Power Rangers Is Actually Not Bad

Power Rangers

I was kind of too old for the Power Rangers TV show.  I remember when it first came on.  For me, it was too cheesy, and I was never able to take it seriously.

As a result, I wasn't really very keen on seeing the "Power Rangers" as a movie, even though I agreed to take my kids to see it.  Of course, my little boys loved it.  I don't even need to explain that.  But surprisingly, I really liked it.  The movie is an entertaining roller coaster ride from start to finish.  Almost too embarrassing to admit, I found myself really enjoying the movie and was disappointed when it ended.

It provides a great backstory for the costumed heroes.  Focusing on a group of high school teens in detention class, it is like "Breakfast Club" on steroids.  A group of young misfits all feel mysteriously drawn to a rock quarry that happens to sit on a buried spaceship.  They all find coins that seem to give them superpowers.  They return to the spaceship and make contact with Alpha 5 (played by Bill Hader) and Zordon (played by Bryan Cranston, who actually provided voice for the original series).  He explains to them that the coins mean that they are selected to become the next team of Rangers, beings given powers to fight evil in the universe, namely Rita Repulsa, played beautifully by Elizabeth Banks.  Most of the movie is spent learning to harness their powers, specifically to "morph".  But once they do, an eye-popping battle ensues.  The ensemble is largely unknown to me, but recognized by most of my teens.  (Wait, I thought the black guy was the Black Ranger.  What gives?)  It was celebrated that the Yellow Ranger (played by singer Beck G) was the first queer Ranger, but I guess I'm naive enough that I didn't catch that nuance.

"Power Rangers" certainly is not going to win any Academy Awards, but it will have you swinging your fists at the movie screen for a few minutes.  Go see it, and take your kids.

Shock the Monkey: "Kong: Skull Island" is a Wild Ride

Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson 

It might seem too soon for another King Kong movie, but then one remember's:  Peter Jackson's sprawling, poetic epic was released in 2005 - 12  years ago!  I guess we are due for another one.  "Kong: Skull Island" is the second installment in Legendary's MonsterVerse series, which started with 2014's "Godzilla", and will eventually climax pitting both gargantuan creatures against each other.

I have to admit - when I first saw the trailer for this movie, I had zero desire to see it.  I only went, because the group I attended this movie with had already seen the other selections and this was the only flick yet not viewed by everyone.  So we went.

Actually, I was glad to see it.  It was a brilliant, star-studded monster flick worthy of a Saturday matinee.  For a Kong movie, there was nary a Manhattan landscape to be found, no giant gorilla scaling the Empire State Building.  Instead, the whole drama takes place on the mysterious Skull Island where the King of the Apes is the last of his kind, an unwitting hero guarding  a vent to the center of the earth where even more dangerous denizens dwell.  The movie felt more like "Platoon" or "Jurassic Park" than it did any other Kong movies.

Of course, you have the stereotypical characters - the sneaky businessman trying to exploit the island, played by John Goodman.  The no-nonsense former special forces commander played by Tom Hiddleston.  The feisty photojournalist played by Brie Larson in the role filled before by Fay Wray, Jessica Lange and Naomi Watts, except a bit tougher.  The military leader bent on destroying Kong and refuses to see any benefit to leaving him alive, played by the mother f***ing Samuel L. Jackson.  The half-crazed WWII pilot stranded on the island and who is the only one with an insight into the monster played by John C. Reilly.  As well as a handful of other characters, most of them soldiers, and most of them die.

Of course, the most memorable character is Kong himself, grumpy and strong, yet always has a soft spot for the female character.  The island itself is a character in the film with its luscious and deadly landscape, full of amazing creatures, like giant spiders and the like.  Most of the action is military, and the film will not have you engaging in any philosophical discussions.  It is just great fun.

Oh yeah, and most importantly - my boys loved it.