2017 Movie Review - Mighty yet Ordinary Morphin' "Power Rangers"
SYNOPSIS:
A group of high-school kids, who are infused with unique superpowers, harness their abilities in order to save the world.
Please note that the following review may contain some spoilers:
FIRST ACT (THE HOOK):
Growing up as an early millenial in 90s with nostalgic memories of watching Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers every Sunday, I can't deny that I was pumped with the anticipation of letting Power Rangers to become one of my guilty pleasures this year. As the first act opens with a dark, gritty resemblances of Joseph Kahn's Power Ranger fan-made short. I was immediately hooked with the colour palette, visual effects, sound editing and even more surprisingly, a commitment of Bryan Cranston as the Red Ranger.
The adrenaline I felt seemingly carried over once they shifts the story to the current time. I might not be impressed by how weak the script/dialogue is but given that I'm familiar with its early TV show adaption, I was aboard on the ride. One major prop I will definitely gave to the casting team though is that all these less-known actors turn out having a wonderful chemistry and serious acting chops to be considered for major motion pictures in the future. The Breakfast Club-esque tone and plotline unfortunately only works briefly for some of the characters (Billy, Jason and Kimberly) as we didn't get to meet Zack and Trini on the later scenes.
Now, the part that caught me off guard is when their car wasn't able to make it pass the train on time. I never expected any bold decision for the writers to show any realistic on-screen incident in a movie targeted for a younger demographics. Hopefully, it will serve as an effective PSA for our reckless driving teens out there.
SECOND ACT (THE BONDING):
Half-way through the movie, I pinched myself after realizing how much I enjoyed the movie. It is a Power Rangers movie yet all of the flavours Dean Israelite served clearly resonate with my expectations and might I say, even a little bit more.
Despite all of the corny lines and jokes, I sympathizes with the storylines for each character. The bonding scenes where they gathered around firewoods sharing secrets almost become the main highlight of the second act. But, I was definitely more taken aback when they decided to kill Billy briefly. I know how they have been promoting the movie as a darker modern version of Power Rangers yet I still never expect it to get this dark.
THIRD ACT (THE ENDING):
Once the actions get rolling in the last thirds, I thought they were running out of the sparks and edginess. It starts to resemble the 90s cheesiness especially when they somehow introduced Krispy Kreme as part of the plot. As an old-fan of Power Rangers, I also hated the design of Goldar who resembles the melted version of a cheese monster. Deep down, I would even hoped that there would be more fighting scenes serenaded with a nostalgic tune of "Go Go Power Rangers" when they were in their armours fighting "Putties" rather than two CGIs of giants fighting each other.
THE VERDICT (NO SPOILER):
While my inner kid was disappointed by how they served the anticipated final battle scenes of Power Rangers, I can proudly say that this is a dark, gritty adaption I have been waiting for. Not only was these Power Rangers fully drawn down to the core of their characteristics as a "knight-in-shining armour" misfits but the plot direction, acting also takes me by surprise at times. If you asked me a while ago whether on the same weekend, I would recommend people to watch Life full of star-studded actors or Power Rangers with unknown teens, I might roll my eyes on you. Yet, here I am, proven wrong, willing to re-live the experience again and wish the studio will green-light the sequel of Power Rangers. No pun intended.
