'Power Rangers' - Review - It doesnt betray the core values of the franchise!

7.3/10

Whenever Hollywood attempts to reboot a beloved, pre-existing property on the big screen, it always feels more or less reconstructed in a way to be more accessible for all kinds of audiences (so they can get maximum profit), and less specific than the original incarnation may have ever been. The best thing that can be said about 2017’s Power Rangers then - Saban and Lionsgate’s new attempt at bringing the iconic title back to life as a large scale blockbuster - is that it doesn’t ever feel like it betrays the core values of the legendary Power Rangers franchise.

That may be a disappointing selling point of the film though for those who have never quite connected to the property in the first place but are going in expecting it to be a much different or darker approach than its predecessors. So make no mistake, this Power Rangers is still just as campy and cheesy as the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, only difference being is it just looks much better than that early ’90s version could ever be. To put it simply, this is very much a film for the old school fans out there who always wondered what the Power Rangers might of looked like if the budget for the special effects and action sequences matched the ambition of them.

Taking place in the small town of Angel Grove, the film follows the same basic structure of the original ’90s incarnation, telling the story of what happens when five very different and seemingly unconnected high schoolers stumble upon an ancient spaceship buried underneath their town. Discovered with it are five specially coloured alien discs, one for each of the kids, that turn them into super-powered beings, stronger and faster than any normal person could be.

Those kids are high school football star Jason Scott (Dacre Montgomery), the nerdy and antisocial Billy Cranston (RJ Cyler), former popular girl Kimberly Hart (Naomi Scott), the impulsive and seemingly crazy Zack Taylor (Ludi Lin), and Angel Grove’s resident quiet new girl Trini Kwan (Becky G.).

Like most origin stories, the film opens up at specific turning points in all of their lives; Jason after a recent high school prank has left him under house arrest and banned from the football team, and Kimberly after a mean-spirited act has left her without any of her former friends.
None of the characters feel particularly accepted or understood by anyone, until they all find each other in the exact same place at the same time, and are given gifts most kids could only ever dream of receiving (trust me I was one of them kids). Of course, those gifts do come with a certain responsibility, as they learn that they have been chosen to be Earth’s newest team of Power Rangers - an ancient order of superpowered beings that have fought to protect the planet since the dawn of time. Their line of defence, coincidentally enough, begins and ends in Angel Grove, where a special crystal is buried and what happens to be the source of all life on the planet, and which they must defend against the forces who might seek to destroy it.

In case that kind of pressure wasn’t already enough, they quickly learn that they are the first team of Power Rangers in about 65 million years, and that their discovery could not have come at a better time. With the villainous, ancient Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks) awakening from her slumber - hell-bent on destroying all life on the planet with the help of her giant golden monster named Goldar - they must learn to harness their morphin powers before Rita has the chance to complete her mission. This includes bonding with each other and becoming a fully-functioning team in order for them to learn how to “morph” and acquire control over their Ranger armor.

Luckily they are not alone in their quest and are guided by Zordon (Bryan Cranston), a former Ranger himself whose consciousness lives on the ship buried underneath Angel Grove, and Zordon’s robot assistant, Alpha 5 (voiced by Bill Hader). Both actors feel particularly perfect for their roles, with Hader bringing his usual charm and wit as the supportive and easily excitable Alpha 5, and Cranston using his signature grit and wisdom to try and lead the team towards victory against Repulsa, a former foe that he is determined to defeat.

While the film tries its best to give each of the Rangers their own specific problems and pasts, it’s clear which of the five interest the filmmakers the most. Montgomery, Cyler, and Scott all get the most to do throughout, with each bringing a large amount of likability and spirit to roles that might have otherwise been bland or boring if played by the wrong actors. Cyler, in particular, stands out as the most charismatic of the bunch - so much so that it’s not hard to see why Billy’s character ends up feeling like the heart of the film by the time it reaches the end of its second act.

Meanwhile, Trini and Zack do wind up playing like odd members of the team, introduced later than the other three and given far less to do emotionally as they are. It’s hard to say if it’s the fault of Ludi Lin and Becky G., or the film’s script, but the two characters just never come together as organic parts of the cast like the others do. That divide especially shows through when the duo just can’t quite hold their own in a scene near the middle of the film, where the team begins to open up about their problems while sitting around a campfire.

Similarly, Elizabeth Banks is weirdly miscast as Rita Repulsa, one of the original and most beloved villains in Power Rangers lore. Already a cheesy character, Banks doesn’t just go over the top with her performance - she actually goes a little too far. Unlike the rest of the characters and performances in the film, which each feel rooted in a very specific emotional place, Rita can’t quite help coming across like an oddly comedic foe rather than a sinister and fearsome one.

As a result, Power Rangers can struggle to find the right tone at times, especially during the muddled and haphazardly-paced middle section when the team are training. Occasionally, the film manages to capture the sense of wonder and joy that audiences want from their superhero origin stories, but this also clashes noticeably with the much slower and leisurely-paced opening act. It’s only during the final 30 minutes or so that Power Rangers feels like it manages to perfectly nail its blend of campy fun and emotional stakes in a final battle that is as visually exciting as it is well-staged and executed.

On that same note, director Dean Israelite and screenwriter John Gatins are never afraid to have fun with this film, and that feels like it should be applauded. This is not by any means the “serious” version of Power Rangers like we’ve seen so many recent blockbuster reboots try to do with their properties, and as a whole it succeeds because of the clear love and energy brought to it by everyone involved.

Coming off the mildly inventive sci-fi found-footage film Project Almanac, Israelite is the latest young filmmaker to be seemingly plucked from obscurity and given the opportunity to prove his worth through the means of large scale, blockbuster filmmaking. The result isn’t a perfect blockbuster by any means, as the emotional aspects of Power Rangers do struggle to come through from time to time. But Israelite directs both the super-powered action scenes and mundane days of his characters’ lives in such an equally dynamic and spirited manner that he seems like the perfect person to bring Power Rangers to life for a whole new generation.

I don’t know if he or anyone else involved in the film were fans of the property before they were hired to be involved in this new version, but it feels like they were, and Power Rangers is better off because of it.