The original live action Guyver film, as fun as it may have been, was a very poor adaptation of the source material. The script was admirable at times, cramming the first 6 episodes into 90 minutes, but the tone and atmosphere was all wrong. The original film was played off as a goofy comedy parody, leaving many Guyver fans rather disappointed. Luckily, Guyver 2: Dark Hero came along shortly afterward with story and direction more befitting of the original manga and anime.
It’s been a year since Sean Barker (David Hayter) became the Guyver, a superhero bonded to a powerful alien control metal called a “bio-booster armor”, and seemingly destroyed the Kronos Corporation and their legions of Zoanid mutants. However, life has not been well for Sean. Between crimefighting, he has been plagued by awful, violent nightmares. His girlfriend, Mizuki, unable to deal with Sean’s new life, has left him. Distraught, Sean packs his things and hits the road in hopes of finding an answer. His travels lead him to a secluded wilderness area where, unbeknownst to him, an alien spaceship, belonging to the same race which created his control metal, crash-landed centuries ago. The Kronos Corporation, now under the command of a new Zoalord, has been dispatched to take the alien remains as well as the prize within: a new control metal! Sean must fight his way through a horde of Zoanoids and get to the ship before the Kronos lackies do, otherwise he’ll have to face an evil Guyver with all his own powers and more!
Okay, this is gonna sound real confusing, but I’ll try and map it out as best I can. The first Guyver film was a loose adaptation of the first six episodes of the anime. The Guyver 2 is a loose adaptation of the second episode of the anime. In the second episode of the anime, a Kronos lacky named Lisker got ahold of the second control metal and became the Guyver II. However, in the first Guyver movie, that angle was dropped for Lisker’s character. Instead, he was just another Zoanoid who ended up being killed at the end of the film. In Guyver 2: Dark Hero, they adapt the concept of an evil Guyver, but with Lisker’s character dead, they create a new bad guy to get the bio-booster armor. The Guyver II as he appears in the film also bears little to no resemblance to the Guyver II as he appeared in the anime.
Even with the cast changes (Sean Barker was played by Jack Armstrong in the first film) and the dropping of key characters, like Mizuki, I find the Guyver 2 to be an all-around superior film to the original. As an adaptation it’s much more respectful of the source material, but as a film in-general it’s a lot easier to stomach.
The budget is noticeably lower than in the original, so the special effects aren’t quite as constantly in-your-face. There are less Zoanoids in this film than in the original but the ones you do get to see are noticeably nastier and more menacing (no rapping Jimmy Walker monsters in *this* movie). The gore is pretty good, with Zoanoids getting decapitated, having their arms broken, eyes gouged out, stabbed in the gut, melted and all sorts of other horrible things done to them. This is much more of a horror-scifi flick, so with the comedy element dropped they’re free to let the blood flow like wine. Probably the most impressive design is the Guyver II who looks very detailed and unique, yet still Guyver-like. The fight choreography for the final battle is also very intense. Unfortunately, some of Sean’s transformation sequences are done with 1994-quality CGI, which is very much a bad-thing.
I’d recommend Guyver II to fans more than I’d recommend the original. If you’re familiar enough with the animated series you can honestly just skip the first flick. It’s a rehash of what you’ve already seen only done with silly comedy bits. Guyver 2, however, is 90% original story with a much darker and more appropriate atmosphere.
Grade: B
X-Men (2000)
I owe a lot to the X-Men. Uncanny X-Men was the very first comic book I ever read and was what got me into comic books in general. When I heard they were making a live action film I could hardly believe my ears. I mean, prior to this, the only live action X-Men offering available was the Generation X made-for-TV movie where a horde of teenage mutants battle the villainy of Matt Frewer. 2000’s live action X-Men film gets a lot right and even makes a few improvements here and there (some of which were even ported into the X-Men comic book). At the same time, there are a few aspects which could have used improvement and several missed oppertunities. Still, considering the vastness of the X-Men mythos and the limited amount of time offered in a feature film, the final product is very admirable.
