Power Rangers - Fresh Approach to an Old Classic

There is no doubt the hit 1993 TV show Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers took the world by storm. Even though it was low budget, the action sequences and characters captured the imaginations and attention of children across the United States and the world.

I was one of those children back in 1993 when the show started. I didn't care it was low budget, used stock footage, or was the same plot every episode. The show gave me something to look forward to when walking through the door after school.

The current Power Rangers film had been in development for some time and it had been over 20 years since the franchise had released a film. Previous films featuring the famous characters hadn't done well at the theaters or with the critics. There was some skepticism with this new installment, however, the filmmakers take a fresh approach with the characters and story development with this new film that has breathed life back into the franchise.

First off, the original characters are back with Jason (Dacre Montgomery), Kimberly (Naomi Scott), Billy (RJ Cyler), Zack (Ludi Lin), and Trini (Becky G) sporting the original Power Ranger uniform colors of red, pink, blue, black, and yellow. Instead of the characters being friends from the beginning, the five potential heroes start out as different individuals each with his or her own teenage problems. Each individual character must deal with pressures of school, growing up, or issues at home, which is a huge contrast from the original television series.

This approach helps modernize the characters and provides an updated approach to development of the story. The characters aren't portrayed as being the top students in their class like in the original television series and some made mistakes along the way. In contrast to the original television show where the main characters rarely got in trouble at school, the main characters are shown to have been trouble makers that need guidance at certain times.

This is where Zordon (Bryan Cranston) and Alpha 5 (Bill Hader) come in. Zordan's backstory is briefly explained and he and Alpha 5 train the Power Rangers to take on Rita Replusa (Elizabeth Banks). Zordan and Alpha 5 both take more time to train the Rangers for battle than they ever did in the original television show. Alpha 5 takes a more active role by showing the Rangers how to fight the villains with moves similar to what you see in professional wrestling.

Cranston, who voiced some of the characters on the original TV show, does an incredible job playing Zordon. The dialogue between him and the characters was more thought out than what we saw on the TV series and you can feel Zordon's frustrations at several times throughout the movie. Cranston and Hader have great on-screen chemistry and work well together.

Banks, who is a Hollywood sweetheart, takes a fresh approach with playing Rita Replusa. Instead of being a figurehead on another planet, Repulsa is on Earth causing destruction after being resurrected from the dead. Banks, who normally doesn't villains or antagonists, is creepy at times. Audience members can feel her hatred towards Zordon and desire to take over the Earth.

The film does have some plot holes and it does take a long time for the plot to unfold. A good portion of the movie is spent developing the characters and audience members may be feeling where it is going at times. Once it heats up, it gets to be a fun and exciting film. The film was mainly written to set itself up for the ending and future movies but once it gets past a certain point, the action sequences provide a fun thrill ride for the end.

Grade: B+