We're Power Rangers?

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Submitted by JK Elison on Fri, 03/24/2017 - 00:01

Growing up I was a closet POWER RANGERS fan. When the show originally debuted, it was not cool in any way shape or form to like the show, talk about the show, or admit that you watched the show. So I sat in the corner and watched over my younger sister's shoulder as she watched the awesome martial arts, cool armor, and massive Zords (the prehistoric themed vehicles) clash with Rita's army. And I rolled my eyes. Because if you were going to be in the same room as a TV airing POWER RANGERS, you must roll your eyes.

And true to form, there was much eye rolling during the POWER RANGERS feature film as well. This movie is epically bad, and I mean that in the best possible way. The dialogue is downright awful, the characters' backstory is crammed down our throats, the rag-tag, shakey camera angles are horrific at times, and the movie takes a good 45 plus minutes to settle into something that resembles the POWER RANGERS. But this movie is the Power Rangers at its very core.

Underneath all the insanity and heavy handed story, there are some endearing moments, decent humor, and a huge nostalgic link to the source material. This movie didn't stray too far from its roots, and for that reason I think the diehard fans will still enjoy this adaptation. And despite the rough around the edges feel of this film, the one thing they got glaringly right was Rita. Elizabeth Banks stole the show on this one. She was Rita to her very core, and every scene she was in was pure gold (pun intended). Banks was deliciously evil, crazed, and downright fantastic. I'd pay to see a whole movie just about Rita Repulsa.

All the ridiculousness aside, there is one other major pro for this movie and that was the diverse representation in the characters. They've formed a solid group of teens who showed so many angles and views in the world today. We got everything from different ethnicities, gender and sexual identifications, and even a Ranger who is on the autism spectrum. Power Rangers was always about a group of kids, from all different walks of life, coming together to share a common goal, and that's one thing the movie did make happen.

And for a long time fan, even a closet one, this adaptation is still one to check out, even if it only lives up to a 3.5 / 5.