Power Rangers: Once & Always

Like a lot of people, Power Rangers was the one show I couldn't miss after school. From the days of Rita and Zedd to the final battle that led to all the original villains like them as well as King Mondo and the Machine Empire, Divatox, Elgar, Astronema, Dark Specter and so many more being either destroyed or turned good due to Zordons great and ultimate sacrifice, this show seems corny some that didn't grow up watching it but to those that did, it's a time machine that I'm grateful to have. So when I heard about this movie and saw the trailer, I was ready to revisit a big piece of my childhood at least one more time.

For me, Power Rangers Once and Always didn't disappoint for the most part. There was great nostalgic moments and I truly felt like I did as a child where I watched to see if Rita would finally succeed in some way as she executed her master plan to finally destroy the Power Rangers and conquer the galaxy like she first attempted to do back in 1993.

The movie was shorter than I expected at a runtime of 58 minutes considering Power Rangers The Movie from 1995 was 1 hour and 30 minutes long and Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie from 1997 was 1 hour and 40 minutes. But I reminded myself that this is more of a reunion show so I treated it as a special double episode event. The plot and execution was really great to watch with some very interesting surprises and Easter eggs along the way for longtime fans. The acting at times was a bit shaky or corny but thats how it was even back then so this was one of the rare times that it still worked for me. The way they showed dedication and appreciation to the late and great original actors Thuy Trang (Trini) and Jason David Frank (Tommy) was very special to see to say the least. I don't want to ruin anything but I will say the scene right before the credits roll was absolutely perfect to honor them, the other original Rangers regardless if they were in this film or not and I felt it was also a nice little thank you to the fans that have watched from the beginning regardless if they've seen the first season in 1993 or recently.

Power Rangers for me was one of the things that got me through some difficult times as I was in the hospital a lot due to receiving a Liver Transplant in 1989. Once in 1995 when I was in the hospital for tests, a family friend gave my Mom, Sister and I box seats to see Power Rangers Live in Toronto. I still have my ticket stub. It was an incredible experience I remember to this very day.

I have had my transplant for 33 years (I'm 34) and one of the things that helped me escape the sounds of my IV, medical monitors and the hospital overall was watching Power Rangers when I could. Thats why even at the age of 33, the original seasons still mean so much to me today. I'm currently waiting for my 2nd transplant as this liver is slowing down, so this reunion was a reminder of what Power Rangers did for me during the tough and scary times. I'll always be grateful to everyone involved with the show and for the fans that helped keep it alive for those reasons and more. Thank you for this little trip down memory lane and I truly hope other longtime fans enjoy this as much as I did.

My overall rating is 7/10.

Just finished watching this, i was 10 years old when i watched the original series so i was looking forward to seeing this for nostalgic reasons. I wasn't expecting to be blown away but I was really disappointed with the outcome. It seemed very rushed and lacking in charm, the zords CGI was like something out of a cheap B-Movie and I found Minh to be a really annoying character. I would have given this a 3 but the extra star was out of respect for those rangers we lost. It was nice to have a memory jog but that is really all this is. I'm sure there will be a lot of fans feeling the same way, just dont get your hopes up and you'll be fine.

Growing up watching this from the very beginning as a child I thought it was brilliant how they kept so well to the original and thought the modernised special effects made it even better. To include everything we remember from the original series as well as how the show progressed I found very clever. Still has the same cheesiness to it that it always had but it wasn't overdone, wouldn't be Power Rangers without the corny sound effects! All in all, as a 34 year old man who grew up living the Power Rangers, I'm proud to admit I enjoyed it a lot and it made me feel like a little kid again. To see all the old cast again made me feel extremely old but was a nice blast from the past, everyone basically just got chubbier!

More or less exactly what you'd expect of a one-hour special celebrating 30 years of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, for better or for worse. Once & Always may have a serious subject at its core, but it still remembers to have plenty of fun. There's playful martial arts action, weird monster villains, and colourful settings galore. As one would expect from a 30th-anniversary special, it goes hard on the nostalgia, I can't be the only one who started jamming the moment the theme song kicked into overdrive. As with MMPR, Once & Always embrace its cheesiness but with its emotional core brings about a truly heartwarming reunion special that despite the real-world loss of two of its stars, never feels like it's taking advantage of them, merely respecting them even as our cast mourn their losses.

An extremely wholesome special that delivers on the Power Rangers goodness we all loved, Once & Always is a real special of a special. Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger.

I never thought I would ever write a review about a Power Rangers show, but hey, I can actually recommend watching this reunion special!

Honestly, you don't even have to be an actual fan to enjoy these 55 minutes.

Is it cheesy? Sure! Does it have some awkward one-liners? Of course it has, it's Power Rangers! Does the 90s nostalgia hit you right in the face and bring back childhood memories (which also make you feel really old at the same time)? Absolutely!

BUT on top of that, it's so much better than the show which was Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in 1993. You can tell that in contrast to the TV show, the returning cast members and the crew deeply cared for this production. (Although to be fair, never seasons like Beast Morphers and Dino Fury have improved immensely compared to the past!) There's lots of fan service in the best way and not at the expanse of the story. In fact, the story is so tightly-knit and moves at a fast pace (without feeling rushed) to fit everything that happens into 55 minutes.

In contrast to the TV show, where nobody ever died and stayed dead, this reunion special has real stakes and consequences, and after 30 years in which they were never allowed to use the words "kill" or "die" on this show, these words suddenly become quite meaningful.

The special is still suitable for the target audience of the TV show, aka primary school kids, but you can tell it's mainly made for these 90s kids who are in their late thirties or even older now. As another fan pointed out: It's wild seeing these weapons suddenly CUT INTO opponents instead of just slashing past and causing some sparks which sent the monsters flying.

So, if you are up for a nostalgia trip into your childhood, go watch this 55 minutes special. I definitely had fun (and also shed some tears).