I will openly admit to being cautiously optimistic when I heard that Saban would be doing a modern reboot for Power Rangers. Granted, part of that came from the fact that I'm generally not the biggest fan of the franchise. I watched MMPR to In Space, and I thought it was okay. I didn't feel as if my life was majorly changed when I had watched those seasons. Granted, I have recently been getting more into Sentai, but only a small handful of seasons; namely Gokaiger and Zyuohger.
Despite watching a few of the seasons as a kid, Power Rangers never really spoke to me. It was just kind of there when I was growing up. Granted, that doesn't excuse Samurai and Megaforce, but that's another story that only the endlessly talented Linkara could tell.
And of course, it was the fact that it was yet another "dark" and "gritty" reboot of a nostalgic property that people will just go nuts over. Because lord knows that has NEVER backfired in the past!
*cough* Fant4stic *cough*
So going into this film, I wasn't sure what to expect except for people in suits fighting monsters. So long as it did that, my expectations would be met.
But what I got was something that not only met my expectations, but in fact excelled them. This may be hard to swallow, but I think we have finally found a modern reboot of a nostalgic property that people agree is GOOD!
The story? You all know it off by heart at this point. A group of teenagers are called to action by Zordon (Bryan Cranston) and his robot sidekick Alpha 5 (Bill Hader) when a former Ranger named Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks) is unintentionally awoken and it's up to them to stop her from awakening her minion, Goldar, and getting her hands on the Zeo Crystal by any means necessary. It's basic Power Rangers plot fluff, but it's at least something that works.
Really, the heart of the film is in the main characters. First is Jason Lee Scott (Dacre Montgomery), the Red Ranger. He was an all-star athlete at Angel Grove High, until he pulled a prank where he brought in a bull to the locker room. Because of this, he has to go to detention for the rest of his High School year. Next is Kimberly Hart (Naomi Scott), Pink Ranger. She was part of the cheer-leading squad, until she sent a revealing picture of her friend throughout the school, resulting in her being kicked off the team and hitting her ex. Now onto Billy Cranston (RJ Cyler), Blue Ranger. He's an autistic boy who got into detention for accidentally blowing up his locker. The three of them unintentionally get caught in each other's lives as they come across Zach Taylor (Ludi Lin), Black Ranger and general trouble maker, and Trini Trang (Becky G), Yellow Ranger and someone who's discovering her sexual orientation.
As one could gather, there is quite the diversity of characters in this film and all of them feel like, get this, teenagers with attitude! They all have their own personal problems that they need to overcome, such as Trini feeling like an outcast because of sexuality or Jason when it comes to deciding whether he can trust Zordon or not. In fact, even Zordon has something of a character arc, being bitter about being a giant holographic head on a wall and wanting to use the power of the Morphing Grid to return to life. This is quite the difference from the basic mentor figure that Zordon was in the original series, but it's a change that actually works to the films advantage. He is given more depth and personality than the old blue head in a tube. He actually has the Rangers train to help unlock their powers and to fight Rita as soon as possible, but he isn't the most supportive person and is called out for being a dick.
The interaction between all five of the Rangers feels genuine, although the dialogue can sometimes be a bit tacky. At several point throughout the film I would hear a character say something and think "People do not talk like that"! But what helps in distracting us from the dialogue is the acting. All of the actors in this films really give it there all in these performances and it's refreshing to see teenage actors who could, well, act! They just seem to have this charm to them, almost as if they were meant to take on these roles. Heck, Becky G isn't even a natural actor, she's mainly a singer and songwriter. But she really shows her talent in this film, giving her all as the first officially queer Power Ranger.
Even Rita is pretty entertaining in this film. She looks silly as Hell in her new outfit, but you can that Banks is giving her all in this role. She's over-the-top and silly, but the original Rita was just as silly. Granted this can sometimes conflict with the more serious tone that the film is going for, as her exaggerated nature can sometimes undermine her menace. But it's clear that Banks is just having so much fun with the role, so we can give it a pass.
Honestly, the only problem that I can think of for this film is that the climax seems a bit underwhelming. There has been this massive build-up to the reveal of Goldar (who is nothing more than a giant monster made out of molten gold) and the Rangers coming together with their Zords, facing off against Rita's army of Putties to stop her from reaching the Krispy Kreme -- I mean Zeo Crystal! We finally have a new modern Power Rangers movie where there is a full on fight between Goldar and the Megazord... and it lasts about a minute and a half before Rita is knocked into space (no doubt to be found by Zedd). Admittedly, the climax was fun and had a lot of good choreography and effects and, hey, I even like the redesigns of the Zords, Megazord and the Ranger suits themselves. It just seems a bit rushed for something that was built up for a good hour and 40 minutes.
So overall, this film isn't quite perfect and the story can be a bit predictable and underwhelming near the end. But in terms of acting, characterisation, visuals and action, this film really hits the mark for me. This is precisely what a modern reboot, remake or adaptation should do; be respectful to the source material and tell a story that doesn't suck. For once, I'm actually excited to see more Power Rangers movies in the future, especially with confirmation that Tommy will be in the next one and Zedd may come along.
Overall rating: 7.5/10 (Good/Great).
This is Callum Lewis, the Media Man, saying...... it's Morphin' Time!
