Power Rangers (2017)

“Power Rangers” stars Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Becky G, Ludi Lin, Bryan Cranston, Bill Hader, and Elizabeth Banks.  Released on March 24, 2017, the film is about a group of teenagers who are called upon to save the world from an evil witch.

The film is directed by Dean Israelite, who is known for directing Project Almanac.  It is the third film in the Power Rangers film franchise, as well as a reboot of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series.  It’s pretty surprising that a franchise about a group of super-powered teens with spandex suits battling alien creatures could be that popular.  In fact, it is so popular that they have 20 different themed shows.  I’m not kidding, they’re showing the latest Power Rangers show on Nickelodeon called “Ninja Steel”.  I’m pretty sure that when it is all said and done, they’re going to discontinue the show because they couldn’t figure out any more cool titles for the upcoming seasons.  I happened to watch a few Power Rangers shows during my elementary school days, but as I grew older, I moved on to something else that’s playing on television.  Even though I’m not the biggest Power Rangers fan, I was pretty excited to see how this latest film comes together.  It not only need to have something that will impress longtime fans of the franchise, but it also need to have enough quality to successfully introduce the franchise to a new generation.  Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast already got people full of nostalgia, so let’s see if this mighty morphin reboot can do the same.  

The film’s story is a reimagining of the franchise’s first show, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, so longtime fans who have seen that show will be very familiar with how the Power Rangers came to be.  The only difference is the higher budget.  I think for newcomers, this is a very nice way of introducing the source material in a more grounded way.  Sure, there are other ways for newcomers to watch the Power Rangers, such as Netflix, but this latest version, in my point of view, has something that the television shows don’t have: the exploration of the characters, and what makes them different from the rest.  This is the type of idea that I am glad that they decided to add in, and as a film about the Power Rangers, it surprisingly works.  As the film progresses, I’ve grown more attached to these characters when they’re not in their suits, and the main cast did an amazing job portraying these types of people.  RJ Cyler and Ludi Lin were proper stand-outs as Billy and Zack, respectively.  The former for providing the best performance out of the five main actors and the latter for the laughs.  Speaking of laughs, the humor can depend on how you’re feeling.  For me, it did a nice job at making me laugh without losing the tone it was going for.  Bill Hader was pretty darn impressive as Alpha 5 and Bryan Cranston was perfectly cast as Zordon.  But what about Elizabeth Banks as the film’s antagonist, Rita Repulsa?  How does she do compared to the others?  Well…let’s just say that you might want to cover your little ones’ eyes when she appears on screen.  Not only was the design for Rita remarkable, but the way Banks portrayed this character was pretty terrifying.  In other words, she was great.  The visuals were also quite impressive for a movie that costs about $100 million to make, even though the third act got a bit too crazy with the CGI work.  So, basically, it has plenty of good things that people might like, but the real question is, is it fun to watch?  Easy answer: Yes.  I had a really good time watching this.  I had fun watching the Power Rangers beat the crud out of Rita’s minions, and I also had fun getting to know these characters before they became the heroes that we know and love.  Despite the fact that the story follows the basic superhero origin formula that we’ve seen a thousand times, it had some really good themes about friendship that were handled very well by director Dean Israelite.  There were also some parts in the film that were either rushed or improperly executed, but the cast managed to save it from being a total washout thanks to their chemistry.

Overall, “Power Rangers” delivered exactly what it needed to be while also providing plenty of character depth in the process.  With its impressive cast, relatable characters and themes, good-looking CGI, and its sense of fun (with and without the suits), this latest version of the superhero team is, without a doubt, my absolute favorite version out of all of the other versions that came before it.  Yes, even the other Power Rangers movies that came out in the 90s.  Whether you’re a fan of the source material or not, I’m pretty sure that you’re going to have a fun time watching this film.  Go Go Power Rangers!

B+