Saban's Power Rangers [Blu-ray + DVD + Digital]

I enjoyed this movie immensely. I was already into my late 20's when Power rangers first appeared and was not a big fan. This movie may not be cannon for the true fans, but I think it was very well done and a great movie. I have watched it at least four times and would watch it more. In fact as I write this, I may just feel the desire to watch it again it is that good of a movie to just watch over and over.

As an original 90's kid who grew up with the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, I was as enthralled with this strange new action show using cheesy Japanese footage spliced with an original American plot. As a kid I didn't need to, nor was I able to grasp the concept of marketing, all I knew was that the Power Rangers were awesome! Watching this movie now brings me a wave of nostalgia for the childhood I loved but, surprisingly, is a much more relatable story.Jason, Kimberly, Trini, Zack and Billy were blatant stereotypes of high school archetypes, they were the cool kids, the do-gooders who were always perfect and never failed at what they did. Only as an adult watching the show again did I realize that they were nothing like me or my friends. We were outcasts, lonely, artists who were picked on by the Bulk and Skulls of the world, even though they actually seemed more like my friends now, lol. We weren't the cool kids or the achievers and little did I realize as kid how unattainable that level of perfection was until now.This generation of Power Rangers, a fallen sports star, a trendy girl who made a mistake on social media, an awkward savant on the spectrum et, al, are much more grounded characters with real flaws and real heart. In many ways they are the anti Power Rangers, representing the opposite of my childhood idols and yet still exemplifying their best attributes at the same time. They fight, they struggle, they laugh together and ultimately realize that despite their unusual circumstances they are wiling to sacrifice for each other for a cause greater than their own self interest.This is a new Power Rangers for a new generation and I am so happy that this movie exists and speaks to those kids, those outcasts and awkward socially anxious teens who can grow up with the kind of representation my generation never had. The story is simple but surprisingly original considering the horrible source material that was literally pieced together from archival Japanese footage from a show that had an entirely different dynamic and sensibility than American audiences were ready to accept. They did what they could with what they had at the time, but this movie succeeds in so many ways where the show had failed.Super fans may gripe about how Rita didn't emerge from a space dumpster on the moon, or that there's no Squat or Baboon, or Finster who makes nonsensical monsters out of clay, yes that's what happened on the show, or even that the black ranger isn't black and the yellow ranger isn't Asian. The 90's weren't the most politically correct time in history, but we were doing the best we could, so the new Power Rangers brings the core tenet of my beloved childhood show and modernizes it in the best way. Somehow it managed to work in nods to the show, even a pair of familiar cameos, without ramping up the cheeze factor. The go go power rangers theme song sprinkled into the zord fight was a genuine smile moment for me, but between the character dynamics, the action and FX Power Rangers 2017 is the PR movie I've been waiting my entire childhood for.May the power be with you.

SABAN'S POWER RANGERS (2017) easily has to be biggest, most pleasant movie surprise of the summer of 2017! I had ZERO intention of even watching this thing, ended up almost accidentally deciding to give it a go bored one Saturday evening, the early scene consisting of 2 high school ne'er do wells kidnapping a cow as part of a school prank (yeah, right) and thought, well, I'm not going to make it past 15 minutes of this thing before turning it off. THEN, immediately, a surprisingly thought-provoking scene between father and son, one of the aforementioned high school pranksters, about responsibility, maturity, and thinking about his future. I slowly got sucked in. The son is high school football star Jason Scott (played with great conviction and excellence by newcomer Dacre Montgomery), who is thrown in Saturday detention for his misdeed. There he meets fellow troubled youths cheerleader Kimberly Hart (wonderfully played by newcomer Naomi Scott) and autistic science geek Billy Cranston (brilliantly performed in scene-stealing fashion by newcomer RJ Cyler). The 3 youths cross paths at the local town mine and meet 2 other of their fellow high-schoolers, the rebellious loner Trini (winningly played by newcomer Becky G) and the thrill-seeking hothead Zack (well played by newcomer Ludi Lin). Jason=Red Ranger, Kim=Purple Ranger, Billy=Blue Ranger, Trini=Yellow Ranger, Zack=Black Ranger. I had never heard of any of this group of actors before and was mightily impressed with their casting, acting, and chemistry.The 5 teens are "chosen" to defeat the evil Rita Repulsa (played to the hilt by gifted comic actress, the veteran Elizabeth Backs) by Zordon (the previous Red Ranger, voiced well by "Mr. Breaking Bad" himself Bryan Cranston) and his cute little wisecracking robot sidekick Alpha 5 (voiced by the hilarious chameleon Bill Hader). The mine serves as the team's base of operations where they alternate between training and arguing until they finally come together not as newly superpowered beings, but as a group of connected teens who relate to each other's real-world problems. The humor works incredibly throughout, even veering into witty territory at times. The lighthearted tone was always underneath the surface of the, dare I say it, powerful drama. And as mentioned before, the acting was incredibly strong across the group of gifted young newbies.Expecting this romp to be nothing more than a throwaway, silly, cheesy, summer kids movie, I was stunned at how it managed to avoid clichés and really be ABOUT something! To my surprise, the movie actually built up the character relationships for the first 2/3 of the movie, really forming convincing bonds among the 5 troubled youths. The last 1/3 of course is mostly action, but thanks to the buildup, I actually gave a damn about the survival of this unit of teens. I am honestly looking forward to the sequel!