(PHOTO PROVIDED VIA GOOGLE)

WARNING: THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS...SORRY

STARRING:

Dacre Montjamery as Jason (Red Ranger)

Noami Scott as Kimberly (Pink Ranger)

RJ Cyler as Billy (Blue Ranger)

Ludi Lin as Zack (Black Ranger)

Becky G as Trini (Yellow Ranger)

Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa

Bryan Cranston as Zordon

Bill Hader as Alpha 5 (voice)

CAMEOS:

Jason David Frank

Amy Jo Johnson

I, just like so many, was a Power Rangers fan growing up. I was more into the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers up until Power Rangers Zeo then any of the other seasons. Besides I also grew up and as the series continued, I lost interest. Probably due to the series being incredibly repetitive. I did try to get ready for this movie though and I attempted to go back to the series and rewatch it from the first season. Did anyone realize that each season has like 60 episodes in it. That's 20 years of super long seasons. I was able to get through season one, but barely made it into season two. I pretty much wanted to be reminded on how Tommy Oliver became the White Ranger. I found it to be a chore to watch the series again as an adult.

I then skipped to the 1995 movie, which is still tough to watch as an adult. It was just all very cheesy and corny. But remember this was all meant for children, not an adult looking for a nostalgic moment to rehash on characters.

THE POWER RANGERS

A big difference from the original series is that the rangers were not friends from the beginning. They pretty much find each other through circumstance. They all go to Angel Grove High School but move in different circles. Jason is the star quarterback who continues to make poor decisions. Kimberly is cheerleader who has fallen from the top. Billy is a genius that is "on the spectrum." Zack hardly goes to school so that he can care for his sick mother. Trini is an outsider who keeps to herself. They all begin to cross paths in a Breakfast Club type scenario during Saturday detention.

I don't find myself minding this so much. In fact I welcomed it. One of the things I found annoying about the original TV show was how perfect and happy they all seemed all the time. Again, it was a kids show. But this brought the team down to Earth a little bit.

Another difference I liked from the new movie is that once they received these new powers, they actually needed to train and figure out how they work. Zordon actually grew frustrated with them because they had such a hard time doing so. In the series, the rangers got their powers and just knew how everything worked when it came to their abilities, weapons and zords. Again, it was a kid's show. But I still found this annoying when I was young. The rangers really don't become the rangers until just before the final battle. It was a tough journey for them and I loved that they showed that.

The team came together well and I liked how each actor played off of each other. I honestly want to see how their story develops. It is clear that Billy is the heart and sole of the team. Yes, Jason is the leader and he is accepted as the leader. But Billy is the one who inspired them. Without his sacrifice, the team would not have truly realized what they all had in each other.

ZORDON AND ALPHA 5

Okay, here's a big spoiler. Zordon was the original Red Ranger 65 million years ago. The dude is crazy old. I love the back story given to Zordon and that they let us know him a little. I love how he isn't just some weird floating head that just seems to know everything. This version of Zordon feels not only anger and frustration, but also fear. He desperately wants to be able to save the world from Rita and he hates that his essence is stuck in a wall. This was a huge upgrade on the character and he is finally interesting.

(PHOTO PROVIDED VIA GOOGLE)

The same goes for Alpha 5. The 2017 version of Alpha 5 actually had a part in training the new Rangers. He had some fighting chops. The original version was not capable of doing so. He was funny at times and he was the first person (android) to say the words "Go, Go Power Rangers." He was a fun part of the movie.

RITA REPULSA

Rita was the original Green Ranger in the new movie's lore. She was once a great part of the team who Zordon felt very close to as a friend. Then she "turned to the dark side" and betrayed her team. She killed all of the old Rangers 65 million years ago. She was power hungry and searched for the Zeo Crystal in order to guarantee supreme rule over the universe. Again with another great improvement from the original content. I was worried going into the movie on how the new version of Rita would be portrayed. But it worked well. Rita was the one who had the Green Power coin in the original series and turned Tommy Oliver into her evil Ranger. It just makes more sense for her to be the original Green Ranger in the new movie. She had a real reason to be in possession of it and it's not just something that she decided to put into play after being defeated 40 times by the Rangers. Giving the character an actual story arc instead of just wanting to destroy the world worked out much better.

LASTING IMPRESSIONS

I enjoyed the movie more than I thought I would. I was not intending to sound like I was bashing the original series, but I felt that we needed to have a comparison to really figure the movie out. I enjoyed the camoes from Amy Jo Johnson and Jason David Frank. I would give the movie a 3.5 out of 5 stars. It was a fun movie and I would see the sequel if and when it is released. It was not a great movie by any means, but not bad at all either.

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