Directed by Dean Israelite

Starring: Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Elizabeth Banks

I'll start by saying I've never actually watched the original Power Rangers show, so I actually know nothing about it. I guess I missed out? I'm not too sure. Although for this movie I didn't feel pressured into thinking that I'd have to know what the fuss is all about. I didn't want to feel like I might fail the film for the fact that I'm not familiar with it all and thankfully I didn't. To really round up this film to what it is, I'd define it as a fun coming-of-age romp.

Jason (Montgomery) Kimberly (Scott) Billy (Cyler) Zack (Ludi Lin) and Trini (Becky G.) are a group of misfit teenagers who are brought together when they discover a hidden spaceship underground belonging to Zordon (Bryan Cranston) who enlists their help to become Power Rangers, guardians of the Earth against the evil former ranger Rita Repulsa (Banks) from destroying the world. Pretty generic plot really, I hope I got that all right...


Anywho, that's the synopsis for you, and whilst it may be pretty generic the film is actually rather special. Like 'Kong: Skull Island' we have a relatively unknown director taking a big blockbuster into his hands. And Israelite does this film quite well, up until maybe the third act, but we will get to that. The film starts off really strong, with an introduction to the five heroes who are all given an enjoyable and interesting personality and story. They've all got problems and issues with their lives, and what is interesting is how much I enjoyed seeing these characters out of their armour and interacting with eachother more than anything. This is how I imagine Richard Linklater would make a Power Rangers movie. Because as much as it is a superhero movie, it is very coming-of-age.

Cranston said when he was cast as Zordon that the film would be almost as dark as 'The Dark Knight' or something along those lines... but I think we all know that wouldn't be the case, and it wasn't - but it does have a nice style and tone. It's not gritty as such but the colour palette in particular has a nice level of grit to it, and this goes hand in hand with the cinematography, which for a superhero film is well appreciated it. There are some really nice shots and pans in the film, and it's a nice compliment to not just the style but the characters as well. The film is often humorous, Billy being the comedic relief and done actually very well. And again, this aswell compliments the rest of the film nicely.


But this film isn't perfect by no means. As I predicted, the final act is a CGI mess, and the only real big action fight scene in the film. It starts off well, paying homage to the original show, but really becomes a Transformers-like fest of bright colours and mindless action. And Banks' Rita is just as generic as a Marvel villain and reminded me a lot of 'Suicide Squad's Enchantress. She feels pretty pointless and boring in comparison to the rangers, which I'm very glad wasn't the other way around so I'm pretty thankful for that. She comes across as a very over the top actress in films other than 'The Hunger Games.'

All in all, 'Power Rangers' is in no way a masterful switch for the franchise into a film series but ticks a lot of boxes in other areas, whether it was the aim to make a very brat pack style of film is unknown but still a plus. It has some limitations but was really a good time at the cinema for me. Maybe time for me to watch some of the old stuff perhaps.

The Good
+ Strong cast
+ A sound tone
+ A nice transition to the big screen

The Bad
- A predictable plot
- A headache of a CGI third act
- A weak villain

7/10