Showing posts with label Power Rangers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Power Rangers. Show all posts
I grew up watching Power Rangers. I don't just mean Mighty Morphin Power Rangers...I watched A LOT of this show. Power Rangers meant a lot to me as a child since it showed me adventure, action and the chance to do good as a teenager. Let's just say I was hooked for many years. A big screen movie has already been created about five fighting teenagers, but that was a long time ago in the 90s. This time, a reboot was created to get new people invested in the series and for others (like me!), to relive the nostalgia. The movie I will be reviewing today is the teen action adventure: Power Rangers.
The Plot: Nestled in the quiet town of Angel Grove, five teenagers stumble upon magical glowing rocks that grant them superhero powers. Unbeknownst to them, the rocks have chosen them to become the Power Rangers, a group of evil-fighting heroes. When the villainous Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks) plans to steal the Earth's life force, the team suits up to stop her.
The Results: 3.5/5!
Power Rangers is a guilty pleasure action movie. There are plenty of fighting scenes, teen drama and build-up included it that leads to the climactic battle. I liked the performances of the main five teenagers who make up the new team; we learned a lot about them to get their individual personalities and why we should care about them. Elizabeth Banks and Bryan Cranston also did a great job as Rita and Zordon, respectively.
The tone, on the other hand, does come across as too cheesy and teen angsty at times; the same can also be said for the special effects. It fits the Powers Rangers TV show feel, but for those new to the series, it may look weird. However, Power Rangers (the movie) is an addictive popcorn flick. The movie provides some genuine fun and a good start for a potential movie franchise. Though, some major tweaks will be needed to keep this series fresh and mature.
I love the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (MMPR). When I was about three years old or so when the original series of Power Rangers aired on TV, I was OBSESSED with it! I watched every TV show episode, I played the video games, I bought the movie on VHS, and I even dressed as the Blue Power Ranger for Halloween during my first year of kindergarten. If you were a child growing up in the 90s, you watched the Power Rangers. It's like being a fan of Sailor Moon, Pokemon and Digimon - everyone watched it.
Recently, a new "bootleg" fan-made version of MMPR called "POWER/RANGERS" was created that presented a more dark and gritty aspect to the franchise. The 14-minute film stars James Van Der Beek as Rocky (the second Red Power Ranger) and Katee Sackhoff as Kimberly (the first Pink Power Ranger).
By no means is the film perfect, but it is an interesting take on a new tone to the superheroes we grew up with. I quite enjoyed it - I'll always have the memories of the original show/movie and I can distinguish between the original material and a separate creations. (I'm look at you Resident Evil movies!)
There's word that the original creator of MMPR might try (or is trying) to remove the fan-made film. Hopefully he doesn't; it's a short film that's getting people to talk about Power Rangers again and be reminded of the nostalgic factor. Besides, with a new Power Rangers movie coming out in 2016 with Lionsgate, why ruin the free promotion and good PR?
You can check out the POWER/RANGERS bootleg film below: