“We’ll figure it out. We’ll stay late on Friday night, order a pizza, and get some beer, and just figure it out’, and that’s how a lot of the film was.”
What do you get when you combine the action thrills of Kamen Rider with the dark, gritty tone of Devilman? The Guyver! Coming from the manga Bio-Booster Armor Guyver by author Yoshiki Takaya, the infamous adult-oriented Henshin Hero was later adapted into two United States films in the 1990’s – The Guyver and Guyver II: Dark Hero, which have carved their own legacy through the cult film world, and now, has a remarkable book recounting their entire production histories.
The documentation of movie productions has been an entertaining addendum to the motion pictures we all enjoy since, well, the dawn of making them. From books like Designing Jaws to The Disaster Artist, learning about how some of our favorite films are produced, financed, edited, or put together despite all odds, is absolutely endearing to me as a young aspiring filmmaker. Budget Biomorphs: The Making of The Guyver Films, written lovingly by Dominic O’Brien, is a must-have for cinema fanatics, tokusatsu enthusiasts, and anyone else interested in the history of filmmaking, epic stories, and interesting obscure subject matter.
Admittedly, I had never seen either Guyver film before jumping feet first into this book. My first exposure to this franchise was truthfully, The Kaiju Kingdom Podcast sharing the news that they had received a copy of this book. Seeing how much love was given to these films in the comments by fans, I had to see what cult film goodness awaited me, as I read Dom’s book during my viewings of both for the first time ever.
With over 100 pages of archival photos throughout every aspect of production, Budget Biomorphs truly answers the call of being the end-all, be all documentation of these adrenaline-fueled action spectacles. Readers will go in wanting to learn about the production of a 1990’s tokusatsu cult gem and come out knowing exactly everything that they need to know or didn’t even realize they would have liked to know about these two films. With painfully crafted details, amazingly recounted documented stories from Dom’s interviews with the cast & crew, it’s very clear that this book was years in the making, with O’Brien effortlessly balancing the intense amount of production photos and the information dump readers will receive into a perfect package.
To me, the story behind The Guyver and Guyver II: Dark Hero reminds me greatly of the film Equinox, which had director Dennis Muren leading the charge. Muren went on to win nine Academy Awards for visual effects, including those for Star Wars and Jurassic Park. Everyone involved with these films, at least behind the scenes of the first one, and the fearless indie crew of part II, went on to do more. Dark Hero leading man David Hayter may be recognizable to some for screenwriting 2000’s X-Men and donning the voice of one of video gaming’s most iconic characters – Solid Snake! Another interesting note to me is the fact that the US did not really have stunt teams as Asian productions long have had, but this was changed through the influence of Alpha Stunts handling all of the fight choreography for the sequel.
Overall, with a fun, reminiscing tone provided by author O’Brien, forward by Hayter, and afterward by Dark Hero director Steve Wang, Budget Biomorphs recounts a different time in filmmaking, where a bunch of people that believed in a project could come together, despite budget limitations, and create something epic out of pure love, release it on home video, and captivate a whole new audience on the home video market. As the book recalls, Wang once had 90 dollars in his bank account, but still forged bonds that are everlasting through filmmaking. The comradery you find through making movies with people is real, something I have personally experienced, and it is something truly inspiring that you may never find on the same level in a Hollywood production. Throughout the reading of this book, I was genuinely moved by the labor of love that was poured into these films, and how every single time, these individuals rose to the challenge to create something for people to enjoy. I’d like to think they succeeded, and Dom is here to chronicle their story, etching every production detail into stone for all to know, and for all to reminisce on for the rest of time.
The Guyver films, as stated above, are new discoveries to me, but they are now permanent staples in my library thanks to the painstaking work of O’Brien and his undying passion for Guyver. Their impact and influence on directors and filmmakers continue to this day, in 2024, more than thirty years later. Cult cinema is always pushing boundaries, innovating, and bringing complete joy to the small but passionate group of individuals that adore these films, and these recent discoveries may be the pinnacle example of everything I just said and more.
If you have not seen these films, go watch them, but make sure you include Budget Biomorphs as the perfect supplemental bible to accompany you through your journey and dive into one of, if not the most important Western tokusatsu productions in film & television history, perhaps second to only Power Rangers.
Order the book HERE.
