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.