COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - THE GUYVER (UNEARTHED FILMS 4K UHD)
There was a time, not that long ago when superhero movies were a rarity. A time when the only heroes with silver screen presences were DC characters, the two biggest at that. This was also a time when the other superhero movies coming out were based on lesser-known and obscure properties like Swamp Thing and Howard the Duck. At the dawn of the 90s, Japanese animation, Anime, began to become more available in the US and with it a host of new characters and franchises to follow. With a decidedly more adult approach to animation, these movies were bloody, violent, and over-the-top in the best ways. One of those heroes managed to make it off the page and onto film in 1991, and that’s The Guyer. Produced by Brian Yuzna and directed by special effects guru Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang, “The Guyver” was a staple on cable channels trapped in analog. Now, Unearthed Films has given the film a new 4K UHD release, but does this hero still pack a punch?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
In this thrill-a-minute action adventure, Sean Barker is a college student who discovers the 'Guyver', an alien mechanical device that merges with his own body, turning him into a super-powerful cyborg fighting machine. The device belongs to Chronos, an evil corporation run by human mutants that metamorphize into monstrous soldiers called 'Zoanoids'. Chronos badly wants the Guyver back and sends a gang of Zoanoids to kidnap Sean's girlfriend, Mizuki. Sean rescues Mizuki with the help of Max Reed, a CIA agent determined to keep the device from falling into the hands of Chronos. However, the rescue attempt is not completely successful, thereby triggering a series of epic battles between the forces of good and evil.
HOW IS IT?
In the world of obscure superhero movies, “The Guyer” is in the hall of fame. So obscure that many fans of this film likely weren’t aware that it was based on a Japanese Manga (titled “Bio-Booster Armor Guyver”). It’s a film that was on repeat on cable back in the 90s and likely still takes up space in people’s brains even if they don’t realize it. It is not a great film by a long shot, but it is one of the most entertaining and unique pulpy comic adaptations to ever be captured on film. It is high in ambition and even higher in production value, even if the story does feel underdeveloped and surface-level. One might even call “The Guyer” an R-rated version of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers by way of Screaming Mad George, and if that sounds up your alley then be prepared to become, “The Guyver”!
As far as origin stories go, “The Guyer” is one of the pacier of the bunch. Little to no time is spent introducing us to a group of aliens who are hellbent on finding a piece of alien technology to rule the world and the reluctant Sean who stumbles across said technology. Sean mistakenly triggers the device and becomes “The Guyer”, a bio-armored superhero who can regenerate and throw people around with his super strength. That’s all you need to know and that’s all you’re going to get insofar as the plot, but that’s not what makes “The Guyer” work. Crappy storytelling is a dime-a-dozen in 1991, but what “The Guyer” has is some of the most impressive and interesting practical effects and creature designs of the 90s AND the 80s. Much of this is a credit to the special effects and makeup team, led by George and co-director Steve Wang. If you thought Psycho Goreman was impressive, “The Guyer” crawled and walked so that PG could briskly walk. Sure, some of the creature designs feel a little too cartoonish, but the transformation scenes and general goopiness of the fight sequences more than make up for it. At points, in particular the Guyver transformation, you have to do a double take because of how slick and interesting the design unfolds and attaches to Sean kinda like body horror meets superheroes.
The performances in “The Guyer” are a mixture of B-grade cheese and scenery-chewing ecstasy with previous Yuzna collaborator David Gale helming the heavy role and Mark Hammil taking the co-lead as a CIA operative demonstrating both sides of that acting coin. Gale’s turn as Fulton Balcus is in many ways similar to his Dr.Carl Hill performance in Re-Animator, but instead of there being an ambiguity about Gale’s intentions like in “Re-Animator” he is a fully-torqued alien terrorist in “The Guyer”. Gale bathes in the absurdity of the story but plays it with such seriousness that one can’t help but delight in the campy creepiness. Hammil, on the other hand, is far more reserved as a CIA agent who feels more like a local private eye than a Federal Agent. Despite his somewhat lackluster character, Hammil does have a scene-stealing moment in the finale where he transforms into what can only be described as a more fucked up version of the walrus from Tusk, but mixed with a Starship Troopers arachnid. The outrageous effects and performances do a good job of masking how mediocre the script is and how bland the lead performance from Jack Armstrong is, as mentioned before, this is a rare case where a longer runtime may have benefited the film so we can get a deeper understanding of the lore and origins underpinning everything. Nevertheless, “The Guyer” is in a league of its own as one of the first wave of superhero films to hit the silver screen that is more entertaining than the last five (at least) Marvel movies.
