Saban's Power Rangers

            What do you get when you take martial arts action, kaiju monsters, a monster of the week scenario, mecha anime, and put it all into a teenage sitcom? You get “Might Morphin Power Rangers.” Based on the Japanese show, “Super Sentai,” and produced by Saban Entertainment internationally, the show was about a group of teenagers with attitude, who are chosen to fight against the evil forces of the universe by carrying the mantle of the Power Rangers. Much like how “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” was a silly but successful concept, “Power Rangers” had the same effect on the next generation of young television viewers. Now, to be honest, I was never really much into the franchise, but I did grow up under siblings who were huge fans from when it started, so I was at least familiar with it to an extent.

            Of course, with every phenomenon, Hollywood MUST MAKE MONEY FROM IT! And so we received two “Power Rangers” movies in the 90’s, and a new reboot in today’s modern world. When trailers popped up, it made it look like it was going to be much of the same schlock we got from Michael Bay’s “Transformers” series…however, I can safely say, that is not the case.

            In this retelling of the original Ranger stories, we follow five teenagers living in Angel Grove, who find five coins hidden in the side of a canyon. They soon discover that these coins have given them super strength and agility, and that they must now carry on the mantle of the Power Rangers. With the guidance of Zordon and Alpha 5, they must learn how to harness their new abilities to take on the evil Rita Repulsa, before she resurrects her monster, Goldar.

            “Saban’s Power Rangers” gives me exactly what I wanted this movie to be. Unlike most movie reboots of TV shows, where they try to be serious or be failed comedies, Dean Israelite manages to showcase a proper balance of a serious tone and a sense of humor that feels in place with the film. It’s cheesy, like the show, but it’s the fun kind of cheese, and I just had a big smile on my face the whole way through. And as somebody who didn’t have that much of a connection to the show, that’s saying a lot.

            Now what makes this film work are two major things that the “Transformers” movies fail to do: proper action and characters that you grow attached to. With “Transformers,” there are several times when you look at these giant robots, and they feel weightless, so it doesn’t suck you into the action, and other times you can’t even tell what the hell is going on, with the shaky camera work that gives you a headache. “Power Rangers,” while it has some shaky cam, you can still tell what is happening on screen, and you still get a sense of weight with what’s on screen, as opposed to watching some cheap video game cutscene. The hits look, sound, and feel genuine, and you feel the concern when you see these character get hurt.

            This brings us to the characters. As for our five actors playing the Rangers, I thought they did pretty well with what they were given. Sure, they may not all be 100% accurate to the original cast of Rangers, but I still found them to be good characters to follow. Darce Montgomery as Jason the Red Ranger and Naomi Scott as Kimberly the Pink Ranger were good leads; RJ Cyler as Billy the Blue Ranger and Ludi Lin as Zack the Black Ranger were hilarious; and Becky G as Trini the Yellow Ranger was interesting and mysterious. I also welcomed the kind of diversity that they brought to the Rangers that didn’t feel forced in your face and distracting. It felt in tune with what the film was going for, and focused mainly on one major thing: these characters and their interactions with one another.

            When it comes to Alpha 5 and Zordon, Bill Hader and Bryan Cranston were great. Even if they were simply doing voiceover, you feel the bond that these two share between each other. You feel that they’ve had a strong bond for a long time, and both actors bring that out very nicely. Hell, I’ll even admit that Bill Hader made Alpha 5 one of the best characters in the movie, because he adds his signature comedic flare to it. Richard Horvitz would be proud, to say the least. Also, interesting to see Bryan Cranston come full circle with his career, considering one of his first ever jobs was working on the original series voicing some of the putties, and is now playing Zordon. I also liked the idea of having Zordon being a former Ranger, because it adds a stronger connection and reasoning as to why he would want the Rangers to continue on.

            However, the most entertaining part of the movie was Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa. Honestly, I don’t know how there’s still scenery left after her scenes, because she chews it constantly. She just goes all out with this role and has fun with it, and you can tell by the look in her eyes. She’s creepy, she’s dangerous, and she’s just so entertaining to watch. I liked the decision of making her the former Green Ranger, as opposed to the random alien overlord, mostly because it makes her more of a threat to the new Ranger team, knowing their history and everything and adding a darker sense to the character. They even manage to explain one of the biggest plot holes of the show: why did Rita always attack Angel Grove? Well, this movie gives a good reason for it, but I won’t spoil it.

            Is there anything that I didn’t like about the movie? Well, it is a flawed script where some lines felt out of place, and there were some character arcs that weren’t as strong as others, especially with Zack’s arc. There’s also a big joke in the story that, while it does feel in tone with the story, it still feels very stupid. Again, no spoilers, but just saying. I also thought the way the Megazord transformed was pretty lazy, because it doesn’t indicate how it forms together and chooses to form behind a big wall of fire. Lastly, I kind of wished the fight with the Megazord was a bit longer, but that’s just me.

            Aside from that, "Saban's Power Rangers" was cheesy, but it's the good kind of cheese. If you’re a fan of “Power Rangers” since the “Mighty Morphin” era, you’re going to have a good time. Even if you’re not a fan, I guarantee you’re still going to enjoy it as a fun popcorn flick. And with plans for an upcoming sequel, I guarantee you I’ll be looking forward to it.

Rating: 8/10