I’m a multi-tasker, I am. And that’s why my review for Guyver 2: Dark Hero (1994) not only fits into my Month of 2, but also fits the bill for the Rubber Soul Roundtable. It’s the endearing tale of a boy, a girl, an alien bioweapon, and a horde of insta-mutating bad guys in rubber monster suits. Even a plot-centric guy like me can just lean back and enjoy the monster-on-monster pummeling.
The second feature this week, also part of The Month of 2, is Decadent Evil 2 (2007), which produced on the premise that you can never have too many cheap vampire stripper flicks, especially ones produced in exotic locales like Little Rock, Arkansas.
#1 by The Rev. D.D. on May 15th, 2008
I remember being sooooo disappointed with Guyver 2 when I saw it. The first one is by no means a classic, but I had a ball watching it. This one…WAY too much “plot” and “human drama” and not nearly enough people in rubber costumes ninja-kicking the crap out of each other.
And a distinct lack of Linnea Quigley and Michael Berryman, which was a huge mark against it right from the start.
#2 by Nathan Shumate on May 15th, 2008
True, Michael Berryman would have been a great addition (I don’t care how they would have explained his presence). On the other hand, we also weren’t subjected to the “street” Zoanoid who thought he was the urban Jerry Lewis, so there’s some parity there.
#3 by The Rev. D.D. on May 15th, 2008
(Why did I write “Linnea Quigley”??? I know that’s not her in the first one…sheesh.)
Anyway. Yeah, I didn’t miss Jimmy Walker in the second one. Or the guy playing the Guyver, either.
And your review hits on the big problem, as I mentioned…not enough rubber suit fight scenes! What we do get stacks up to (and usually surpasses) the first movie’s fight scenes, but there’s not nearly enough to justify the “plot” we have to slog through to get to it.
For its faults, the first one paced that sort of thing a bit better. Less down time between critter combat, which means less fast-forwarding for me when I watch it compared to the second one.
The costumes are indeed great (and durable!), and I’d love to own a couple of them.
#4 by hman on May 15th, 2008
One of my favorite lines from Keith’s old reviews was something to the effect of “Whenever you need someone to transform into a monster, you get Steve Wang, just like whenever you someone to be a leprechaun or some other short creature, you get Warwick Davis.” However, “The Guyver” films never did anything for me.