Movie Review: Power Rangers

By Royal Thomas (@dewsiis)

The heroes of Angel Grove return to action in this 2017 adaptation of the popular television series.

When Power Rangers was announced by Saban and Lionsgate in 2014 longtime fans of the series were understandably skeptical. The beginning of this decade in 2010 has seen many less than stellar films based off of popular series. The Lone Ranger in 2013, Robocop in 2014, and most notoriously Green Lantern in 2011 were destroyed by both critics and audiences alike. With the release of films like Pan, Warcraft, and Fantastic Four in recent years the hope for a great property remake greatly diminished even more so. Now it is finally 2017 and even though there are a slew of other proven franchises and original content gracing the box office there is still enough reason to go out and catch the latest adventure of the five teenagers.

The film begins with a flashback 65 million years in the past which shows the original red ranger Zordon and his team defeated at the hands of Rita Repulsa. Zordon, in his last efforts, collects the five power coins and buries them before being blasted by an incoming meteor.

Flashing to the present time the lives of three Angel Grove high schoolers are followed. Star quarterback of the town Jason Scott (Dacre Montgomery) gets caught performing a locker room prank and must spend the remainder of the schoolyear in detention. It is here where he meets two new friends. Billy Cranston (RJ Cyler) is a technological genius who wound up in detention after he blew up his lunchbox in his locker. Jason rescues him from a bully in detention and they then become friends. He also comes across former cheerleader Kimberly Hart (Naomi Scott), who is being disciplined for punching one of her friend’s teeth out (which according to her was promptly put back).

After doing a favor for Jason, Billy requests his assistance in carrying some equipment to a restricted mining site. Unsure of Billy’s intentions, Jason leaves and runs into Kimberly. They talk for a while before they hear an explosion and rush to the scene. Thanks to Billy’s attempt to continue his father’s mining efforts he, Jason, and Kimberly are met by bystanders Zack (Ludi Lin) and Trini (Becky G) who discover ancient gems on the side of the mine. They each retrieve one of the five power coins and their battle for the earth begins.

Now although the group of heroes assemble fairly quickly at the mining site, they face a long journey before they become out and out rangers. They face troubles throughout their training and preparation for the immediate danger that is coming to them. The newfound abilities they gain through the power coins they discover is not enough for them to face Rita alone. They need to gain an understanding of one another and learn how to work as a team before they can “morph” into their powerful armor and truly become power rangers.

This is where a large problem of the film lies. For a reboot/remake of the popular series called Mighty Morphin Power Rangers there is a supreme lack of “morphin” that occurs in the film. It is understandable that the rangers are teenagers and must learn the importance of working well with others, but this shouldn’t come at the expense of the overall engagement of the film. The rangers spend more than half of the two-hour film building up to their one and only “It’s Morphin Time!” sequence which disappointingly did not feature the rangers screaming the names of five extinct dinosaurs.

Power Rangers, like so many other current properties, knows it is a franchise. It acts as a sort of first-day-on-the-job flick. We only get a sneak peek at the power and abilities the rangers possess. Just because the movie is made with the intention of multiple sequels to follow it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be compelling and exciting on its own.

The individual performances of the film are a big help in combating the awkwardness of a bunch of teens fighting aliens. RJ Cyler as Billy was easily one of the best casting choices made in this film. This version of Billy is autistic unlike David Yost’s portrayal of the character who was just genuinely awkward and quirky. Billy views the world through a different lens than the other four rangers which makes him stand out as a lovable fan favorite.

Elizabeth Banks also made the most out of her role in the film. Despite looking absolutely nothing like the original Rita Repulsa from the TV series, she nailed character. Her psychopathic obsession with gold and unrelenting toying with the individual rangers helps create a frightening but not too terrifying villain.

As Zordon stated in the original series, the power rangers on the surface are “five overbearing and overemotional humans”. One should expect a bit of awkwardness and immaturity from a couple kids fresh out of detention. This is what separates Power Rangers from the next action superhero movie out there. It takes the unrealistic and sprinkles on a bit silly. It turns high stakes situations into ludicrous fight sequences. If you’re new to the series you should know it is best enjoyed when not taken too seriously. After all, would you trust a bunch of irresponsible teenagers to save the earth? 7/10