In the not-too-distant future, mankind has achieved its next leap in evolution: mutants. Mutants are people born with superhuman abilities. Logan (Hugh Jackman), also known as Wolverine, is a mutant with a super healing factor, hightened senses and an indestructible adamantium skeleton grafted onto his bones. While making his way through Canada, he encounters another mutant, a runaway named Rogue (Anna Paquin) who has the unfortunate ability to drain the lifeforce of anyone she touches, as well as their mutant powers. Shortly after meeting, Wolverine and Rogue are attacked by a giant villainous mutant and rescued by a team of leatherclad good guys. They are the X-Men, students of Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), determined to keep the world safe for humans and mutants alike. Xavier runs a school for mutants, to help them learn and hone their special abilities. Wolverine is invited to join the X-Men, who consist of Cyclops (James Marsden), their leader who can fire optic blasts, Jean Grey (Famke Jansen), Cyclops’ girlfriend with telekinetic powers, and Storm (Halle Berry), who can control the weather itself. Standing in their way is Magneto (Sir Ian McKellen), the master of magnetism, and his Brotherhood of Mutants who wish the purge the Earth of humanity. The Brotherhood, who consist of Sabertooth (Tyler Mane), the ferocious wildman, Mystique (Rebecca Romijn), the shapeshifter, and Toad (Ray Park), the leaping limey with a twelve-foot tongue, are about to implement a plan which will murder thousands…unless the X-Men can stop it.
It sounds like a comic book plot and it’s honestly executed like a comic book plot. And, you know, when you’re making a comic book movie, that’s really not a bad thing. The story isn’t going to appeal to everyone, as it really does have a Saturday Morning Cartoon-feel to it. However, for fans of the X-Men or just those who enjoy superhero films, this movie is extremely pleasant.
Wolverine takes the spotlight, which irks quite a few people, as Wolverine tends to be terribly over-exposed. Yet, he’s the most popular X-Man for a reason, and giving him the lead role in the film isn’t anything terribly surprising. Hugh Jackman gets the part down to perfection, bringing Wolverine’s lovably gruff personality to life. James Marsden is stiff as a board, and you know what, nothing embodies the character of Cyclops more accuractely. Patrick Stewart was born to play the part of Professor X and people have been wanting him for the role since the early 90’s. Ian McKellen is an older-looking Magneto but much more accurate to the character in a real-world setting, considering his history in the Holocaust. Rabecca Romijn is totally hot as Mystique. Ray Park actually makes Toad a threat for the first time in the character’s history, and while he doesn’t get many lines, his acrobatic presence is very commanding. Halle Berry is the only real drawback, though to be fair, she doesn’t have the best material to work with. She certainly gets saddled with the absolute worst line in the entire movie.
I love the action in this film, and every headlining mutant gets their moment in the spotlight. The fight between Wolverine and Sabertooth on top of the Statue of Liberty is one of the best. They only hint at a deeper history between the two characters, which is a shame as their rivalry is one of the better dynamics in the comics, but again, they only had an hour and a half to work with. Toad’s fight with Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm is my personal favorite, though, just because it’s freakin’ Toad and he’s kicking the crap out of *everyone*! If they had just made Toad like that in the comics he wouldn’t be considered such a joke. It probably helps that he doesn’t have the ridiculous costume in the film.
X-Men doesn’t have the deepest plot you’ll ever find, but it does a commendable job bringing the characters to life and setting up the world they live in. The sequels, X2: X-Men United and X-Men 3: the Last Stand are both better, in my opinion, though I enjoy all three films. X-Men is easily one of the best comic book films to come out in recent years, ranking up there with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man in terms of quality.
Grade: B
Superman: the Movie (1978)
I will admit, when I first watched Richard Donner’s Superman: the Movie, I really didn’t like it. I grew up with the “Post-Crisis” DC comics (“Post-Crisis” is a term used to describe the DC Universe following the Crisis on Infinite Earths epic that restructured continuity) while this film was produced during the “Pre-Crisis” era of Superman. There are a few main differences between pre and post-Crisis Superman, the most notable of which are Superman’s power-level, Lex Luthor’s motivations and personality and the overall atmosphere of the fiction. When I first saw the film I wasn’t acquainted with Pre-Crisis Superman so everything just felt wrong. Upon repeat viewings of the film, coupled with a better knowledge of the earlier Superman comics, I came to appreciate Superman: the Movie a bit more.
As a baby, Kal-El was sent from his home planet of Krytpon shortly before a series of earthquakes destroyed the world. He arrived on Earth where he was found by the Kent family and raised into adulthood on a farm in Smallville. The Earth’s yellow sun charged his Kryptonian physique with a plethora of super-powers including super strength, speed, flight, invulnerability, heat vision, x-ray vision and arctic breath. After building a Fortress of Solitude in the North Pole, Clark Kent (Christopher Reeves) heads to Metropolis to become a reporter for the Daily Planet. He meets Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) and becomes immediately enamored. Donning the guise of Superman, he fights for truth, justice and the American way. His skills are soon put to the test as the mad criminal genius, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) plots a devious scheme to sink California into the Pacific Ocean.
Pre-Crisis Superman was decidedly more tongue-in-cheek and silly than the Superman I grew up with. Lex Luthor was a goofy Saturday Morning Cartoon villain rather than a scheming corporate executive and Superman seemed to have the power of a god and came up with new abilities every week. So, needless to say, Superman: the Movie rubbed me the wrong way when I first saw it.
However, during my second viewing, I had properly educated myself about Pre-Crisis Superman, so I was able to enjoy the film from a new perspective. Richard Donner admirably captured the tone of the Superman comics of the time, goofy and silly, yet works in moments of drama where appropriate; the death of Pa Kent weighing on Clark’s conscience being rather heavy.
The prologue of the film is probably my favorite part. They capture Kal-El’s Kryptonian origin magnificently, with Marlon Brando providing a memorable performance as the Man of Steel’s father, Jor-El. The bits with General Zod and the Kryptonian renegades might be a bit “confusing” if you aren’t aware of the plot of the sequel, though. The sequences in Smallville are also quite true to character, with teenage Clark struggling to keep his powers hidden from everyone else but cutting loose where appropriate.
It’s everything after the prologue that kinda irked me. It’s dated and not nearly as timeless as some fanboys (Alex Ross) like to think. It’s perfect if it’s the Superman *you* grew up with, but for people like me, it’s just not the Superman I recognize. He’s far too overpowered, culminating in his spinning the Earth in the opposite direction to reverse time. Basically, he plays God and rewrites history to his liking. How can ANYTHING be a threat after that display of power? But, this was true to Superman’s power-level back in the 70’s, where he could move entire galaxies with one hand and blow out stars with his arctic breath.
Probably the most jarring difference is Lex Luthor. Gene Hackman’s performance is fun and wacky and one of the real highlights of the film, but he’s unfortunately saddled down by two bumbling sidekicks: Otis and Ms. Tessmocker. Ms. Tessmocker is the gratuitous sex-appeal, while Otis is the oafish “comedy relief”. He’s like a one-man Bebop and Rocksteady, constantly spouting “Hey Mistuh Lootor!” and performing slapstick sight gags and outrageous wild-takes. It gets old FAST.
I can’t say Superman: the Movie is a bad movie or even a bad adaptation. It just hasn’t aged as well as many would like to think and the differences between the “classic” Superman and his contemporary counterpart tends to turn off modern fans. I give the film a B-. If you’re capable of separating Pre-Crisis Superman from Post-Crisis Superman, or if you’re just old, you’ll probably like this movie.
Grade: B-
X2: X-Men United
The number one factor which detracted from the quality of the first X-Men film was the fact that there was just too much to do. They had to establish the universe, introduce a slew of characters and work in a diabolical threat which needed foiling…all in about 90 minutes. That’s why, if you ask me, sequels tend to come across as a lot better. You have most of the introductory bits already taken care of, like origins and character backgrounds, so the lead focus can be on the story and the threat. And X2, now that all that other stuff is out of the way, is free to focus on the conflict. And it rocks!
Following the events of the first X-Men film, the villainous Magento (Sir Ian McKellen) is incarcerated in a plastic prison, the Brotherhood of Mutants has disbanded and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) has taken a hiatus from the X-Men to go “find himself”. A new threat has reared its ugly head in the form of William Stryker (Brian Cox), a government official hellbent on wiping out every mutant on the planet. Stryker has developed a means to mind-control mutants, including the good-natured Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) and the stonecold Deathstrike (Kelly Hu). Once Wolverine returns, the X-Men, along with trainees Rogue (Anna Paquin), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) and Pyro (Aaron Stanford), deploy to investigate. They discover Stryker has mysterious ties to the Weapon X program and the origin of Wolverine. And if that wasn’t complicated enough, Mystique (Rebecca Romijn) busts Magneto out of prison. If there’s any chance of defeating Stryker, the X-Men and Magneto will have to work together.
I enjoyed the first X-Men flick, but I can’t deny that X2 is easily a superior film. The story is less Saturday Morning Cartoon-themed, with a threat that treats the audience with a bit more intelligence. Several pieces of continuity from the first movie are carried over into this sequel and the overall direction of the characters is quite a ways deeper (save for Storm, who once again gets shafted in the character-department).
A horde of new and newer characters are introduced in this film, injecting a level of freshness. In a show of remarkable continuity, the two actors who portrayed Pyro and Iceman during a quick cameo in the first film reprise their roles for much larger parts. Iceman’s budding romance with Rogue along with Pyro’s gradual turn to the darkside are two of the more interesting aspect of this installment. Nightcrawler is a perfect blend of his various characterizations. Often times, writers can’t decide whether they want to focus more heavily on his dedication to religion or his goofy, fun-loving nature. This interpretation of the furry blue teleporter maintains an excellent balance of his two natures. A shame he didn’t return for X-Men 3: the Last Stand. Mystique is much more than just a hot blue chick this time around, using her shapeshifting powers to their maximum potential. The way she busts Magneto out of prison is particularly clever.
