REVIEW: ‘Power Rangers’ the perfect movie for your inner 10-year-old
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I’ve heard it suggested that nobody ever really grows up. We got older. We shoulder more responsibilities. Life changes but that little kid we were back in the day always remains somewhere inside us. And your inner boy (or tomboy) will love “Power Rangers.”
“Power Rangers” is a new-school adaptation of the much-loved kid’s show “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” and tells the story of a quintet of teenagers who stumble across some special cosmic coins. They learn they’ve been chosen to join the ranks of the Power Rangers, an elite band of warriors sworn to protect life from evil forces that want to extinguish all life.
Our heroes hang out with Zordon, a giant disembodied head in a wall (Bryan Cranston) and helped by robot, Alpha 5 (Bill Hader) and learn how to battle the foes they will face. The pressure ramps up when Zordon’s former ally, Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks), shows up killing people and wrecking the town. The Power Rangers must shed their selfishness and learn to work together to stop Rita and her goons. It’s like a less-Marvelous (get it) version of “The Avengers”.
I don’t have any love for the source material, so I can’t tell you how faithful this movie is, what they got right or what they got wrong. I can tell you that I went in expecting to see dumpster fire and left with a smile on my face. “Power Rangers” is an enjoyable movie that never quite reaches the stratosphere but doesn’t wallow in cinematic pig slop, either.
First of all, the young actors they cast as the Rangers all give solid performances. I especially enjoyed R.J. Cyler, who plays Billy, the Blue Ranger. He came off like what you might get if you put Steve Urkel from “Family Matters” on a major workout regimen and Steven Hawking’s intellect.
Cranston and Hader bring it in their voice performances. And it was good to see “The Office” alum David Denman on the big screen. I always thought his “Office” character, Roy, got kind of a raw deal from Pam.
The only performance that didn’t really work for me was Banks as Rita. Her character started off pretty creepy, especially for a kids movie, but by the end of the movie, Rita is campy in a way that really doesn’t work with the rest of the movie.
While we’re on the subject of what didn’t work so well, “Power Rangers” is yet ANOTHER superhero origin story, so you can figure out how the story will play out before the opening credits are over. The dialogue is nothing to write home about. I hated the musical score. And director Dean Israelite makes some odd shot and camera movement choices that are distracting.
But that’s a pretty short list of flaws, considering the trailers were pretty uninspiring and I was expecting something far more disastrous.
“Power Rangers” also gives us plenty stuff that the kid inside of each one of us will totally dig. I mean, these kids get super strength, go kung fu on an army of rock monsters and roll around in giant mechanical dinosaurs. What little kid wouldn’t want to do that stuff? Heck, I’m an old fart and I want to do that stuff!
“Power Rangers” may be ANOTHER cash grab packaged in the reprocessed packaging of an old idea. But unlike some other remakes or reboots (I’m looking at you, “Beauty and the Beast”), “Rangers” at least feels like the people behind it care enough to bring some energy and magic to their movie. “Power Rangers” isn’t great, but it’s a blast for the little kid inside you. If you let him see this movie, maybe he (or she) will stop bugging you for a pony for a day or two.