Power Rangers

GO, GO, childhood nostalgia!

Now that the dust has settled after last week’s minor controversy over whether or not the film would be screened here at all, Power Rangers fans can watch their colourful Zord-riding superheroes save the world on the big screen again.

That said, this film is less like 1995’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, and a little more like Chronicle meets The Avengers.

After a gritty opening scene where we see an earlier Power Rangers team, led by Zordon (Bryan Cranston) getting wiped out by Rita Repulsa (Banks), a former Green Ranger turned evil, we are then introduced to Angel Grove football quarterback Jason (Montgomery), who takes part in a prank that goes awry.

This results in him getting sent to after-school detention, where he befriends the autistic mechanical genius Billy (Cyler).

The two are joined by Kimberly (Scott) a cheerleader who is being punished after a mean-spirited act that lost her all her friends.

Billy then convinces Jason to join him at the local abandoned mine, to dig for lost treasures.

The mine turns out to also be the favourite hangout spot of Kimberly, as well as two other loner teens, Zack (Ludi Lin) and Trini (Becky G).

They soon discover five colourful coins hidden in the cliff, which give them super strength and agility, and decide to return to the mine to get some answers.

They eventually come across an alien base, and meet Alpha 5 (voiced by Bill Hader) and Zordon, who tells them that they have been chosen as the new Power Rangers.

At the same time, Rita is back, and is on a mission to recover a powerful Zeo crystal hidden somewhere in Angel Grove, which will give her the power to take over the world, and the Power Rangers must come together to stop her.

I must admit that I found Power Rangers surprisingly entertaining. Despite its wafer-thin plot, the film had a lot of heart, thanks to the cast, who manage to elevate the material and create characters that you really feel for.

Kudos in particular to Cyler. His Billy could have just been the comic relief, but he added so much personality to the character that he became my favourite. I also enjoyed Montgomery’s charismatic portrayal of Jason, who bravely takes on the mantle of leadership.

On the other hand, I was somewhat on the fence about Banks’ portrayal of Rita. It seems like she

Dacre Montgomery, R.J. Cyler, Naomi Scott and Elizabeth Banks Director: Dean Israelite E-Value: 6 Acting: 7 Plot: 5

Suicide Squad Joker, which fans will either love or hate. And Cranston snagged the easiest paycheque of his life, mostly phoning in his lines as the CGI Zordon. The film also goes a little off the rails when it reaches the big climactic battle between the Power Rangers and Rita’s monster Goldar, but it manages to salvage everything for a grand finish.

There are plenty of moments of nostalgia, and longtime fans will get a thrill out of hearing the familiar catchphrases, and when they play a few lines of the old theme song.

Also, stay on for a mid-credit scene that hints at a future sequel that will involve a beloved fan favourite character.