I've got good news and bad news. Here, there is dual cause for celebration, and dread. The good news: In "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie," the Saban-backed children's television commodity-turned-feature-length movie is pretty much everything fans of the awesome color-coded defenders of good could ever want. The bad news is, that's about it. This big-budget feature-length movie plays out pretty much like an extended version of the television show, and doesn't really offer much - to outsiders or the hardcore fans accustomed to the high-kicking action and special effects.
As a fan of the Power Rangers from about 1994-1996 when I was between the ages 9 and 11 (the movie features the best and most popular cast from the television series, when Power Rangers were at their peak), I was one who eagerly waited in anticipation for a "Power Rangers" movie. I collected the toys, and I watched the show almost religiously on weekday afternoons on Fox Kids. Believe me when I finally saw the movie, I was blown away.
In 2007, I'm 21; I've grown up. But I've still found myself attached to a lot of stuff from my more youthful years; Power Rangers aren't one of them. Some of it's because I haven't watched the show since the cast from the '94-'96 season changed, and a recent viewing of "Movie" offers little to a former fan. Maybe it's because I, like my favorite high-kicking teenagers, grew up.
As a youth, it's easy to fall in love with this stuff. You got cool-looking characters, really bad guys, lots of kung-fu action, crazy plots, cheesy dialogue, and explosions and stuff. If you're an adolescent into things that go BOOM!, you're in the right place. I was one such adolescent with a big imagination and wished he had awesome morphing powers like his heroes. Some parents even got angry because they believed "Rangers" taught kids to fight out their problems rather than talking them out. Please.
If you were into the show, you remember that six teenagers of the fictional city Angel Grove, California, were chosen by the being Zordon to become the hyper-charged Power Rangers, ninja-like warriors sworn to defeat evil everywhere it reared its ugly head, with awesome powers and their Zords - gigantic machines that represented prehistoric animals that could be used to fight their enemies in kaiju-style showdowns. Aisha (Karan Ashley) became the (second) Yellow Ranger, Adam (Johnny Yong Bosch) became the (second) Black Ranger, Rocky (Steve Cardenas) became the (second) Red Ranger, Tommy (Jason David Frank) became the White Ranger, Kimberly (Amy Jo Johnson) became the Pink Ranger, and Billy (David Yost) became the Blue Ranger; Billy was always my favorite. Together, they defined teamwork and were perfectly suited to fight off the extraterrestrial and domestic evils that threatened mankind.
In "Movie," Ivan Ooze (Paul Freeman, chewing up all his scenery) is freed from a 6000-year imprisonment when Angel Grove construction workers accidentally stumble onto his lair. The nefarious Lord Zedd and his motor-mouth wife Rita Repulsa and their two minions Goldar and Mordant go to meet him and allow his revenge on Zordon. But he must first deal with the Rangers. After a few confrontations with Ooze's foot-soldiers, Ooze attacks their base, which leaves robot Alpha 5 short-circuiting and Zordon with only a few days to live. This renders the Rangers without their powers or their Zords, and they must journey to far-off Vados to receive new powers. With help from bikini-clad warrior chick Dulcea (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick), you can pretty much bet your $8 that this trip will be worth it, again, if you're a fan.
For those of us who are die-hards for "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie," screenwriter Arne Olsen and director Bryan Spicer ensure that this is one adventure that won't disappoint. Except for a few minor changes, Spicer and Olsen stay remarkably faithful to all that we knew and love about the source material. This is also the first incarnation of "Rangers" to feature completely original material, instead of stock footage borrowed from Japan's "Super Sentai," the show that inspired "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers." The choosing of the show's original stars instead of new actors was also a plus.
Problems abound in "Movie," the simple fact that it seems like an extended of version of the show. A rundown: an evil appears, and the Rangers come together to fight it. The movie pretty much follows the same formula, except it's 101 minutes of your life that you'll either love or want back desperately. Original "Rangers" show was never much for performances (so it's a moot point here to even mention it), and the dialogue never really goes beyond typical Ranger-speak ("Let's do it, guys!" or "You ooze, you lose!").
The one having the most fun, however, is Freeman. Unrecognizable under some heavy-duty prosthetics, he relishes playing the bad guy ten-fold in the best (and somewhat hokey) performance. Comic bullies Bulk (Paul Schrier) and Skull (Jason Narvy) are remarkably underused, and youth Fred's (Jamie Croft) is also underused. Most telltale about how much we've grown up, are the film's CGI special effects, which were brilliant for 1995 but have obviously dated and are yet another reminder that this is a film showing its age from a time when television was so much simpler.
I guess "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie" found its audience 12 years ago but will definitely have a hard time finding new viewers. I personally loved the cast and the show, but have a hard time looking at the movie now. Regardless of my misgivings now, 10 years ago this was it and probably about as good as it was going to get for the Power Rangers. Unfortunately, this is all we have left of the glory days when the Power Rangers ruled the world. When they lost their powers in the movie, some people today might wonder why they didn't lose their powers permanently.
