The Guyver: Limited Collector's Edition – Unearthed Classics (4k UHD/Blu-ray/CD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA/Japan, 1991
Directors: Screaming Mad George, Steve Wang
Writers: Jon Purdy, Yoshiki Takaya
Cast: Greg Joung Paik, Jimmie 'JJ' Walker, Peter Spellos, Michael Berryman, Spice Williams-Crosby, Mark Hamill, Jack Armstrong, Johnnie Saiko, Vivian Wu, Willard E. Pugh, David Gale, Linnea Quigley, Jeffrey Combs

Release Date: June 25th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 92 Minutes 26 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, LPCM Stereo English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $59.95

"In this thrill-a-minute action adventure, Sean Barker (Jack Armstrong) 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 (Vivian Wu). Sean rescues Mizuki with the help of Max Reed (Mark Hamill), 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." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "NEW 4K restoration of the original R-rated 35mm camera negative by Unearthed Films."

The Guyver comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60.8 GB

Feature: 60.1 GB

The source is in excellent shape; it is easily the best this film has ever looked on home media. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

The Guyver comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 41.1 GB

Feature: 27 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source as the 4K UHD does for its transfer.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English, LPCM Stereo English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a DTS-HD stereo mix in English. Both tracks sound clean, clear, balanced, and robust when they should. That said, though the 5.1 audio track opens things up, I still prefer the stereo audio track. Removable English subtitles and removable English SDH are included.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with directors Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang, moderated by Dom O’Brien, the author of Budget Biomorphs: The Making of The Guyver Films.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a production gallery (19 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo with music from the film playing in the background), a promotional gallery (6 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo with music from the film playing in the background), English language trailer (1 minute 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), German language trailer (2 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo German with removable English subtitles), Spanish language trailer (54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), French language trailer (2 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), alternate title sequences: English (6 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles), German (6 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo German with removable English subtitles), and Spanish (6 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), Gag Reel with audio commentary by Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang (10 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Outtakes with audio commentary by Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang (14 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Suit Tests with audio commentary by Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang (7 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Suit Tests with audio commentary by Evil Ted Smith and Wyatt Weed (7 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Screaming Mad George titled The Altered States of Screaming Mad George (56 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with producer Brian Yuzna (35 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Screaming Mad George, Steve Wang, and Dom O’Brien.

Included with this release is a CD with Matthew Morse’s 19-track soundtrack.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a slipcover, and a 8-page booklet with an essay titled An Ode to the Bonkers Battling Biomorphs written by Dan O’Brien, an essay titled Mutating Melodies written by Mathew Morse, the composer of The Guyver, and a 19-track listing for The Guyver’s score.

Summary:

The Guyver was co-directed by Screaming Mad George and Steve Wang (Drive). The Guyver was adapted from Yoshiki Takaya’s manga Bio-Booster Armor Guyver. Both directors are known for their work in special effects.

An evil corporation run by mutants seeks an alien mechanical device that transforms users into cyborg fighting machines.

Live adaptations of Manga’s too often miss the mark. And though The Guyver retains the core elements from its source, the execution of the said source is not without its shortcomings. The most glaring of these are the tonal shifts from sinister to absurd. And nowhere is this clearer than when it comes to the stereotypes and exaggerated caricatures that populate The Guyver.

That said, there are a few areas where The Guyver holds up well. Things start off strong with an opening that does a fantastic job of laying the foundation for what follows, and a solid final does a superb job wrapping up the events that unfolded. Unfortunately, it was the moments in between that let The Guyver down.

The most impressive aspect of The Guyver is its cast, which is filled with recognizable faces like Jimmie 'JJ' Walker (Good Times), Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes), Mark Hamill (Star Wars), Linnea Quigley (Night of the Demons), and Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator). That said, The Guyver is not a film that one watches because of its performances. At least you get to see Jimmie 'JJ' Walker act like a buffoon and say Dynomite.

Just how much one will enjoy The Guyver comes down to two things: whether you’re a fan of the manga or if you first saw this film in your youth and enjoyed it back then. That said, for those watching The Guyver for the first time, this film is going to be a tough sell for most of them.

Based on the technical merits and content, one would be hard-pressed to find any faults in this release from Unearthed Classics. The Guyver gets an exceptional release from Unearthed Classics that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and an abundance of extras. Highly recommended.

Note: This release is limited to 5000 units.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer