[yasr_overall_rating]
A group of high-school kids, who are infused with unique superpowers, harness their abilities in order to save the world.
It is very tricky to mold together the old and the new. If you change it too much you risk losing support from the die-hard fans. If you don’t change it enough you can’t attract a new audience. The new reboot of “Power Rangers” finds an impeccable balance between the two to create a thrilling restart that will please those who grew up on the series and will introduce those who have yet to fall in love with it.
The film keeps the skeleton of its predecessors in its story structure. Meet the team, find a foil, fight a huge monster in the end. All of that is expected and a given. What you need to build on is the culture that is expressed throughout the movie in order to provide a workable storyline that keeps the attention of fans. “Power Rangers” was always family oriented. Not in the sense of being a family show (the film starts out with aliens killing each other) but in the sense of comradery and this is something the creators kept and used to build up to the arc of the story. That part of the culture has stood strong and also allowed new culture to join it. In all honestly, this movie feels like a cross between “Transformers” and “The Breakfast Club.” Take what worked in the old film and allow what is new to join it without betraying the core of the movie. Does it work? It does. Even if its take on the series is only a little lighter than something Zack Snyder would sponsor.
The score that filled the film was recent and new. The style that the characters had and the way they talked, that was new and current. The setting and the way that society was portrayed, that was new but the internal problems that were attached to each of the characters, they were timeless. Fighting with yourself is a problem that everyone feels, it is an ordeal that is unmatched and it stood parallel to the times that the Rangers fought their foes. This is where the similarity from “The Breakfast Club” comes into play. Kids who come together that feel as though they are different and unique in their struggles when in actuality, they aren’t at all. There were family troubles, a loss of parents, the feeling of inadequacy and the forced conformity. That is something that we all feel and that is something that will draw everyone towards a character. It must be said that something didn’t make itself apparent even though society has progressed. There was still a male lead, the African American character still seemed the be the stem of the comedy in the film, and there is a queer character in the film but the dialog doesn’t really make this known, as though it is purposely skirting around this so it doesn’t anger or alienate viewers who aren’t accepting of it. Those are errors that need to be fixed and hopefully will in time seeing as how producers have already said that there are five more movies slated for production and release. The film’s budget was slightly over $100 million and if the crowd that joined me was any indication of sales, this movie is going to cover its costs easily.
There were many nods to the old series, some were hidden and others were plain to see…holding camera phones and walking in the street. It was a great joining of old and new. Beside me, there was a young boy, maybe eight or nine years of age and beside him was his father. Throughout the film the boy had questions and the father would answer without hesitation, he would give the child background of why things were happening and who these people were. That is what is great about this movie, it transcends barriers. It can be shared across generations. That’s what happens when you pick a good slice of nostalgia and decide to dust it off and do it right.
In theaters Friday, March 24th
