Power Rangers – Unpopped Review
My most anticipated movie of 2017 is finally here and I couldn’t be more excited. So let’s relive my early 90’s childhood nostalgia as I review the newly release Power Rangers.
Power Rangers is about a group of kids stumbling upon a strange and ancient power. They then must harness the power to become the new protectors of the Earth. You know, that classic tale.
The Good
Even though each character is vastly different than their TV counterparts, the personalities that were chosen are perfect. I’d even say that I like these versions more than the TV show! Jason is more than just cool, Billy is more than just a nerd, Kimberly is more than just a cheerleader, and Zordon is more than just a mentor in a giant glass bottle. Each character is fresh and interesting while still paying homage to the original characters.
And speaking of the characters, I think that I should spend a moment to solely talk about Rita Repulsa. Elizabeth Banks as Rita is absolutely fantastic! This is the best way I can explain it: in Suicide Squad the Enchantress was incredible in the beginning when she was like an ancient Mayan goddess, but once she cleaned up, put on a dress, and did a silly dance, she lost all likability. Rita starts off much like the Enchantress did, very dirty and mystical. However, instead of getting worse as the movie went on, she became better. She was hamming up her scenes in the best way possible. Honestly, everyone in Power Rangers was great, but Rita was on another level that was uniquely her own.
The tone is a little uneven, but almost in a perfect kind of way. Power Rangers is a children’s TV show which can make it tough to age up properly. So while they did make Power Rangers more adult friendly, there are still plenty of corny and cheesy parts for kids and fans of the show. While this could be seen as uneven and sloppy, what it really allows is for both audiences to find something they enjoy.
Power Rangers is filled with the best kind of nostalgia. There are so many moments that literally made me jump for joy seeing the Power Rangers on such a large and grand scale.
The Ehh
While I enjoyed many parts and scenes in the movie, there are some cinematic choices that make the movie hard to follow. Many non-action scenes take place in the dark almost completely obscured by shadow. This makes it hard to make out the actors facial expressions. Luckily most of the action takes place in the daylight. But then it is cut together far too quickly. This makes it is hard to know exactly where everyone is and what’s happening.
The action is still fun and exciting, just hard to follow. The best example of this is during the last big fight sequence. Of the 5 Dinozords, you only get a clean look at maybe 2 of them. The action moves so quickly that you never get a chance to distinguish what they are. If it wasn’t for the TV show, I’d never know that the Black Ranger has a Mastodon or the Yellow is a Sabertooth Tiger.
There are some plot points that felt more like filler than actual story. There are a couple scenes in Power Rangers that could be completely cut out without any consequence to the story. They fill time and do provide some character development, but it’s so little that it just seemed like more of a waste than anything else.
Recommendation
Overall Power Rangers is the best kind of fun. Does it have some problem, most definitely. But I feel that most of the issues could easily be addressed by a director or cinematographer change. And because of that I’m super excited to see if they end up making a sequel. If you loved or even casually watched the TV show then this is going to fill your childhood heart with joy. So I’d say that if you like the TV show then Power Rangers is definitely worth your time to see in theaters and officially I’ll give it a 3.5 out of 5.
See in Theaters
So that’s what I thought of Power Rangers, what did you think? And what 90’s TV show would you love to be made into a movie with a big budget? I’d personally love to see Beast Wars, as long as Michael Bay isn’t involved. So let me know in the comments below. Don’t forget to follow me on Movie-blogger.com, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, my comedy podcast In Air Quotes, and remember to always keep it unpopped!
