Power Rangers

Two hours long and it takes them 90 minutes to finally don the costumes. That's the essence of "Power Rangers", a movie that offers plenty of buildup with a clumsy payoff. A lot of money and time went into the mo-cap, but there's something to be said about the fluidity of spandex fight scenes. And strangely enough, I think I liked it better while it was a generic superhero origin story, "Breakfast Club" archetypes and all. Even still, these are decent actors and they breathe life into a pretty weak script.

It's funny, I was never a Power Rangers fan growing up (though I certainly put in the effort) but I didn't end up liking this movie because of the writing; too much effort turning this into a serious teen drama and not focusing on the goofy appeal of the show. It was silly then and it should be now.

5/10

With the seemingly endless popularity of superheroes, robots, dinosaurs and gigantic monsters on the big screen, it was only a matter of time before a franchise where superheroes transform into gigantic robotic dinosaurs to battle gigantic monsters would be resurrected. That's right: everyone's favorite half-hour toy commercial from the '90s is back to kick nostalgic butt! The "Power Rangers" have been re-booted with a slickly made, big-budget popcorn flick that wants to remind you of your care-free childhood days spent in front of the TV. It also probably wants you to forget the atrocious 1995 film.

It almost works.

With a gang of fresh young faces in place, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers get back into action, sans the clumsy Mighty Morphin title. Also missing in action is a great deal of the trademark humor and inherent corniness that made the original series so much fun to watch, even long after most of us had grown up and out of it. In place of these elements are a stronger focus on character and backstory, as we not only get to know more about the teen titans, but also about their allies and enemies. Yep, even the Rangers' big-headed mentor Zordon and his haywire sidekick Alpha (played by Bryan Cranston and Bill Hader respectively) get some time to shine, as we learn more about how they came into contact with the power of the Rangers. Likewise, villainess Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks) is given ample time to roam and wreak havoc, as she murders her way across town in search of gold, all the while jamming some Social Distortion. We're a long way from after-school Fox TV, friends.

The kids all play variations of the characters we came to recognize in the original run. Here we have Jason/The Red Ranger, the natural leader and jock with a heart of gold, as played by Dacre Montgomery. Stealing nearly every scene is RJ Cyler as Billy/The Blue Ranger, a brainiac who proudly confesses to being on the spectrum. Naomi Scott steps into the role of Kimberly/The Pink Ranger. This version of Kimberly is a rebel and a frequent target of bullies (haters gon' hate). Rounding out the crew are Becky G as Trini/The Yellow Ranger and Ludi Lin as Zack/The Black Ranger. These characters feel slightly under-cooked in comparison to the three "leads." Trini and Zack both appear troubled and withdrawn, proud conformists who are tough as nails. A glimpse into their respective home lives gives each character a little more dimension. Together, the five teens must learn to work together if they are to stop Rita's plan to end all human life. In spite of the film's short-comings, all five actors are on point and keep things are lively as possible, even when the script fails them.

Most folks are going to come into a film like this expecting a super smash of monster on robot action, and although the back half of the film makes good on that promise, the hour and a half (!) that leads up to it might leave some viewers (especially the younger ones) a bit cold. While the increased focus on character is more than welcome (given how shallow the original series was), it gets a bit redundant a third of the way in. The new characters are established firmly from the start, but the story doesn't quite know how to advance from there, leaving the middle piece of the film a little laggy and repetitive. A lot of the story beats we've seen from other (and better) superhero films are repeated and to be quite honest, it gets hard not to tune out. When the slam-bang finale comes crashing down, it (mostly) quenches the thirst for big, goofy fun but not quite. The end result is a film that feels a little muddled, as if the committee that pieced it together didn't quite know what target audience they were trying to reach. Not as dumb as "Transformers" but not as fun as, say, "Guardians of the Galaxy," "Power Rangers" straddles the middle a little too comfortably. Or maybe these characters and their accompanying concepts work better in smaller doses. There's still some fun to be had here, make no mistake, but more often than not, it feels like these Rangers are operating with slightly diminished power.

A Super Sentai revival for the american public.

If anything, it is a well written character-drama, where those in charge of the script actually did their homework. So, in lieu of what it is delivering, it is okay that the actual "Power Rangers" come so late in the movie! At its core, it is more about a group of people, of friendship and of betterment.. not so much an cheese-action film.

Expectedly, it clashed with people's expectations, and it failed to respark the masses due to its tone, approach and lack of mass appeal. Instead, it seems it was made for those seeking a well developed set of diverse people in a specific superheroe setting, smartly focusing on performances and chimestry as to try and anchor the planned sequels. And when the campy sections finally arrive, there's a strange feeling of disconnect with the vehicle used for the message and what you came to watch.

If seen by the eyes of the average consumer and what to give them, it was a "disaster". A movie that was the product of the era it came out in. Evident in the overall designs, colors and more. But it is quite competent in most areas.. it just doesn't mesh well, which is one of the hardest parts of movie-making that involves hundreds of people working under one creative direction.

"Better With Bob?" made a very interesting video (YT) that helps this perspective .. if you feel like trying to take something away from it.

I saw lots of reviews for this movie, I guess most of those people are real Power Rangers fans. And i still can't realize: WHAT THE **** DID YOU EXPECT?!

This is a REBOOT. A completely new story, just like director said. This is the first movie in a new superhero franchise, and it needs to have a focus on the story and its characters, not on battles and morphing sequences. It's made for everybody except kids, because it's dark and much more serious than the TV show which was made mostly for kids. We have five teenagers and each of them has his own issues he needs to solve himself in order to become a hero (Power Ranger) and save the world. Every next situation in the movie makes our heroes closer to each other and stronger as a team.

I personally enjoyed watching this movie because it is dark, amazing, emotional, funny(of course not that much like the TV show), and has AWESOME introduction to the whole story and its main characters. I can only imagine what's planned for the sequel. CAN'T WAIT FOR THAT!!! #GO #GO #POWER #RANGERS

Acting is a little overdone, but then again so was the original. As a person who grew up with the show when it first aired, this rendition is meant to be another genesis story. Provide a little more background and bring it up to today's technological specs.

While I think it tried too hard and perhaps did try to take itself a bit too seriously, if you come in with an open mind about it, you'll be somewhat surprised and may find that you enjoy it. I found that the camera angles and cinematography was okay, but it had moments where it felt very cheesy.

If they could have picked up a really good director for action / sci-first (eg Whedon), we could have had a really excellent and fun movie. Alas, it falls slightly short of good. If you're looking for a bit of a campy movie with some good cheese factor, check it out. Otherwise, perhaps pass this one up.