For all intents and purposes, "Guyver: Dark Hero" is a fairly competent and oft-thrilling adaptation of the popular Japanese source material created by Yoshiki Takaya back in 1985. It boasts plenty of action, cool creature designs and blood by the bucketful. And as a follow-up to the generally disastrous 1991 release "The Guyver", "Dark Hero" is most definitely a substantial improvement, eschewing the comedic stylings and slapstick humor that plagued that film and replacing it with darker imagery and a more violent tone. In my review of the first American film, I noted that I almost viewed the franchise as being an adult version of properties like the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers"- a claim I'll stick to. And this movie delivers on that kitschy promise for the most part, despite a clunky and sometimes unsatisfying storyline.It's been one year since Sean Barker (David Hayter) bonded with the alien Guyver unit and destroyed the vile Cronos Corporation. But Sean's personal life has suffered due to these events... His relationship with Mizki has come to an end and he is plagued by haunting dreams and the blood-lust that the Guyver brings to him as he uses it to fight crime. When he learns of a recent archaeological dig that has unearthed strange remains and cave-paintings appearing to depict the same symbols he sees in his sleep, he sets off to discover the truth behind the Guyver unit- along the way encountering a beautiful scientist named Cori (Kathy Christopherson) and learning that his Zoanoid enemies are still out there... waiting to strike back.What makes this film work in comparison to the previous effort is the dedication returning director Steve Wang has to craft a tale true to the darker and more adult tone of the original manga and its earlier anime adaptations. Wang clearly listened to the fan-base and its general dismissal of that 1991 original and decided to reward those who stuck around with a proper "Guyver" story. And thus, the rating has been upped to a "hard R", the action is made far more brutal and hard-hitting, and the comedic overtones have been greatly reduced, giving the entire experience a more serious flavor. While it is true that this sequel has a greatly reduced budget and was released direct-to-video in 1994... these factors really don't have all that big an impact on the final product. It's well-made, with excellent fight choreography, a wonderfully moody score and excellent effects work for the most part.I also felt the performances benefited greatly this time with the new cast. David Hayter- famous for being the former lead voice- actor in the "Metal Gear Solid" video-game franchise- makes for a very cool and troubled brooding protagonist. Sure, he's not the world's greatest on-screen actor, but he gives Sean a nice sense of pathos and also knows how to kick some serious butt. What more could you ask for? Supporting roles by the likes of Christopherson are generally well-played. And villainous roles are all adequately cast, including Bruno Patrick as a deliciously vile cretin of a baddie.All that being said... the story is nothing to write home about, and it does drag the movie down a bit. I don't know if its because of the reduced budget or because they were afraid to try doing too much, but the plot is just generic and pretty darned unsatisfying at the end of the day. We've seen stories like this, told better, a million times before. Sure, you could argue that the story was never the main focus of the franchise, but it was still vital. I used to own the entire twelve-part OVA series based on the manga, and it did quite a bit with the setting and the characters. But this movie just feels like any 90's sci-fi action schlock flick. You know what's gonna happen. You know the twists and turns that are coming from a mile away. And there's no surprises at all.It all comes down to this. "Guyver: Dark Hero" is not a great film. I don't even think you could make a compelling argument that it was even particularly good. But it is fun. It is entertaining. And it does nail the tone and the spirit of the original source material. If you're looking for the definitive adaptation of the characters and the story, you won't get that here. But if you're just looking for a halfway decent time and a pretty entertaining little film to enjoy, you could do far worse. The strong action, darker tone and halfway decent performances definitely make this one I could recommend. Especially if you're a fan of the series. And so, I give "Guyver: Dark Hero" a very enjoyable but only slightly above average 6 out of 10. Great entertainment value. So-so film.

Here we go, I just reviewed the first movie not to long ago and here I am on the sequel. What's with the "Dark Hero" kick? I mean Wolverine kills bad people and they don't call him a dark hero. This whole dark thing doesn't sound right to me. The Japanese Guyver never worried about killing bad people or is he turning into a monster. That's the whole American thing about killing is wrong, even to save your own butt and that's just crazy talk. But enough about that, let's see what else. Ah, the script follows close to the script of the anime, like the first movie. The broken Guyver unit situation is cool. It's basically a good movie, besides the whole "dark hero" thing. 9 STARS!

This film plays like a bloody version of a Power Rangers episode.. The target audience is unknown, as parents will find it too violent for their children, and adults will find the comic book feel to be completely inane.Kathy Christopherson, a sexy little pixy, was the only reason I watched this film through until the end credits. She reminds me a lot of Kari Wuhrer, and that is a very good thing. She deserves much better than this comic styled stinker.The main star David Hayter was laughable, but has now found his niche as a screenwriter with X-Men under his belt. Lets just hope that he sticks to writing, and doesn't attempt another Guyver flick

As a long time fan of "The Guyver," the Japanese Manga series character who is born when an alien armor invades the body of a high school student and transforms him into a bionic superhero, I feel the live American adaptations to be lacking, but this one is worth the while. An evil corporation called Chronos wants the Guyver and will do anything to get it, including using their army of "Zoanoids," human mutants who change form into grotesque monsters at will.If you are a fan of Yoshiki Takaya's Manga series (but are unable to buy the comics or Anime series), it's best you see this live American adaptation first, not Screaming Mad George's first film which was released in 1991. This film, directed by Steve Wang, is less comical and focuses a lot more on the character, getting to the center of his dilemma and how he feels that the Guyver armor is pushing him to kill.But like I said, it's best you see this one first (it's not the best) but you might still want to check this one out if you're curious about Japan's most powerful superhero.