So the film revolves around an alien armour which gives its wearer superhuman powers. When a scientist leans of the suits power he tries to get it to Max Reid (played by Star Wars legend Mark Hamill) his contact in the CIA. Before he can get to him the scientist is killed by a….well….a guy who turns into a strange fish creature (think Power Rangers style man in a costume kind of a job) played by The Hill Have Eyes villain Michael Berryman. The package ends up being a dud which sees the suit falls into the hands of young Sean, a weedy teen who is in love with the scientist’s daughter Mizky. With the creatures trying to reclaim the suit, Sean is forced to use his new powers to protect the woman he loves and stop them before it is too late!!!! It’s you usual B-Movie kind of thing, and this is kinda the films downfall in a way.
The Guyver is nothing like the anime show. It is cheap, badly acted and it looks and feels like it should be an early 80’s horror film, however it doesn’t make it a bad film. The creature designs look pretty much like adult sized gremlins, they aren’t scary but it is very much of the era. The shame is that the actors playing them are bloody terrible. The fight scenes are similar to those you would find in the Power Rangers show or in those old kung-fu or Godzilla movies and this ain’t all that bad overall, and I can even forgive the costume designs and put it down to the era the film was filmed, but the acting is my main annoyance. The worst actor for this is Good Times star Jimmie Walker who plays the rapping creature Striker, and fuck me he is annoying!
The best acting in this film comes from Mark Hamill, who personally I would have like to see as the man in the suit, but Jack Armstrong, who you may remember from the US show Days of Our Lives, does an okay job as the films lead Sean.
The Guyver is a total mess of a great premise and a great anime. If you have never seen the original anime then this may be and okay little watch if you like your B-Movies.