Harry Situation Reviews: Power Rangers
Go, go Power Rangers?
More like no, no Power Rangers!
Yup, it's just as it sounds. This is an official Power Rangers movie of the popular action series of the same name, which was adapted from the popular Japanese show Super Sentai. The story is pretty simple. Five teenagers, who are looked upon as outcasts, are chosen to be the planet's greatest protectors known only as the Power Rangers. Under the mentorship of Zordon (played by Bryan Cranston) they must morph together in order to stop the wicked witch Rita Repulsa (played by Elizabeth Banks) from destroying their world. I was a big fan of Power Rangers as a kid when back in the day. Sure it was campy and ridiculous but it was also fun and kickass. That is to say I did not have big hopes for this movie. It looked like the Breakfast Club turned into Power Rangers, and I was right for the most part.
Let's start by getting the good stuff out of the way. The major positive this film has going is the actual Power Rangers themselves. These five actors actually pulled off amazing performances and they all managed to be likable. If they didn't this movie would have completely failed. I think my favorite is the Blue Ranger, whom I can relate to because we're both autistic. They also have really good chemistry with each other. There was a scene where they all sit around the campfire and they have a heart to heart moment just talking about their issues, and I really felt for them.
It was also cool they got Bryan Cranston to be Zordon, which he did a good job as. Fun fact, Bryan Cranston actually played a couple villains in the original Power Rangers series. Cool huh? Even a couple of the original Rangers make cameos in the movie, which I got a kick out of. I should also mention that Alpha-5 is in this too, and he's voiced by Bill Hader. I found him annoying in the show, and he's still annoying in this film.
I hope you enjoyed those positives because it's no mercy from here on. Let's talk about the villain. Holy shit. If you remember Rita from the original you remember how over-the-top she was as a villain and it was fun to watch. Elizabeth Banks brings that over-the-topness in her portrayal, which is kinda fun to watch. But when our main heroes are giving great performances and she just giving this really campy performance it comes off as really, really ridiculous that you can't take her seriously.
The Power Rangers series is famously known for their action but the action here comes off as stale. I was pretty bored through most of the film. It wasn't until when Rita forms Goldar and the Zords morph into the Megazord is where things got interesting for me. And this film did exactly what I feared it was going to do. They get their Power Rangers suits in the last act of the film. That sucks! We want to see them in their suits more not less! But for the most part there is no action. We get some training montages and then the big fight at the end, and that's it! Otherwise I was just bored throughout the movie, wishing for something to happen.
As for humor it's all over the place, and I mean that not in a good way. It ranges from flat to unintentional to inappropriate. I'll admit a few jokes got me to laugh and their were moments that I laughed too hard because it wasn't meant to be funny, but I was also silent throughout.
The editing was also the film's major flaw. I hate it when a movie does so many jump cuts in one scene alone and this film had one too many, especially the scenes revolving around Rita Repulsa.
Prosers, in the end this movie was just not good. For Power Rangers fans this is not worth your time or money. While there are some good moments and the five main actors are really good, it's not enough to save the film. This movie can go, go fuck itself!
Go, go grading scale!
Positives: Negatives:
-The Power Rangers -Rita's over-the-top portrayal
-Bryan Cranston -Boring
-Final act -Cliched dialogue
-Unintentional funny parts -Bad/inappropriate jokes
-Lack of real action
-Editing
-No real fun
Final Grade: D
Sad thing is that I know this movie is going to bank, which means they'll get a sequel later on. So that's my review of the new Power Rangers movie. Have you seen it? What are your thoughts? And to any Power Rangers fans on Prose, which series was your favorite, and which was your favorite Power Ranger? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and get out more reviews here on Prose!
Best Quote:
Jason Lee Scott/Red Ranger: "It's morphing time!"
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