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

KONG: Skull Island

            With the success of Legendary Pictures’ take on “Godzilla,” it would make sense that the studio would attempt to bring a new take on a classic giant monster to life. Maybe more creatures in the “Godzilla” universe, or…maybe it could try an attempt to resurrect another giant monster we all know. Like say…KING KONG MAYBE?!

            Yes, people, Legendary Pictures set out to bring forth King Kong onto the big screen again, over a decade after Peter Jackson’s 2005 epic remake. However, instead of redoing the same story we always do with King Kong, we decide to go into full on B-movie territory and have fun with this creature, so we can build up to “King Kong vs. Godzilla.”

            At the tail-end of the Vietnam War, a group of scientists and a squadron of soldiers are sent to investigate the uncharted territory known as Skull Island. What they find there is an island full of oversized monsters and their guardian, Kong. After the team separates, we now have one side that wants to take the big ape down, and another side that believes there’s more to this than they think.

            Now, the question is, did I like the movie? Well…look, I know this film was supposed to be a B-movie, so perfection was not on its mind, but I still felt the film was a bit underwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, I like the film fine, but I just wished that it was a bit more of the fun blockbuster I was hoping it’d be from what we saw in the trailers. Or if they were going to do things a little more serious, you could have gone completely in the tonal direction of the previous “Godzilla” movie.

            I know the film is supposed to go for the whole classic B-movie monster adventure flick, so not everything is going to be top notch and you want to save the monster scenes sparingly, but I can’t really have fun with it, if I’m not enjoying the characters. While it does have an all-star cast attached to it,  powerhouse character actors like Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, that…kid from “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” and Toby Kebbel, they play such generic stereotypes in such a flimsy script that it doesn’t give them much to play around. For instance, Toby Kebbel’s character is on his own, and he witnesses Kong and the skullcrawlers before they’re introduced into the movie, but he’s killed off so it makes you ask, what was the point of him being there. Tom Hiddleston’s character is said to be this ultimate badass tracker, but with how bland his performance is, you could have easily cast it with someone else like Shia Labouf or any of the expendable cast members from “The Walking Dead,” and it wouldn’t have made a lick of difference. Same with Brie Larson, who plays this Vietnam War photographer…and that’s it. Come on, you’ve got an Oscar winning actress in your hands, and you don’t do anything with her?!

            Despite this, there are three actors that make the film enjoyable. Two of them are John Goodman and Samuel L. Jackson. These two are such powerhouse actors that whenever they pop up on screen, they just dominate the scene, and when they’re both in a scene going back and forth with one another, between escaping to prove monsters exist and one wanting to stay and fight the monster to the bitter end, it really makes for some interesting scene work. And the third actor that makes the film enjoyable is John C Reilly, who plays a WWII pilot who crashed on Skull Island and had been stuck there since. Considering he appears when Hiddleston and Larson’s team show up, he adds a good balance of enjoyment to be had with each team now, even if it only comes from one or two people. May not be much, but I’ll take what I can get.

            The film is also incredible to look at. It has the feel of a classic old Vietnam film, like “Apocalypse Now!” Hell, people have been dubbing the film “Apocalypse Kong,” and fittingly so. I especially love the shots when Kong is on screen, where he stands in front of the setting sun or full moon and he’s silhouetted, or when he’s towering over someone and you’re looking through that person’s POV, it looks incredible. They really knew how to make Kong look like a massive force of nature to be feared. Some of the monsters are also pretty cool...although, much like how the MUTO looked like a mix between Mothra and the Cloverfield monster, the skullcrawlers look like a mix between the creepers from “Code Lyoko” and the skull-monkeys from “The Neverhood” series, so it loses points of originality. But at least Kong has more screentime than Godzilla did.

            Overall, is “Kong: Skull Island” a film worth seeing? Yeah, but I wouldn’t recommend paying full price for it. It’s worth renting, especially since it does establish Kong in the Godzilla universe by the end, but unless you want to feel the full emphasis of Kong on the biggest screen you can find, I’d say see it at a low matinee. It’s disappointing to say the least.

Rating 6/10

Logan

            Ladies and gentlemen, after over 17 years, the era of the Wolverine has come to an end. “Logan,” the latest film in the “X-Men” franchise has been released, meaning that Hugh Jackman will no longer be playing the character that made him a household name. Does it feel like a fitting conclusion? Well, before we go into that, let’s discuss a few things.

            Ever since the dawn of the millennium, Hugh Jackman has been the man unleashing the blades of the Clawed-Canadian, and not one actor has dared to even offer to carry on the torch for him. Even in brief cameos in the new timeline trilogy and “Deadpool,” he’s always been there. Of course, with Wolverine’s popularity at a high, mostly because of Jackman, surely he’d receive his own solo film. That is something that happened, but instead, he got his own trilogy.

