Where to watch Guyver: Dark Hero
2 1/2 Stars
Sean Barker became the unwilling host to an alien bio-armor known as the Guyver. A year ago he destroyed the Kronos Corporation, an organization of mutants who want the Guyver. Now he is trying to find why the Guyver unit forces him to fight and kill evil. He is lead to an archelogical site where scientists discover an ancient space craft. Now he must fight Kronos again before they discover the secrets of the Guyver’s origin.
Guyver:Dark Hero is twice as big in story, special effects, budget, and running time, but it’s half as fun as the original Guyver movie. The same manic energy that made the original a guilt pleasure permeates this sequel, but the long-winded story gets bogged down in unnecessary scenes that are too talky for a superhero genre flick. The amped-up blood and gore have resulted in an R-rating, but the movie still feels playful and fairly tame in comparison to peers like Spawn or Logan.
Unbelievable martial artistry is on display during the action sequences featuring the titular character. Steve Wang directs the film without Screaming Mad George, his collaborator on the first film, and perhaps his absence is the reason why this sequel feels alternately uninspired narratively and sluggish in its storytelling. Guyver:Dark Hero is a better-than-average direct-to-video genre movie on its own terms, but it’s a disappointment when compared to the far more enjoyable The Guyver (1991).
Directed by: Steve Wang
Written by: Nathan Long, Steve Wang, Yoshiki Takaya
Starring: David Hayter, Kathy Christopherson, Bruno Patrick