Saban's Power Rangers Review

(Minor Spoilers – I will get into some minor details regarding the setup but nothing about the specific character moments and development that were present in the film.  I will discuss only my thoughts on each character as a whole as well as the execution of the script on screen)

As a child of the 90’s, it was a good time to be watching TV shows both in live action and animated with the American/Japanese Super Sentai show Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers being popular at the time.  There are fond memories to be had with the show from a Spartan Pig terrorizing the city to a rapping Pumpkin King stopping a trivia show game with our heroic teens in it, this show really was goofy as hell but had a charming innocence to it that grab our attention but like any show, we grow out of it or it grows up and surpasses our expectation to a point.  That was the extent of my memory for the show as it ended for me after Power Rangers In Space, that had some really intriguing story elements and compelling character moments as well as bringing an end to the Zordon era of the show.  This is brought up to give context to the overall thoughts on this cinematic revival of the iconic, kids action show simply called Saban’s Power Rangers as both a filmmaker viewing the film on its own merits and as a former fan of the series that has some precursor knowledge of the show that is referenced or setup for future sequels.  Let’s get into and see if these teenagers with attitudes are the Power Rangers for our modern times.

About 65 million years ago, the Power Rangers of that period, led by Zordon (Bryan Cranston) are betrayed and killed by Rita Repulsa as a Green Ranger (Elizabeth Banks) to possess the Zeo Crystal but Zordon buries the power coins and embeds a directive into the morphing grid to grant the power of the Rangers to those that are proven worthy before being buried and frozen in ice along with Rita.  Cut to present times, we are introduced to our teenagers with attitudes and problems with Jason Scott (Dacre Montgomery), a former Football star that is trying to find where he fits in this world, Kimberly Hart (Naomi Scott), a disgraced cheerleader looking to atone for her mistakes, Billy Cranston (RJ Cyler), an autistic genius that has trouble clicking with people, Trini (Becky G), a conflicted outcast that is trying to find acceptance in who she is, with others, and Zack (Ludi Lin), a caretaker for his sick mother as well as an outcast to society in a mining camp.  Each of them eventually meet up with each other to investigate a mysterious dig site the holds the buried Dino Coins and a passage to a ship based command center that holds the life force of Zordon and the faithful, sarcastic robot assistant Alpha 5 (Bill Hadar).  However, Rita Repulsa awakens from her slumber and causes havoc in Angel Grove for possession of the Zeo Crystal with her dark magic and use of creatures called the Puttys.  The Team must band together and learn to trust in each other to master the ability to morph and fight evil as the Power Rangers.

This is pretty much an origin story beat for beat that develops the characters before we get to the action and story/visual characteristics, most people came for with the Power Rangers.  As a teenager drama, it is surprisingly engaging and appreciated to see the characters develop and interact with each other.  This is due in part to the passionate, focused acting of the actors picked for these characters apart from one character that was not quite as remarkable as the other team members.  It is at its best in giving us time to develop this team, the threat Rita imposes on the city, and the inner workings of the morphing grid as well as how being in sync as a team is the only way for morphing to work.  It allows for the viewer to really like these characters and really get behind their journey from being outcasts to becoming heroes to the world as Power Rangers.  Therefore, the film works in regards to character development, world building, and set up before it kind of falters when it comes to committing to its inherently goofy source material for the climax.

Where the split with critical consensus among fans and critics occur for this film is ironically the climax, when they get to the Power Rangers action that no doubt will please fans but will come across as a drastic change and underwhelming pay off for the dramatic film that it was for 2/3^rd’s of it.  The action becomes CGI heavy and it is weightless for most the Ranger fight with the Puttys which is not assuring to see, especially if the battles should get complex in the sequels.  While the Zords are discernable and look better than anticipated in the film as recognizable, they become a blurry mess near the end when they fight together to stop a generic big monster villain called Goldar, a big faceless gold Oscar Statue looking to be loved but really sticks out in the small town of Angel Grove.  This is pointed out because it stands in stark contrast with the grounded, gritty tone for most of the story, only for the film to switch gears fast but never quite pulling it off with only a modicum of success.  It is evident in the way Rita transforms from a vengeful, bitter Ranger to the cackling, hammy witch that the Rangers contend with in the series that conflicts harshly with the other actors giving their best in this film in regards to acting.  This was ultimately a mix bag as it was cool to see them go into the campiness of the series but never quite feeling honest about it due in part to the assured dramatic tone of the first half of this film. 

As for the actors, they are surprisingly good from everyone involved starting with the main cast themselves.  Dacre Montgomery handles the leadership role of Jason well, displaying some natural chemistry with Scott as Kim and Cyler as Billy.  Naomi Scott does pretty well as Kim especially with her character moments throughout the later parts of the film with Jason.  RJ Cyler as Billy is the standout of the cast and becomes the heart of the team especially since he is continuing to prove his acting prowess after his stellar supporting role in a previous Teenage drama film Me, Earl, And The Dying Girl.  Ludi Lin is pretty much the comic relief and has some suitable moments of humor and character development that makes him fit well with this cast.  The only weak link would have to be Becky G as Trini as she seems to be coasting through most of the film as well as her somewhat snarky, edgy attitude of the character never really clicking with the other characters or cast members.  The whole cast is relatively good outside of one member that was personally not as interesting as the other characters but they truly carry the entire film despite the issues regarding the script and direction when it’s morphin’ time. 

