The Guyver

The Guyver (ガイバー Gaibā), also known simply as Guyver and in Europe as Mutronics, is a 1991 science-fiction superhero action-comedy-horror film directed by Steve Wang, produced by Stuart Gordon collaborator Brian Yuzna, and starring Jack Armstrong, Mark Hamill, Vivian Wu, and David Gale. It is an Americanized adaptation of Yoshiki Tayaka’s manga, Bio Booster Armor Guyver, shifting the action from Japan to the United States.

The movie was met with mostly negative reception from critics and viewers; this was caused mainly by creative differences between Wang and Yuzna. The former wanted to make a serious adaptation while Yuzna wanted to make a light-hearted comedy film. A sequel starring David Hayter of Metal Gear Solid fame, Guyver: Dark Hero, was released in 1994. Director Steve Wang would go on to work on the second American adaptation of the tokusatsu franchise Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight.

Plot
Dr. Tetsu Segawa steals an alien device known simply as "the Guyver" from the Chronos Corporation. He was eventually tracked down and killed by the corporation’s mutant henchmen. CIA agent Max Reed (Hamill) witnessed the murder, and notifies Dr. Segawa’s daughter, Mizuki (Wu) of her father's death. Her boyfriend, Sean Barker (Armstrong), stumbles upon the device, which latches onto him, turning him into a super-powered cyborg. This forces him to battle the Chronos Corporation to protect his loved ones.

Why It Sucks

 * 1) Bizarre shifts in tone, caused by the aforementioned creative differences.
 * 2) Poor casting choices, not helped by sub-par acting, safe for Hamill and Gale.
 * 3) Poorly choreographed action scenes.
 * 4) False advertising: The poster implies that Mark Hamill plays the Guyver but Jack Armstrong plays the guyver instead of Mark Hamil
 * 5) Terrible storyline.
 * 6) Poor lighting. The fact that most of the movie takes place at night didn’t help matters.
 * 7) The so-called "Director’s Cut" is a misnomer; it was commissioned by Yuzna, and Wang had no part in it. This version is considered to be even worse since it flat-out cuts out most of the violence.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) The costumes are very well designed.
 * 2) Despite the film's negative reception, it did gain a much better-received sequel, Guyver: Dark Hero.