{"id":6910,"date":"2017-03-27T15:45:51","date_gmt":"2017-03-27T19:45:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occhimagazine.com\/?p=6910"},"modified":"2017-03-27T18:00:23","modified_gmt":"2017-03-27T22:00:23","slug":"power-up-for-power-rangers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occhimagazine.com\/power-up-for-power-rangers\/","title":{"rendered":"Power Up for Power Rangers"},"content":{"rendered":"<body><p>Growing up in the 90\u2019s as a young boy, there were a few constants in my life.\u00a0 Things like playing Nintendo, eating sugary cereal, and watching ridiculous television were all staples of my childhood.\u00a0 Of those ridiculous shows, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0106064\/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Mighty Morphin\u2019 Power Rangers<\/em><\/a> was one of my go-to\u2019s.\u00a0 Alongside things like <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt1877889\/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles<\/em><\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt3717490\/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Power Rangers <\/em><\/a>was one of those programs that perfectly encapsulated the 90\u2019s feel.\u00a0 It was a mixture of American sitcom stories cut with Japanese super hero action.\u00a0 Often times incredibly cheesy, the show had a very specific style of martial arts and slapstick humor.\u00a0 When I saw the trailer for the 2017 reboot of <em>Power Rangers<\/em>, it seemed more serious and modern.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t exactly sure what to expect from this big Hollywood adaptation, as there are so many options for the franchise in way of direction.\u00a0 Does it pay homage to the cheesy style of the original, or go for a more serious approach?\u00a0 Is this just another Hollywood nostalgia cash-in?\u00a0 Luckily, I\u2019ve got all the answers.<\/p>\n<p>First and foremost, you need to know that 2017\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt3717490\/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Power Rangers<\/em><\/a>\u00a0is not your 90\u2019s<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0106064\/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Mighty Morphin\u2019 Power Rangers<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0 It\u2019s a retelling of the original story line, complete with the same characters and overarching plot points.\u00a0 There\u2019s some new elements introduced in the way of narrative, but the most drastic change is the tone.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt3717490\/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Power Rangers<\/em><\/a>\u00a0plays out more like an origin story with excellent teen drama and a charming moral.\u00a0 Once the morphing comes into play, things get a bit more loose, but for the most part the serious tone works.<\/p>\n<p>The movie follows five teenage kids with different backgrounds in the small town of Angel Grove.\u00a0 When Jason (Dacre Montgomery), the football team hero, is punished for a school prank with year long detention, he meets the timid Billy (RJ Cyler).\u00a0 After becoming friends, they journey to a nearby mine to poke around.\u00a0 As they do this, we organically meet the rest of the team.\u00a0 There\u2019s Zack (Ludi Lin), a jerkish slacker, Kimberly (Naomi Scott), a troubled cheerleader, and Trini (Becky G), the perpetual \u201cnew girl\u201d.\u00a0 When the five discover glowing power coins in the mine, their path towards becoming the Power Rangers begins.<\/p>\n<p>For a lot of the run time of the film, we get to know these characters and what makes them tick.\u00a0 The original series glossed over a lot of these base characteristics, so it was nice to see the rangers fleshed out as people.\u00a0 Billy (RJ Cyler) is the stand out for me, in both performance and in quality of narrative.\u00a0 Although he\u2019s not the leader of the rangers (that\u2019s Jason), he gets the most care in terms of story.\u00a0 Billy is the heart of <em>Power Rangers<\/em>, through and through, and watching the group friendship form around him was really pleasant.\u00a0 This is in part due to the excellence of the performance from the entire group.\u00a0 All of the cast did a really great job inhabiting their characters, except for the main villain, Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks).\u00a0 The other major players in the origin story aspect are Zordon (Bryan Cranston), and the robot Alpha 5 (voiced by Bill Hader).\u00a0 Both Zordon and Alpha 5 play guide characters, easing the group into their transition and introducing them to their true powers.\u00a0 Both parts are played very well, and Zordon has an interesting twist in his backstory that I enjoyed.<\/p>\n<p>[su_youtube url=\u201dhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bPl-afeXTS8\u2033]<\/p>\n<p>Rita Repulsa is the main antagonist; her presence is the entire reason the kids must become the rangers.\u00a0 She threatens to destroy the planet by removing the mystical Zeo Crystal from the Earth, buried below Angel Grove.\u00a0 As we get to know the teens, the movie will give us quick scenes of Rita returning from the dead, slowly gaining power.\u00a0 These early scenes are presented like a horror movie, and really fit the overall tone of the film.\u00a0 However, as the film nears its climax and Rita regains full power (and thus, voice), her character comes off incredibly cartoony and juvenile.\u00a0 She is reminiscent of the original Rita from the television show, but the cheesy delivery does not play well in the otherwise serious atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p>For a movie about a group of super powered teens in brightly colored suits, there\u2019s not a lot of morphing action.