A group of rebellious high school students stumble upon an ancient spaceship and are granted super powers. This film is a retelling of the original Power Rangers origin story. It has a healthy mix of humor, action, and drama.
Power Rangers had the makings of a great movie. The potential was high, but the execution failed. There were many hilarious lines and sweet action moments that made me want to like it, but these positive traits were weighed down by cheesy one liners and a bad moral message. The lines “It’s morphin time!” and “Power up!” were actually used. Having never been a Power Ranger fan I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew the gist of the story, but never really felt the need to explore it further. Since then I have done a bit of digging to find out how close this movie follows the original tales. What confused me most was that the movie started off as super serious. The main characters were involved in some real life issues like bullying, committing crimes, and being misunderstood. The villain was super creepy and serious too. But then as the movie progressed, the plot became silly and unrealistic. Granted super hero movies are never super realistic, but this one really went over the edge. It reached the point of becoming a live action cartoon. The inconsistency of the film was a bit jarring to say the least.
I cannot recommend this film because I disagree with it’s overall message. The idea behind Power Rangers is that the “power stones” choose worthy and strong people to defend the universe. The teenagers chosen though were terrible kids. They were disrespectful, disobedient, dangerous, and exhibited all around bad behavior. They thought only of themselves and treated others poorly. They risked the safety of everyone around them, and had no semblance of respect for adults.
After spending 30 minutes showing the audience how bad these children were, the “heroes” then proceed to trespass and act reckless. The main characters find magical stones and get into a horrible car accident, where they all end up completely unhurt. This is but one of the many examples where this film shows people that it’s okay to act foolish. I saw many children coming in and out of the theater, and could not help but wonder what messages these kids were taking away. Do people get rewarded in life for being bad? Will I find super powers by acting a fool? It’s one thing to have a lack of moral compass in adult rated films, but taking a children’s TV show and turning it into something not suitable for most people to watch is just too much.
Like I said earlier though, I found parts of this movie to be very entertaining. It had great potential, and a sequel may correct a lot of the wrongs by not showing the Power Ranger’s origins. I wish that I could recommend this film, but I really can’t. If you are of the age where you can ignore the moral lessons behind the movie, then it makes for a fine one time see.
Starring: Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Ludi Lin, Becky G, Elizabeth Banks, Bryan Cranston, Bill Hader, Matt Shively.
Runtime: 124min
Rated: PG13
HFR Rating:
