Power Rangers (2017)
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 It's anything but Morphin' Time!
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Power Rangers (2017) is a 2017 superhero film based on the popular Power Rangers franchise, it serves as a reboot to the Power Rangers franchise and is the third Power Ranger film to be created.
Originally, the 2017 Power Rangers film was planned to be the first installment of an all new Power Rangers reboot franchies, and also was planned to be a film series with five, six and/or seven more sequels, but due to this film's poor reviews, it was scrapped.
Plot
Five ordinary teens must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove - and the world - is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discover they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so, they will have to overcome their real-life issues and before it's too late, band together as the Power Rangers.
Bad Qualities
- The main problem of this movie is that majority of this movie feels more like a teen angst drama than a Power Rangers movie.
- Overused and generic clichés.
- Poor grasp of the source material.
- In the Power Rangers TV show, Angel Grove was presumably based on Los Angeles. But in this movie, it’s changed to a small town that looks more like the state of Washington than California, since it was shot in Vancouver (Canada).
- The Power Rangers don't have the same personalities from the show.
- The tone of the movie is very inconsistent. The movie itself cannot decide if it wants to be edgy or a standard action movie.
- The movie doesn't try hard enough to be amazing and it lacks imagination.
- The pace of the film is very slow and can be boring at times.
- One of the Posters that show-cases the 2017 Power Rangers film looks a bit off, and does not even feel like a Power Rangers Poster.
- The Power Rangers don't morph until near the end of the film (with the exception of Billy in the middle of the film).
- The film barely has any action, with the ending battle scene being the only battle scene in this 2-hour movie.
- The final fight isn't even that long which is a shame.
- Plot hole: After Billy helps remove Jason’s ankle monitor, the police never reach out to Jason nor do Jason’s parents question him about it.
- Heavy product placement for Krispy Kreme, to the point where the final battle takes place there.
- The overall film feels more like something out of other Live-Action Media like Iron Man (as in the 2008 Marvel film), nothing feels like Power Rangers until the climax.
- Some scenes make it look like a ripoff of The Breakfast Club.
- The Power Rangers follow the same traits as the main characters in The Breakfast Club: The Nerd (Billy), the Jock (Jason), the Outcast (Trini), the Princess (Kimberly), and the Rebel (Zack).
- The campfire scene where the Power Rangers reveal bits about themselves is also similar to the circle confession from The Breakfast Club.
- The film has been compared to Chronicle. Even the screenwriter of Chronicle says this movie looks like it[1] (the same writer wrote an early draft for this film, but it was rejected because the studio wanted a grittier film).
- False Advertising: The Zords we're advertised in posters, but they barely appear in the film.
- The ending is pure Sequel-Bait that was never resolved due to the sequels being cancelled.
- Aside from its premise, nothing is interesting about the 2017 Power Rangers film, and with these statements, it does not even feel like a Power Ranger film at all; all audiences can hear about the film are five teenagers that team up to stop an evil witch from taking over the world, and they can correctly guess the plot. And with very little resembles to Power Rangers, the plot itself is nothing special. It is just another Action Super Hero plot only adding Power Ranger elements. You could replace Jason Lee Scott, Zack Taylor, Billy Cranston, Trini Kwan and Kimberly Ann Hart with random teenagers, Alpha 5 and Zordon with another group of allies and even replace Rita with another evil Witch-Type Villain and nothing will change.
Good Qualities
- Some of the acting is okay.
- Dacre Montgomery does a solid job as Jason Scott/The Red Ranger.
- The cinematography is good.
- Bryan Cranston is an awesome casting choice for Zordon
- Speaking of whom, the opening is actually interesting, which shows Zordon as the Red Ranger from prehistoric times.
- The modernized Power Rangers suits and the Zords are cool.
- Jason's Power Sword is a really unique-looking weapon.
- Despite not being that long, the final battle is decent.
- Some Power Rangers fans may enjoy it.
- Great soundtrack.
- The visuals are pretty good.
- The ending is decent.
- Jason David Frank and Amy Jo Johnson, who played Tommy Oliver and Kimberly Hart in the original TV series, make cameo appearances.
- Billy's death as well as everyone's reaction to it is geniunely heart-wrenching and well-acted.
- Although it's not great, it's a slight improvement over the first two Power Rangers movies from the 1990s.
- The movie is notable for being the first big budget superhero film to feature an LGBTQIA+ hero (Trini) and another on the autism spectrum (Billy).
Reception
Power Rangers received mixed reviews from critics. Critics praised the visual effects, cinematography, musical score, and performances (particularly Montgomery and Cyler), but criticism for its uneven tone, product placement, divergences from its source material, lack of action, and especially the lack of ambition. The film currently holds a 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. , with a critic consensus that reads "Power Rangers has neither the campy fun of its TV predecessor nor the blockbuster action of its cinematic superhero competitors, and sadly never quite manages to shift into turbo for some good old-fashioned morphin time."
The film was a box-office bomb, grossing $142 million worldwide against a budget of $105 million.
Trivia
- Power Rangers was intended to launch a film series with multiple sequels, but all plans were canceled due to its commercial failure, leading Saban to sell the franchise rights to Hasbro. Another reboot is in development.
- The Japanese premiere was attended by Yūta Mochizuki, who portrayed Yamato Tribe Prince Geki in the original Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger, and Takumi Kizu, who starred as Lucky in the concurrent Uchu Sentai Kyuranger. Notably, Kizu attended the premiere in-character as Lucky.
Videos
External Links
Power Rangers at the Internet Movie Database
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie on Rotten Tomatoes