Tuesday 6 September 2011

Film Review: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie


It's 1995.  Power Rangers is a world-wide phenomenon. You've conquered TV, the toy aisles... There's only one place left to go, but ONLY IN THEATRES...


(until the video came out, anyway)

The cynical among you may expect Power Rangers: The Movie to be a hastily written, cheap cash-in that kids would love simply because it had their favourite TV characters in it and their parents would happily scoop their eyes out with a spoon rather than sit through.

Is it really that bad? Does it deserve 42% on Rotten Tomatoes?



The plot isn't as bad as many other children's spin-off films I've sat through. It's heaps better than Revenge of the Fallen, for example, but then I guess that isn't saying much. It's certainly no Pixar film either, but then precious few films do appeal so well to both adults and children.

I guess it's as good as the TV series is. Take of that what you will.


The big, big problem for me are the zords. Being a 100% American production (if filmed in Australia) there's no Japanese footage. This means no men in suits pretending to be robots.

Boo!

Instead the zords are all-new CGI creations. Very, very shiny CGI creations. I have no idea why they're so shiny. Since the robots in Beast Wars are almost as shiny, I don't know if it has something to do with cost or ease of computing power. Or maybe shiny was 'in' in the mid-90s. It's not a great look and I miss the man-in-suitness. They had more...personality?  Cheesiness?  It just seemed to suit the tone of Power Rangers more.


Plus points are that everyone's favourite Pink Ranger was in it (now upgraded from spandex to PVC) and the Power Rangers wave their arms round in a crazy fashion whenever they speak.

I'm easily amused.


My boys love it, of course. As of a couple of months ago I'd never seen the film. Now I've seen it more times than I can count and will probably watch it countless more times tomorrow. Such is the way with children. Still it could be worse. They could insist on putting the Smurfs and the Magic Flute on again.

Now that really is terrible.


The new series, Power Rangers Samurai, is currently on Nickelodeon from Saturdays to Wednesdays at 3pm, with repeats at 4pm.

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