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
Unearthed Films has had a great year plus of releases, and “The Guyer” feels almost like a cherry on top even if we’re only halfway through 2024. Before this release, the only copies of the film available were on DVD and not the unrated Director’s Cut. In 2020, Arrow Video released a new scan of the original cut from the 35mm Interpositive. It’s a great transfer, but this one blows it right out of the water. Using the same 35mm Interpositive, Unearthed has brought “The Guyer” to 4K UHD and added HDR to make the visuals pop. The transfer maintains some of the grain germane to the film while cleaning up the colors to make them feel more natural while taking advantage of the darker darks that HDR provides. You can see imagess from the 2020 Arrow release and the 2024 Unearthed release below.
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
For the sound, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference between the 2.0 PCM and 5.1 DTS-MA tracks released previously. This isn’t a big deal considering those were sufficient, however, it would’ve been nice to get a new audio transfer or an upgrade to Atmos even if that would be overkill for a film such as this.
ANYTHING SPECIAL?
We’ve talked about double-dipping before in the crypt, and we likely will again, but this is a rare occasion when an upgrade is not just a good idea, it’s essential. The previous Arrow release was a warm welcome even though it included so few extras, a rare off-brand moment for Arrow, but the Unearthed Films release gives this film the adoration and attention that it and its fans deserve. This thing is packed to the galactic gills with newly commissioned extras ranging from audio commentaries (yes, plural!) and some featurettes that are almost feature-length. The first one we took in was the 56-minute Inside the Mind of Screaming George interview which is a deep retrospective interview with Screaming Mad George about “The Guyver” and everything that went into making it. This covers a lot of ground and talks about why keeping the look of the Guyver to the manga was so important and the working relationship with co-director Steve Wang. Screaming Mad George has a lot to say, and this is a massively informational interview.
The second feature we took in was the new 35-minute Interview Producer with Brian Yuzna. Yuzna is such a laid-back person you’d never suspect that he has produced and directed some of the most gruesome and gory horror movies of all time. He talks about starting film work in his 30s after spending most of his life as a hippie turned tradesman and small business owner. He always dabbled in the arts, but his feature film career took off with a surprising hit as his first production, Re-Animator. Yuzna speaks about being very hands-off with this production and trusting Wang and George to do what they needed to do. He was immensely impressed with the creature designs and effects and overall seems like just a genuinely humble dude. A full list of special features included in this release is listed below.
Bonus Materials
NEW 4K restoration of the original R-rated 35mm camera negative by Unearthed Films
Blu-ray of the feature film and all new extras
The Guyver Soundtrack composed by Matthew Morse
Booklet
DISC ONE – FEATURE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
NEW 4K restoration of the original R-rated 35mm camera negative by Unearthed Films presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio in HDR
NEW Commentary with co-directors Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang, moderated by Dom O’Brien, the author of Budget Biomorphs: The Making of The Guyver Films
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Optional English SDH Subtitles
DISC TWO – FEATURE & EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)
NEW 4K restoration of the original R-rated 35mm camera negative by Unearthed Films presented in 1080p HD in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Optional English SDH Subtitles
NEW Commentary with co-directors Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang, moderated by Dom O’Brien, the author of Budget Biomorphs: The Making of The Guyver Films
NEW Interview with producer Brian Yuzna
NEW Interview with co-director Screaming Mad George
NEW Suit Tests with commentary by co-directors Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang
NEW Outtakes with commentary by co-directors Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang
NEW Gag Reel with commentary by co-directors Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang
NEW Production & Artwork Gallery
Alternate Title Sequence
Trailers
DISC THREE – SOUNDTRACK (COMPACT DISC)
The Guyver Soundtrack composed by Matthew Morse
LAST RITES
“The Guyver” is a modern classic of the superhero that has more crossover with horror than almost every other film like it to date. Finally, Unearthed Films has given fans a release that looks great, sounds great, and is packed with a cadre of special features that make this a required purchase for fans and unfamiliars.
THE GORY DETAILS
Thank you to the fine fiends over at MVD ENTERTAINMENT for providing a review copy for the crypt! The Guyver is available NOW and can be purchased via MVD DIRECT!
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