A few characters end up losing a bit of background in the translation, unfortunately. Much like Sabertooth, Deathstrike’s relation to Wolverine is non-existant. She provides one of the better fightscenes in the film, but as a character, she’s terribly two-dimensional. As previously mentioned, Storm is given little development in this film. She’d ultimately see a major presence in the third film, but as far as X2 goes, she’s utterly forgettable. Cyclops and Jean Grey also fail to seize the spotlight, more-so Cyclops than Jean. Cyclops spends a good portion of the film under Stryker’s mind control and just doesn’t seem to do much. Jean’s quasi-mutual romance with Wolverine is developed a bit, but ultimately little comes of it. On the other hand, she’s a major player in the third film and this movie sets up her plot for that installment.
Fanboys can rejoice at all the in-jokes, cameos and references packed into this film. Keep any eye open for Dr. Hank McCoy (AKA the Beast) on a television news program. Sure, it contradicts his appearance in X-Men 3, but who cares? Characters like Siren make brief “you really have to be into this stuff” cameos, while Colossus makes his debut (though he won’t get a starring role until the third film).
X2 is quite possibly the perfect comic book film, or at least one of the best ever made. Of the three X-Men films made to date, it’s hands-down the best. I would recommend it to anyone who likes comics or just sci-fi action films in general.
Grade: A-
Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero
SubZero isn’t exactly as timeless a Batman film as Mask of the Phantasm and has a plot much more in line with what one would get from a cartoon (though still a fair bit edgier than expected), never-the-less, it’s still a lot of fun. Unlike Mask of the Phantasm, SubZero requires one to have followed Batman the Animated Series. It picks up Mr. Freeze’s story arc (as the title implies) which was one of the more admirable accomplishments in the Animated Series. It also features Batman’s sidekicks, Robin and Batgirl, in heavy volume. As such, it doesn’t work particularly well as a sequel to Mask of the Phantasm, but rather, as a grand finale to Batman the Animated Series.
Following the events of Batman the Animated Series, the supervillain Mr. Freeze (Michael Ansara) has recovered the frozen body of his wife. She is dying and the only means to save her is through an emergency organ transplant. Mr. Freeze bribes a down-on-his luck surgeon, Dr. Belson (George Dzundza), to perform the operation off the record. Freeze finds a perfect match in Barbara Gordan (Mary Kay Bergman) who also happens to be Batgirl in her spare time, and kidnaps her. Batman (Kevin Conroy) and Robin (Loren Lester) quickly race to rescue their partner, as the organ transplant would prove fatal.
Mr. Freeze is one of the best, if not *the* best villain to get a makeover in Batman the Animated Series. Where he was once a lame-o named Mr. Zero, Paul Dini transformed him into a multi-dimensional, tragic character. Though his methods are unscrupulous, his goal to save the life of his wife is very sympathetic. The character of Dr. Belson is utterly forgettable, but he is needed for the purpose of performing the operation.
If you’re expecting a lot of Batgirl action with this film, then I’m sorry to disappoint you, but she spends most of the movie out of costume. She still has her standard spunk, but she’s not really Batgirl without the uniform. You get to see plenty of her in the New Batman Adventures, though (which was the follow-up to Batman the Animated Series). Most of the heroics are performed by the Dynamic Duo.
SubZero marks the end of the classic Batman the Animated Series. The continuation, the New Batman Adventures, would contain all-new character designs and an even darker approach to storytelling and characterization. So if you preferred the characters as they appeared in Batman the Animated Series, this is the last place you’ll see em. The New Batman Adventures also tossed around a few characters, taking them in brand new directions. Dick Grayson, for instance, would become Nightwing in that series, leaving this as his final appearance as Robin (save for a flashback episode in the New Batman Adventures).
SubZero was produced for a theatrical release, originally, but wound-up being pulled by Warner Bros as they feared it wouldn’t earn much of a profit. It ended up being shelved for a few years until they finally decided to release it on video. So, although this was released straight to video, the budget of the film is definitely of theatrical quality. The animation produced by TMS (Tokyo Movie Shinsha) is very fluid and impressive. For some reason, they’re just the best when it comes to drawing explosions.
SubZero is a great Batman film and a marvelous “last hoorah” for Batman the Animated Series, but not nearly as memorable as some of the Dark Knight’s other theatrical outings. I’d recommend it to Batman fans, but give it a B, personally.
Grade: B