POWER RANGERS
dir. Dean Israelite
One of my first movie-going experiences that I remember was seeing the first "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" film in my town at the Glen Drive-In with "Casper" back in the summer of 1995 and while that film has a nostalgic place in my movie-going history, it has some flaws and dated clichés. As for this version for the new generation, it's an exceptional teen superhero film and a step in the right direction for a future franchise.
Our main heroes meet in detention (ala "The Breakfast Club") and afterwards, they all meet up again by chance and discover special power coins that give them superpowers and they eventually learn that they are destined to be earth-defending warriors known as the "Power Rangers" and have to stop the evil Rita Repulsa from destroying the world. Each one of the rangers are very well-written and fleshed out teenagers that are not only believable for this generation but for any generation for that matter. It never feels like their actions or attitudes are superfluous or just there to meet a millennial diversity quota. They are a good compliment to the supporting celebrity performances of Bryan Cranston, Bill Hader and Elizabeth Banks who just relishes and shamelessly (in a good way) flaunts her evilness as Rita.
The biggest thing that almost derails the film as a whole is the less than average level of action for a modern superhero blockbuster but what action sequences are there (and most of them are in the final act of the film) feel fun and vibrant without being too darkly light or filmed Bayhem-style.
It isn't as deep and character based like "Logan" or pointless and hollow like "Max Steel" but it fits and settles nicely in that middle ground that can entertain fans of the original run of the franchise but also attract the new YA blockbuster audience that looks for characters that speak to them and their generation.
Rating: 4/5 Reels
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