4/10
As a fan of the Power Rangers from about 1994-1996 when I was between the ages 9 and 11 (the movie features the best and most popular cast from the television series, when Power Rangers were at their peak), I was one who eagerly waited in anticipation for a "Power Rangers" movie. I collected the toys, and I watched the show almost religiously on weekday afternoons on Fox Kids. Believe me when I finally saw the movie, I was blown away.
In 2007, I'm 21; I've grown up. But I've still found myself attached to a lot of stuff from my more youthful years; Power Rangers aren't one of them. Some of it's because I haven't watched the show since the cast from the '94-'96 season changed, and a recent viewing of "Movie" offers little to a former fan. Maybe it's because I, like my favorite high-kicking teenagers, grew up.
As a youth, it's easy to fall in love with this stuff. You got cool-looking characters, really bad guys, lots of kung-fu action, crazy plots, cheesy dialogue, and explosions and stuff. If you're an adolescent into things that go BOOM!, you're in the right place. I was one such adolescent with a big imagination and wished he had awesome morphing powers like his heroes. Some parents even got angry because they believed "Rangers" taught kids to fight out their problems rather than talking them out. Please.
If you were into the show, you remember that six teenagers of the fictional city Angel Grove, California, were chosen by the being Zordon to become the hyper-charged Power Rangers, ninja-like warriors sworn to defeat evil everywhere it reared its ugly head, with awesome powers and their Zords - gigantic machines that represented prehistoric animals that could be used to fight their enemies in kaiju-style showdowns. Aisha (Karan Ashley) became the (second) Yellow Ranger, Adam (Johnny Yong Bosch) became the (second) Black Ranger, Rocky (Steve Cardenas) became the (second) Red Ranger, Tommy (Jason David Frank) became the White Ranger, Kimberly (Amy Jo Johnson) became the Pink Ranger, and Billy (David Yost) became the Blue Ranger; Billy was always my favorite. Together, they defined teamwork and were perfectly suited to fight off the extraterrestrial and domestic evils that threatened mankind.
In "Movie," Ivan Ooze (Paul Freeman, chewing up all his scenery) is freed from a 6000-year imprisonment when Angel Grove construction workers accidentally stumble onto his lair. The nefarious Lord Zedd and his motor-mouth wife Rita Repulsa and their two minions Goldar and Mordant go to meet him and allow his revenge on Zordon. But he must first deal with the Rangers. After a few confrontations with Ooze's foot-soldiers, Ooze attacks their base, which leaves robot Alpha 5 short-circuiting and Zordon with only a few days to live. This renders the Rangers without their powers or their Zords, and they must journey to far-off Vados to receive new powers. With help from bikini-clad warrior chick Dulcea (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick), you can pretty much bet your $8 that this trip will be worth it, again, if you're a fan.
For those of us who are die-hards for "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie," screenwriter Arne Olsen and director Bryan Spicer ensure that this is one adventure that won't disappoint. Except for a few minor changes, Spicer and Olsen stay remarkably faithful to all that we knew and love about the source material. This is also the first incarnation of "Rangers" to feature completely original material, instead of stock footage borrowed from Japan's "Super Sentai," the show that inspired "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers." The choosing of the show's original stars instead of new actors was also a plus.
Problems abound in "Movie," the simple fact that it seems like an extended of version of the show. A rundown: an evil appears, and the Rangers come together to fight it. The movie pretty much follows the same formula, except it's 101 minutes of your life that you'll either love or want back desperately. Original "Rangers" show was never much for performances (so it's a moot point here to even mention it), and the dialogue never really goes beyond typical Ranger-speak ("Let's do it, guys!" or "You ooze, you lose!").
The one having the most fun, however, is Freeman. Unrecognizable under some heavy-duty prosthetics, he relishes playing the bad guy ten-fold in the best (and somewhat hokey) performance. Comic bullies Bulk (Paul Schrier) and Skull (Jason Narvy) are remarkably underused, and youth Fred's (Jamie Croft) is also underused. Most telltale about how much we've grown up, are the film's CGI special effects, which were brilliant for 1995 but have obviously dated and are yet another reminder that this is a film showing its age from a time when television was so much simpler.
I guess "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie" found its audience 12 years ago but will definitely have a hard time finding new viewers. I personally loved the cast and the show, but have a hard time looking at the movie now. Regardless of my misgivings now, 10 years ago this was it and probably about as good as it was going to get for the Power Rangers. Unfortunately, this is all we have left of the glory days when the Power Rangers ruled the world. When they lost their powers in the movie, some people today might wonder why they didn't lose their powers permanently.
4/10