'Power Rangers' Film Review
It's morphin' time! Fans of the Power Rangers TV series from the 1990s have eagerly awaited this new incarnation of the teenage super hero team, and it's finally here. Taking concepts from the original series, this new Power Rangers film pays homage to the series including classic characters like Jason, Billy, Zack, Trini, Kimberly, Zordon, Alpha-5 and Rita Repulsa. While keeping some of the campiness that fans grew up with, this new film modernizes the story by switching things up and adding some grittiness that we've been asking for.
There were many great moments during the film that overjoyed my adolescent self such as Alpha's comedic moments with the Rangers, the quick snippet of the new Power Rangers theme, the new-look zords, and some of the one-liners the characters use which were also a part of the TV series. The film did a really good job with character building as we're introduced to the Rangers and the
ir backgrounds. It was very refreshing to see a diverse cast in different aspects of race, sexual orientation, and the fact that Billy (who is African American in this film) is autistic. This point alone really warmed my heart and will hopefully serve as something people on the autistic spectrum can embrace.
The film was a lot of fun and the special effects were really cool for the most part, though I didn't really like the look of Goldar. There were some times that the tone felt a little uneven, as it took itself seriously but then switched to more light-hearted, cheesy moments. There were also some logic points that left me a bit confused. How did Rita know about the new Rangers right away? How did the Rangers form the Megazord without knowing about its full functionality? These points are trivial, however, as they aren't too glaring.
My biggest gripe about the film is the lack of actual Power Rangers action scenes. The majority of the film sees the team not knowing how to morph into their suits and only gets to it at the end during a short battle. I understand that they are just learning about their powers, but there could have been more time spent in the suits. The final battle wasn't all that great and was mostly spent using the zords. Having more fight scenes in the suits would have made me happier. Rita, played by Elizabeth Banks, was extremely menacing during the first half of the film, but grew more campy as it went along. I appreciate the attempt at blending the two aspects, but I think the filmmakers could have done a better job evening her out. Zordon was also kind of a jerk...just saying.
There was also a cameo from familiar faces towards the end and the mid-credit scene certainly paves the way for a sequel. I can forgive the lack of action since this is the first film in this new franchise and look forward to more now that we've gotten a lot of the character-building out of the way. The new mythology the film introduced is a really cool spin on the story we thought we knew and should set up this new franchise nicely.
My rating: 7 out of 10
