In a world of gritty reboots of every nostalgic property known to man, it’s nice to see one that wants to have fun. “Power Rangers” is by no means a groundbreaking movie full of innovations or a movie that will have a lasting impact on film, but was anyone expecting that from a Power Rangers movie? For what it is, it is pretty good.
The movie’s plot feels like “The Breakfast Club” meets a less dark “Chronicle,” while still having the campiness of Power Rangers.
After meeting in detention and exploring a mine they weren’t supposed to be in, five teens find strange coins that give them superpowers.
Shortly after playing with their newfound strength and speed, they find a spaceship and are told they are Power Rangers and need to save the world from an evil sorceress.
I’ll admit I was never really into the show as a kid, so I have no insight into how this film performs as an adaption, but the plot maintained its internal logic and seemed very character driven.
Given the praise the movie has been getting for its diversity in casting, it should be mentioned that it handles it very well. The characters are not just stereotypes and their race, sexuality or conditions.
The movie spends a great deal of time developing the characters and their relationships to each other.
I will give props to the actors and writers for the fact that these are all very likable characters. Given that the majority of the actors playing the Rangers are relatively new, I think they all gave good performances.
Elizabeth Banks, who is playing Rita, the evil sorceress, has a blast. She is genuinely creepy when she needs to be and plays the villain well, but she is hamming it up in the best way she can.
The special effects in the movie are passable. It gets the job done, but looks a bit cheesy in places and some of the wirework is lazy, especially whenever any of the actors are jumping over long distances.
However, this movie has some terrible product placement. Krispy Kreme surely paid for half the movie. The teens hangout at a Krispy Kreme once and that’s fine, but once the third act begins, the Krispy Kreme is mentioned close to a dozen times. The first time was a funny gag, but it lost some charm as it went.
If nothing else, “Power Rangers” has a bit of charm. It’s a dumb action film that isn’t afraid of color; in fact the whole climax happens at mid-day. If you really want to watch a movie and there’s nothing better on, I might recommend it.
