Whether you loved it or hated it, Power Rangers was a TV staple for most of the 1990s, and even for kids today. The Super Sentai footage, the repetitive fight sequences, the bizarre and often poorly conceived henchmen monster, it took many countries by storm. Now, Saban and Lionsgate are trying to bring the franchise back in a big way with the new Power Rangers movie.
The plot is the same we know and love — Angel Grove teens Jason, Kimberly, Trini, Billy, and Zack find mystical objects and become the Power Rangers, warriors who will defend the Earth from aliens who threaten it, except everything is gritter. Bryan Cranston will play all-knowing floating head Zordon, Elizabeth Banks as alien invader Rita Repulsa, and Bill Hader will voice Alpha 5 (though he probably won’t shout “aye aye aye!” all the time).
The new ranger suits look less plastic and polyester and more hard armor. It has a lot more detailed than previous incarnations and one has to wonder how the actors felt moving around in it. The Zords, on the other hand, look incredibly less like overblown toys and more like actual functioning battle robots, with the Ultrazord looking even more impressive still.
I’m not sure how to feel about the fact that the movie has no sentai footage. I’ll explain for those unfamiliar with how many seasons of Power Rangers work. The English-language version of the show had its own cast of actors but for the fight scenes in costume, they would use footage from the Japanese sentai shows to save some money. After all, everyone had masks on and the footage was already made, it was easy to just splice it in. Most seasons built their themes around the sentai footage, which is why so many of seasons had such different themes. Whether or not this new incarnation can both bank on the nostalgia of the original and get new viewers excited for the series, it’s definitely a unique take on this decades-long franchise.
Power Rangers will premiere in theaters on March 24, 2017.
A reporter by trade, Sara is a lover of horror, sci-fi, and all things pop culture. From indies to classics to even the strangest schlock, all movies and TV shows are fair game. She believes Batman is the most fascinating superhero, and that Silent Hill is one of the best horror franchises ever made (as long as you don't count the movies).
Fun Fact: The only movie Sara will not rewatch is The Room -- once was more than enough.
