that positively ache for midnight, retro screenings and late night cable. Unearthed Films hit the bullseye with this release!

Unearthed Films’ 4K Ultra Collector’s Edition of The Guyver is available now from fine retailers.