\u00a0 The kids don\u2019t suit up til the final act of the film, wherein the film finally delivers on the goofy action of the original series.\u00a0 This final encounter is very much like a Michael Bay <em>Transformers<\/em> film, or something out of a Marvel film.\u00a0 However, the CGI and general action of the climax is a bit underwhelming.\u00a0 It was enjoyable to watch, but for all the build up, seeing the actual Power Rangers as a team didn\u2019t strike me as hard as it could\u2019ve.\u00a0 In fact, the beginning of the movie worked more for me than the ending.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t get me wrong, deep in my heart where my childhood lies, I was excited to see my kid fantasies on the big screen.\u00a0 However, in relation to the structure of the film, the explosive ending all felt a bit rushed.\u00a0 I was incredibly surprised that I enjoyed the origin story aspect, which was previously my least anticipated element.\u00a0 I went into <em>Power Rangers<\/em> wanting something that resembled the original; a cheesy and high action ride with not a lot of down time.\u00a0 Instead, we got a modernized look at the characters behind the suits with a bit of flashy action.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt3717490\/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Power Rangers<\/em><\/a> turned out much better than I thought it would be.\u00a0 It defied my expectations by subverting them, and offering me a kind of movie I didn\u2019t think I wanted.\u00a0 Thanks to some great casting with believable characters and a true sense of bonding and friendship, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt3717490\/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Power Rangers<\/em><\/a>\u00a0manages to be a good time.\u00a0 Although the ending is a bit weak and the villain has a hard clash of tone, the movie is worth a viewing, especially for fans of the original.\u00a0 I think that this adaptation will be divisive, and I can see why.\u00a0 I hope that <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt3717490\/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Power Rangers<\/em><\/a>\u00a0proves to be a good launching pad for a trilogy or a sequel, as there\u2019s still a bit more Mighty Morphin\u2019 story to tell.\u00a0 For now, I\u2019m content with what <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt3717490\/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Power Rangers<\/em><\/a>\u00a0delivered on; a fun time and a new perspective.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Movie Rating:<\/strong> 3.5 stars.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Movie Ratings Guide<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1 Star = Unwatchable<br>\n2 Stars = Cannot Recommend<br>\n3 Stars = Would Watch Again<br>\n4 Stars = A Solid Movie<br>\n5 Stars = Must Own (DVD\/Stream Download)<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong>\u00a0 Long time fans will want to stick around for the mid-credit scene, which hints at a sequel.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Growing up in the 90\u2019s as a young boy, there were a few constants in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":6917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[141,235],"tags":[14,100,208,110,279,99,109,323,106,238],"class_list":["post-6910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","category-your-film-review","tag-arts-and-entertainment","tag-film","tag-film-director","tag-films","tag-matthew-owen","tag-movie","tag-movies","tag-power-rangers","tag-review","tag-your-film-review"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Power-Rangers-2017-Movie-Review.jpg?fit=1920%2C960&ssl=1",1920,960,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Power-Rangers-2017-Movie-Review.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Power-Rangers-2017-Movie-Review.jpg?fit=300%2C150&ssl=1",300,150,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Power-Rangers-2017-Movie-Review.jpg?fit=640%2C320&ssl=1",640,320,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Power-Rangers-2017-Movie-Review.jpg?fit=640%2C320&ssl=1",640,320,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Power-Rangers-2017-Movie-Review.jpg?fit=1536%2C768&ssl=1",1536,768,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Power-Rangers-2017-Movie-Review.jpg?fit=1920%2C960&ssl=1",1920,960,true],"chromenews-featured":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Power-Rangers-2017-Movie-Review.jpg?fit=1024%2C512&ssl=1",1024,512,true],"chromenews-large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Power-Rangers-2017-Movie-Review.jpg?resize=825%2C575&ssl=1",825,575,true],"chromenews-medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Power-Rangers-2017-Movie-Review.jpg?resize=590%2C410&ssl=1",590,410,true],"tptn_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Power-Rangers-2017-Movie-Review.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"profile_24":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Power-Rangers-2017-Movie-Review.jpg?resize=24%2C24&ssl=1",24,24,true],"profile_48":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Power-Rangers-2017-Movie-Review.jpg?resize=48%2C48&ssl=1",48,48,true],"profile_96":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Power-Rangers-2017-Movie-Review.jpg?resize=96%2C96&ssl=1",96,96,true],"profile_150":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Power-Rangers-2017-Movie-Review.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"profile_300":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Power-Rangers-2017-Movie-Review.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1",300,300,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"Matthew E. 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