            The first of the “Wolverine Trilogy” is “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” released in 2009, directed by Gavin Hood. And looking back on it…it’s not that good. Granted, I didn’t think the film was AWEFUL and unbearable to sit through. I thought it had some fun moments here and there, and I do think one of the best aspects of it was the inclusion of Liev Schrieber as Sabertooth. His chemistry with Jackman, including the element of making the two brothers, was a great contrast that adds to the rivalry…just kind of wish the rest of the film was as good as that. Everything else is crap, crap, and mega crap.

            The second installment, “The Wolverine” directed by James Mangold, took to adapting the Wolverine in Japan story from the comics, which discusses Logan contemplating his immortality, and trying to protect the granddaughter of an important ally of his from WWII. Not only was the action better, but everything else was brought up to a much higher level than the last film. The action, the narrative, the performances, it almost feels like the Wolverine movie that we wanted. Sure, there were some hiccups in the story, especially near the end, as it still being toned to PG-13, despite being filmed for an R rating, but it was a step in the right direction.

            When the announcement of a third Wolverine movie was coming out, and after “Deadpool” showed us R rated Marvel movies can still be successful as hell, it was confirmed that this third movie would be R rated. Meaning, it was going to be dark, violent, and really ballsy…however, what we weren’t expecting was Hugh Jackman to say this would be his final performance as Wolverine.

            So, is “Logan” the swan song that Hugh Jackman wanted it to be for fans? Well, I’m not going to lie…not only is “Logan” good, it’s a film where the more I think about it, the more I love it.

            In the year 2029, mutants are essentially an endangered minority, as Logan is one of the few left in the world. However, because of the adamantium, his body has become poisoned and his healing factor is getting slower and slower, making him less capable of fighting back. Soon enough, a little girl named Laura comes into his life, being hunted by officials that want her weaponized. Now Logan and a sick and dying Charles Xavier must get Laura across the Canadian border, before this game of cat and mouse gets them all killed.

            Not only does “Logan” work as a superhero film, it works as an incredible western and family road drama. You have this journey of these three people traveling across the country, mostly desert and open ground, trying to escape government officials that are up to no good, and you see the chemistry between the three of them build up and pay off in one of the most emotional experiences I’ve ever seen on screen. With the kind of praise that critics have been giving it, I now completely understand why they would suggest this as an early Best Picture contender. James Mangold not only proves his absolute excellence as an action director, but in terms of drama, he handles it better than we gave credit for.

            And may I say, this is easily the best acted of not just the “X-Men” series, but one of the best acted action movies I've seen thus far. Hugh Jackman delivers his best performance as Logan, and I’d dare say it’s worthy of an Oscar nomination. You see the emotions that he’s struggling with, both from his time of seeing so much hell on this earth happen and seeing people he loved taken from him, time and time again. That emotional baggage catches up to him, and with his body starting to fall apart, it’s even more emphasized. Even in moments when he has to set his claws loose, it takes a drastic toll on him, and you fear that this moment could be his last. It’s the most human that you feel out of the character in so long. Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier also gives a performance that had me close to tears several times. When you first see him in this movie, you feel so helpless that he’s reduced to such a horrible condition, and how it’s lead him to do things that completely break his spirit. He takes it upon himself that he’s hurt people worse than anyone could ever imagine, and that he doesn’t deserve the generosity that Logan continues to give him since, despite him being the only true sense of connection he has left with the other X-Men. He really does have the most heart breaking scenes in the movie, and whenever he and Jackman work off of each other, it truly emphasizes the father-son relationship that they’ve had since day one.

            However, the true scene stealer is from Laura aka X-23. For those who don’t know, X-23 was a character that was originally created for the cartoon “X-Men Evolution,” but instead of being a teenager, they make her into a child. I honestly thought it was good decision to go with, and Dafne Keen, in her film debut, is absolutely incredible. She’s mostly silent in the film, allowing her physical actions to carry the performance, and she does it magnificently. It reminded me a lot of the acting levels of Tom Hardy and Ryan Gosling, someone who can carry a performance with very few words, but deliver the same or more emotion with just their eyes alone. Much like how Jackman and Stewart share a great father-son connection, Keen adds that element of a daughter to the mix better than I was expecting. You truly feel that heavy mix of frustration and concern with all three of them, and not once does it ever feel dull.

            While I do love the film, I do have one complaint, which is more of a nitpick, honestly. I didn’t really like who Wolverine fights in the end, because it feels like a cheap cop-out. I was kind of hoping that the climax would feature Liev Schrieber as Sabertooth, allowing the whole Wolverine/Sabertooth storyline to finally come full circle and conclude…but we didn’t really get that. But that’s just a nitpick.

            Yeah, I have to say, I truly love “Logan” and I would dare even say it's become one of my favorite comic book movies. With its action, characters, storyline, and the heavy emotion that was brought to all of that, I feel like it’s a film that is going to mark a major change for the superhero genre. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” you have some new heavy competition.

Rating: 10/10