During the mid 1990’s the children-based TV program was created based on Power Rangers. They were teenagers who were selected to receive special powers and colorful armor suits. They could fight off the evil forces in the universe, led by Zordon and his assistant, a robot named Alpha 5. The TV series spawned a few movies, and then it lay dormant, until now.
Zordon (Bryan Cranston) was almost defeated by Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks), oh sometime back in the age of the dinosaurs. But when some special Power Rangers coins are found by high school students in Angel Grove, things start moving and getting serious.
Zordon and his robot helper Alpha 5 (Bill Hader) see that five students have discovered the Ranger coins, and they will be the ones to defeat Rita. Jason Scott / Red Ranger (Dacre Montgomery) is a football player who got into a little bit of trouble. Kimberly Hart / Pink Ranger (Naomi Scott) is a cheerleader was also is in trouble. Billy Cranston / Blue Ranger (RJ Cyler) is an autistic black guy with a good grasp of science. Trini Kwan / Yellow Ranger (Becky G) is a new kid at school, and outcast, who happens to be gay. Zack Taylor / Black Ranger (Ludi Lin) is an Asian dude who rarely goes to class because of a sick mother.
These five squabble and fight because they have no idea of what type of power the enemy has. The enemy is Rita Repulsa who quickly shows up in town and is ready to destroy it. Zordon and Aplpha 5 continue to train the new Power Rangers. They also have hidden away some mechanized fighting units called Zords. When the Ranges need these units, they will use them to fight and to defeat Rita and her henchmen of living rock monsters.
The town is getting destroyed until the Power Rangers find the strength to fight as a single team. Zordon makes a major sacrifice to ensure the team is together. They are finally motivated to fight together to defeat Rita and to save the Earth. The team find out that the key to the team is trusting each other and working together.
This version of the Power Rangers is a new reboot, and like so many others, might lead to several more movies. The audience is built-in, as the kids grown up from the 90’s are ready to watch the Power Rangers in action yet again. But it seems they did it right this time, with several very capable actors in the roles for the Ranges, and some top-notch talent to support them.
The main support is having Bryan Cranston on board, even though he does not do very much. His voice lends authority to the Zordon character. Bill Hader uses his finely-tuned comedy skills to do the Alpha 5 robot voice. But most of all Elizabeth Banks creates a major evil character playing Rita Repulsa. She plays it very over-the-top and looks like she is having a great time. She is ready to be a rotten, no-good, all-powerful presence.
All of the people playing the Rangers are good. With having a widely diverse cast, it shows that the movie is trying to be open for anyone and everyone. Having a character who is autistic and another who is gay is pretty daring move. It may not add a whole lot to the movie overall. But it does notice that people are like that in the world…
So, for a reboot of an existing franchise, this movie does everything that it needs to do. It makes a credible first opening act with the hint of more to be done later. The actors are decent for the roles, even when none of them look close to being the age for high school. The story line sticks to the basics, and it give the different Rangers a chance to tell a bit of a background story.
If you are up for a fun little time to see some action and some humor based on the 1990’s TV show, then Power up for the Power Rangers. It’s Morphin’ Time!
