

Director
Dean Israelite
Producers
Haim Saban, Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Brian Casentini
Writers
John Gatins, Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Michele Mulroney, Keiran Mulroney, Haim Saban, Shuki Levy
Studio
Lionsgate
Running Time
2h 4m
PG-13
Yes, I saw the movie and yes I thoroughly enjoyed it! Don’t judge me! Based on Haim Saban’s ridiculously popular Power Rangers franchise, specifically the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which was created using Toei’s Sentai Series, the new film is actually pretty good. Where the film truly deviates from most iterations of the show is actual character development, and apparently that doesn’t sit well with some viewers. I mean seriously, the issue some people have with the movie is there is too much time spent building the characters. I took my daughter Jacinda to this and she’s not even a fan and she was interested in it from the commercial, and actually enjoyed it as well.
Here’s the thing though, it actually works for this version. The movie begins with a prologue scene of sorts, setting up the big bad Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks) and hero turned mentor Zordon (Bryan Cranston) at odds after a betrayal. Fast forward 65 million years and we’re introduced to Jason Scott (Dacre Montgomery) as he pulls off a prank with his friend. It goes wrong and he takes the rap for the whole thing, landing him in Angel Grove Saturday detention for the rest of the year with most of the breakfast club; Geek Billy Cranston (RJ Cyler), and fallen cheerleader Kimberly Hart (Naomi Scott). After helping Billy up to the local quarry for an experiment and running into Kimberly, perpetual new girl Trini Kwan (Becky G), and bad boy Zack Taylor (Ludi Lin), they all end up with strange coins and their adventure begins.
But more than the backstories there are some really fun character moments and characters, period. Ludi Lin’s Zack is a lot of fun with his daredevil, devil may care attitude, but where it could come off as forced or fake he genuinely seems to be having the time of his life with the powers, however he and Becky G as Trini get the least to do. She mostly gets to be the loner and say “I told you so” until they finally bond. Montgomery and Scott do well in their roles, breathing just a bit more dimension into their characterizations of Jason and Kimberly respectively, but it’s RJ Cyler as Billy who immediately wins you over. Cinda and I both knew right away he was going to be our favorite. His endearing kindness, and optimism are just infectious, and it’s easy to see why the rest become so protective of him as he’s truly the heart of the team. Elizabeth Banks chews scenery like it’s her diet, and she’s a perfect mix of scary and sensual, and she’s actually dangerous as hell! Half way through the movie I was like “I really hope they don’t kill her” because she was just awesome. She was the complete camp-factor the movie needed, and even she wasn’t too over the top. Bryan Cranston’s Zordon is a bit more curmudgeonly than the TV show version, but there’s a reason behind it, and Bill Hader’s Alpha-5 is a lot less annoying than the TV version, funnier too, in a dark and sadistic sort of way, but he’s a helpful sarcastic little guy.