The rest of the cast are suitably apt for the role mainly with the supporting cast and villains.  There are at least one or two character actors that are decent in their respective roles for the little time they are on screen mainly Jason’s dad Sam Scott (David Denman).  Bryan Cranston as Zordon provides a capable, steely performance to what is a flawed version of the Rangers’ mentor.  Bill Hader as Alpha 5 was a bit annoying but not so much that he was grating to watch and pulled off the bumbling assistant well enough.  The one standout of the supporting cast is Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa who is having a blast just hamming it up, delivers cheesy as hell dialogue, and is ultimately an over the top cartoon villain that does fit into the Power Rangers formula but is a stark contrast to the mature, grounded tone for the first and second acts.  That should cover the acting on display here along with the story itself.

It's time to get into the technical aspects of the film mainly with action set pieces, editing/cinematography, costume designs, and finally the score itself to round out the overall opinions on this film.  The action set pieces are actually few and far in between for most of the film as it settles for more of character drama rather than the fast, kinetic action adventure tone of the show in general.  When the Rangers get suited up and fight the Puttys (big, oversized golems, not a very creative design), it is just a CGI, sloppy toss up exchange between visibly cool to weightless and generic.  As for the big battle at the end, it does tend to be convoluted at times with moving parts, building destruction, and eventually the blandest, transformer inspired design of the Megazord, which was a very lackluster reveal with only a brief time to fight and more time given to slapstick/crass humor.  The action was set up just fine for what you expect from this series but the delivery of it, left a lot to be desired for in another sequel.

As for the suits, they are perfectly fine and a timely update to the traditional outfits from the TV show all those years ago.  It is a blend between practical and CGI applications for their off visor look and the suits move surprisingly well in action.  Even Rita’s costume design looks great as well with a mix between her scantily cladded witch with the shiny, menacing sharp look of the Green Ranger armor on her.  However, the need to show their face in the battle was kind of annoying and really feels forced so we do not get scenes that would remind us of other, better superhero films.  It would not have been difficult to discern who the Rangers are with the visors on especially since they established who each of the Rangers are in colors.  These are well made suits that are cool to look at but are implemented questionably at times during the climax of the film.

The cinematography and editing of the film is a bit of a mix bag in generally especially in the way the camera is utilized and how the cuts flow together specifically in the action set pieces.   There are times when it feels like the director and Camera Operator or DP really wanted to have a cool shot in there for the sake of it and it shows at times since it kind of undercuts certain character moments at the worst time.  It also doesn’t help that the DP seems to favor too much of the shots in dark color palettes, drowning out whatever composition the shot was going to be on the screen.  Also, the action tends to be quite frantic at times and a bit too closed into the action that makes the Putty’s CGI too apparent and the fight choreography lack any form of style to it.  It seems a bit uninspired in the way it is shot and is driven mainly by the actors who really give it their all in their performances.

We finally get to the score itself as well as the callbacks to the original theme that was catchy and memorable to hear even for a new fan of the series.  The music score is very generic and bland which is a shame since this is a superhero styled series that was known for some awesome, fitting music.  It has its moments and is mainly fine in an incidental way but really lacks any distinctive characteristics to it especially when it uses popular music at the most inappropriate time in the climax.  The theme song does kick in during the Dino Bots rushing to Angel Grove’s rescue and it was amazing to hear it but it only last for a grand total of 15-20 seconds before a Kayne West song kicks in, which is a perfectly encapsulation of the film itself.  A ton of build up for a lackluster commitment to its own source material.  The score is nothing memorable and you only hear the theme song at one point in the film and mainly in the end credits.

So, does it succeed in bringing this long running, beloved kids action show that dominated the 90’s in TV back into the big screen or does it feel too much of the same old in its execution and its confused nature of the tone for this film really hurts its chance at a comeback?  The answers lies in the middle regarding the overall quality for Saban’s Power Rangers.  It succeeds in making us feel invested and care for the teenager team behind the mask, which makes for some surprisingly compelling, coming of age drama throughout most of its run-time.  However, it also has to be a Power Rangers film as well and it kind of falls flat with the modern day execution of its inherently goofy elements feels hollow and it is also a bit shameless at using product placement as a plot point at the worst possible time.  The cast is fantastic, outside of Becky G whom I felt was just phoning it in as Trini but the whiplash in style and tone of the film along with the questionable direction of the last 30 minutes, makes this a somewhat enjoyable yet uninspired superhero action film that does not do enough in updating its source material to stand out from the plethora of comic book styled/superhero films being released currently.

Score *** out of *****   

Saban’s Power Rangers is a timely yet cautiously made adaptation of an action kids show that was at the peak of its popularity way back in the 90’s.  It confidently gives the characters’ layers of drama and development in the interactions and traits to feel properly invested in them as they grow as a team and finally come together as the Power Rangers.  However, the only weak link in the cast is Becky G as Trini but the drastic change in tone from Rita Repulsa going from scary witch to cartoonish villain not only feels out of tune with the rest of the film but it feels rushed and noncommittal to its goofy shift in the climax.  The action scenes feel weightless and hollow to watch at times and the big battle at the end is a bit of a letdown in how short and anticlimactic it was as a conclusion.  Outside of the cool looking suits, it feels too darkly lit, lacks any inspired shot compositions to be cinematic, and it never feels comfortable to embrace the outlandish, cheesy source material in art design for the film.  This is a prime example of just mediocre but could be improved as the foundation for a sequel, since it is still tied to the show and it can be interesting to see where they go next with the sequels on the horizon.