Power Rangers dominated television screens in the early 90s where the dialogue was full of puns and cheese and every movement was accompanied by a swoosh sound effect. Now it has returned to the big screen in a gritty, realistic reboot for the series.
So, is it any good?
Now take that YES with a grain of salt. I grew up with the Power Rangers so seeing a new take on a childhood franchise was exciting for me personally. Don’t get me wrong – there are quite a few problems with this movie. But let’s start with the positives first.
The cast that make up the Power Rangers – Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Ludi Lin and Becky G – are great. For a group of unknowns, the core cast were incredible. They were believable, had nice chemistry together and could actually act, emote and were entertaining to watch. One of the best scenes is just them sitting around a fire talking, getting to know each other. Not to mention this is one of the more diverse casts I’ve seen in a while.
Bryan Cranston as Zordon was always going to be good, I mean it’s Bryan Cranston. Bill Hader voices a very different Alpha-5 and he also gives a good performance that never overstays his welcome as the original character may have done.
The weak link, surprisingly, is Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa. Now she isn’t awful in the film, but she perhaps studied the source material a little too close. While everyone else is going for semi-serious, Banks comes off as campy and ridiculous at times, creating a bit of a clash.
And this is where one of the biggest flaws of Power Rangers occurs – the clashing tones. Sometimes it feels like the film isn’t sure what it wants to go for – serious grittiness or funny camp. One moment it is a lighthearted teen mystery movie before suddenly becoming a horror movie. The inconsistency can be a little jarring at times.
Power Rangers is certainly an origin movie, but that isn’t a bad thing here. It utilizes the pre-established mythology well and there are easter eggs here and there for the hardcore fans to find. A lot of the movie however is stuck in the “training phase” of the Rangers and it is some time before we see them don the new Iron Man-esque armours.
The fight scenes (and for a Power Rangers movie there aren’t actually that many) are okay, but nothing special. The screen can sometimes become cluttered with a CGI army of Putty Patrollers that can be awfully distracting.
Power Rangers can be a bit of a mixed bag. The core rangers are fantastic, as is most of the supporting cast. Visually the film is sound, with only a few moments of questionable CGI. The pacing can sometimes lag about and had there been one more action scene before the third act I could see myself liking it a lot more.
Overall Power Rangers is a solid first entry in a new franchise, with five sequels already planned. It is good but just misses the mark of being great. But I can’t deny seeing the Rangers together, watching the Zords (and Megazord!) come to life, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia and was grinning ear to ear. If you’re a fan of the franchise you should enjoy it. If not, this might not be for you.
Be sure to check out our video review here or in the header above!
POWER RANGERS is in cinemas NOW!