Power Rangers English Movie
It is always a tough ask to relaunch a pop culture phenomenon for a contemporary audience. Power Rangers is one such global phenomenon, with a loyal fan-base that extends from the kids of 90s to the kids of today. Being a superhero franchise only makes life even more difficult for the creative team, for there is only so much one can reinvent when the narrative is streamlined in a very specific direction to achieve maximum success. The new Power Rangers film is just another example of how much the sub-genre of superhero adaptations has saturated at the moment.
After then relatively unknown Christopher Nolan was chosen by Warner Bros. to helm The Dark Knight trilogy back in 2005, every studio followed suit by scouting exciting new directors to firstly, see eye to eye with the studio's demands and secondly,bring their own magic to the restricted scope of Hollywood blockbuster franchises. Power Rangers director Dean Isrealite is the latest in this pipeline. But, we are constantly reminded of a Michael Bay film when we watch the film as Israelite has nothing of his own to showcase. Michael bay film because of the overuse of shaky cameras, confusing VFX and unnecessary Dutch tilts. Also because the story is just an excuse to get to the finish line- which is the showdown with the bad guys, of course. But, when even those action sequences end up as just ordinary, you know the film is out of any redeeming quality.
Present-day viewers are no strangers to gritty reboots; they are, in fact, the norm. Still, for the Power Rangers franchise it is a huge leap from the days of camp made popular by the TV show and two film versions of the 90s. They were designed primarily for children, with the modest combination of spandex costumes, cartoonish characters, cheap VFX, over-the-top acting and cool stunts. This gets replaced by CGI-heavy suits, toned down performances and Transformers-like Zords in the 2017 reboot. More importantly, this is an origin story and a fresh one at it.
This time, the Rangers possess superpowers and are fighting their arch nemesis, Rita Repulsa(Elizabeth Banks) for the first time ever. Rita is played to perfection by Banks, borrowing the theatricality of the character from the television series and chewing every scene she is in sans any trouble. She does not have enough screen time but an interesting backstory nonetheless, which is hinted by her thorny, Green suit. The Rangers' mentor, Zordon, is played by another Hollywood A-lister, Bryan Cranston. Cranston is barely challenged by the role yet does his best to look less awkward than his predecessors. Zordon's robot aid, Alpha 5, is voiced by comedian Bill Hader, with less "Ai-yai-yai's" and more composed dialogues. The casting of Cranston and Banks in the film suggests that the franchise is headed for bigger things in the future, with four more films reportedly in the works, under Lionsgate.
The new Power Rangers are definitely a breath of fresh air, when compared to the "teenagers with attitude" of the past. To keep up with the times, they are given unique personalities. For instance, Billy(RJ Cyler), the Blue Ranger, is autistic and Trini(Becky G), the Yellow Ranger, is sexually confused. Fan favourite Red Ranger is played by Dacre Montgomery, who, despite walking and talking like Hollywood star Zac Efron, proves his mettle as the leader of the group. Naomi Scott and Ludi Lin play the Pink and Black Rangers, respectively. However, two things that will raise a few eyebrows is the rushed portion where the Power Rangers discover their powers and Zordon's spaceship as well as the finale, when the team is absolutely ready for an epic battle albeit the scenes leading up to it indicate otherwise.
By the end of the film, the audience is left with a mostly empty franchise-starter. Yes, the teens are energetic and playful in their individual roles. But, that alone does not save the film from its nosedive towards the final act. Despite, Banks' fun performance, her character is still a weak antagonist, posing little challenge for the Rangers. The heroes are also so casual when they fight the monstrous Goldar with their Mega-Zord. When the viewers expect the film to pack a punch, it deflates with sub-par creative solutions. As a last resort, though, the film has a mid-credits scene that should pull back its fans into the cinemas for the next installments. Here's hoping that the franchise learns from this film's mistakes, going into the sequels.
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