Guyver movie

Two live-action movies based on the Manga/Anime were produced in the early 90s. While the main concepts were there (Chronos, Zoanoids, the Guyver), the rest was changed to the point where it was barely recognizable. The first movie could be considered to be based loosely on the first 6 volumes of the manga. The second movie is much darker and more realistic, with elements of the Guyver II storyline. Both movies involved the use of Steve Wang's talent in creating the Guyver costumes.

Differences between movies and manga

There are several notable differences between the original story presented in the manga and anime series and the two live action movies. The most obvious change are the locations. While the manga and anime take place in Japan, the two movies take place in the United States; the first in Los Angeles and the second in a remote mountain area in the US. Some other elements that were altered included the naming of the characters and the role of Lisker. Since the setting was in the US, American names were given to the some characters in the first and completely new characters were introduced in the second. Another significant change was the method in which the main character called the Guyver. In the original story, the main character, Sho Fukamachi, had two organisms on his back that acted as transceivers. These organisms were believe to call the Guyver from another dimension. In the movies, the main character, Sean Barker, has two similar, but smaller organisms on the back of his neck. The Guyver armor shoots out of these organisms, implying that the Guyver is physically inside Sean's body.

The Guyver AKA Mutronics (1991)

The first Guyver live action film was directed by Screaming mad George and Steve Wang. The feel of the movie could be considered to be rather "tongue in cheek". It deals with the main aspects of the guyver storyline including zoanoids, the regenerative capabilities of the guyver and the zoalords.

Cast
* Mark Hamill: Detective Max Reed
* Vivian Wu: Mizky Segawa
* Jack Armstrong: Guyver/Sean Baker
* Greg Paik: Dr. Tetsu Segawa
* David Gale: Fulton Balcus
* Michael Berryman: Lisker
* Jimmie Walker: Striker
* Peter Spellos: Ramsey
* Spice Williams: Weber

(1994)

The second Guyver live action film was directed by Steve Wang under a much lower budget than the first. All things considered, it came out as a far more respected piece of work. The film takes a far darker atmosphere and sticks closer to the theme of the original manga. The second film deals with aspects of the origins of Guyver and the origins of life on earth and Zoanoids. It also contains the Guyver Zoanoid, a concept that Yoshiki Takaya had previously toyed with but had never actually been seen.

Cast
* David Hayter: Sean Barker/Guyver
* Kathy Christopherson: Cori
* Bruno Giannotta: Crane
* Brian Simpson: Crane Zoanoid
* Tatsuro Koike: Guyver Zoanoid
* Christopher Michael: Atkins
* Stuart Weiss: Marcus
* Billi Lee: Mizky Segawa