Power Rangers (2017)

[JessePinkman]

It looks like Chronicle mixed with Transformers maybe?

[Spartan Girl]

Yeah, I already don't like the looks of the Power Rangers transformation.  And like someone else said in the trailers thread, somebody had better say, "It's morphin' time!"

[methodwriter85]

I'm willing to give this a chance, but it really doesn't look like the Power Rangers. It looks like a teen angst superhero movie.

[Bill1978]

My 6 year old godson has just gotten into Power Rangers and I was excited they were making a movie. But after seeing the trailer I was left cold and disappointed that they have seemed to make a movie aimed at the older teenagers/ young adult crowd, meaning of course the godson won't be able to watch this movie, due to my prediction of this not being a PG movie.

Edited December 5, 2016 by Bill1978

[PrincessEnnui]

I don't understand why every "teen" movie nowadays needs to follow "outcast" teens. One of the things I really liked about Power Rangers was they seemed like super decent kids, well liked enough that it didn't matter they weren't super popular like the Saved By The Bell kids and didn't get involved in teen pitfalls like drinking, sex... and diet pills. Ugh, I can already tell that the romance angle will kill this movie. And I tired of the Black kid being the spoil sport in these types movies (super hero, adventure, horror, comedy... well, I guess all types XD). There's a difference between common sense and caution and being too terrified to take a leap of faith. 

[Captain Carrot]

5 hours ago, PrincessEnnui said:

I don't understand why every "teen" movie nowadays needs to follow "outcast" teens.

My younger brother was into Power Rangers, and I always found it funny they were referred to as 'Teenagers with attitude'. Because they always struck me as kind of...vanilla for lack of a better word. My guess from the trailer is that the producers felt the same way, and are trying to correct the issue. (Whether or not it's an issue that they should be concerned with is another question).

[starri]

12 hours ago, PrincessEnnui said:

I don't understand why every "teen" movie nowadays needs to follow "outcast" teens.

Makes it easier for the audience to identify with them.  Every teenager wants to think they're special snowflakes that are secretly more awesome than their peers.  See also:  Everdeen, Katniss, Prior, Tris, Swan, Bella.

[SeanC]

That was...quite fun, actually.

I tend to concur with the reviews that the movie loses steam after they reach the point of fully becoming the Power Rangers -- which is I expect partially a budget limitation, but even within those limits the action isn't top-notch.  The Megazord looks cool enough; the individual Zords are post-Michael Bay Transformers-style designs that are too busy, and they're shot in a way that often makes them hard to get a handle on visually.  There was some controversy around the suits, but they look good, I thought.

The interactions between the various characters are fleshed out well (I mean, they're mostly types, but within those bounds they're given some sense of dimension and the actors are charismatic).  I like that the movie, while it has humour (and clearly has adopted its visual style to try to tone the campy overtones of the property down), plays the characters straight.  Well, except Rita -- Rita is full-on camp, with Elizabeth Banks spouting one-liners and posing like she's at a drag revue.  That's not a criticism, incidentally; she's fun too.

The brief allusion to Trini being LGBT has kind of been overplayed in the press, I think; if you're going to talk about the movie from a diversity standpoint (beyond the fact that the cast is 4/5 racial minorities, which is diverse even by Power Rangers standards), I'd say the most notable thing is Billy being autistic and this not being played for laughs (he's an autistic nerd, which raises the spectre of Big Bang Theory-style nonsense, but, while he does supply some comic relief, the movie doesn't belabour it).  Billy was my favourite when watching the original show, and he's the standout here too, though I like everybody.  With Jason I could have done without Zordon telling him he's supposed to be the leader; if he's going to be the leader, I'd rather that just come out naturally.

[thuganomics85]

Yeah, I surprisingly enjoyed it more then I expected, but what was really weird is that I vastly preferred the stuff before they actually became the Power Rangers.  Granted, the latter half wasn't bad, but it was kind of by the numbers action, straight from any Power Rangers episode, with a Michael Bay budget and flare (although more competent.)  But I actually liked seeing how the five characters met and how they really didn't even know each other, but have to learn to work together to take on this threat.  It was almost like a group project at school, if failing the assignment would end with the destruction of the world, instead of just a F!  The highlight of the film was easily the campfire scene, which is something I never, ever, thought I would type.

Definitely the cast deserves a lot of the credit, since it was mainly by the numbers writing-wise and the characters were archetypes.  But all five of them fit their characters perfectly, and had great chemistry with one another.  I vague know them from other works; Dacre Montgomery will be in the next season of Stranger Things, Becky G. was on Empire for a couple of episodes, and I totally didn't realize till halfway through that Naomi Scott played the oldest daughter on Terra Nova; but they all impressed me.  If had to pick a favorite though, it was RJ Cyler.  He did a great job at making Billy feel like a real teen with autism, and not just a caricature that other films/tv tend to do. 

Bryan Cranston as Zordon was fun knowing his past connection to the franchise and Bill Hader was his normal awesome self as Alpha 5.  And, of course, being filmed in Canada meant seeing the normal parade of familiar faces like David Denman, Sarah Grey, Erica Cerra, and Patrick Sabongui.  And then there was Elizabeth Banks in all of her campy glory as Rita Repulsa.  This might be one of my new favorite hammy performances of all time.  Everything from the skimpy green outfit to all the cackling and snarling was so tonally opposite from everything else, but it somehow worked for me.  It seemed like that was some of the most fun she was having.  Hell, even made all the obvious Krispy Kreme product placement gags work.

Even though I obviously knew it wasn't going to be permanent, Billy's "death" and the rest of the gang's reactions was surprisingly sad and intense.

It did feel like they basically made Jason, Kimberly, and Billy the main trio, with Zack and Trini mainly supporting, outside of Zack's sick mother and Trini's issues with her parents.  Oh, and being a lesbian, which is nice progressive step, but as usual, the media overhyped it, since it was mainly only one line.  Although I do wonder if that was the reason she seem more comfortable with Kimberly then any of the guys.

Curious to see how this is going to overall work for both newcomers and fans of the original series (or spin-offs.)

Edited March 27, 2017 by thuganomics85

[dkb]

13 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Even though I obviously knew it wasn't going to be permanent, Billy's "death" and the rest of the gang's reactions was surprisingly sad and intense.

^^ Yes, it was. For a second there I actually thought he was dead dead and never coming back.

It was a fun movie, loved when the "Go Go Power Rangers" theme started up when they were all in their zords heading to Rita and Goldar.

The only thing I didn't like was their suits, "armour," they just looked really ugly to me. I get they were more modern and alien technology thingy but I wasn't feeling them.

Loved the original pink and red rangers at the end with the phone. Did I miss any of the other originals?

The mid credit scene was good too.

Edited March 26, 2017 by dkb

[darkestboy]

I freaking loved this movie. I wasn't expecting to do as I only ever really care about the original group of Rangers and never really bothered with the plethora of spin off shows that have been airing ever since but this movie was so good.

If you're gonna do a reboot of a cheesy 90s TV show, this is how to do it. Captured the spirit of the original show but felt very contemporary and relevant for a modern audience.

Trini's sexuality, Billy's autism, Zack caring for his mother, Jason and Kimberly's own falls from grace were all handled and there was a lot of depth to the characters to be honest.

Loved the fight sequences, thought the underwater ones looked breath taking and found Rita with her new backstory to be a compelling antagonist as well.

Zordon and Alpha 5 were decent and loved the cameos from original Pink and Green Rangers as well.

Definitely will see the sequel to this. 8/10

[Robert Lynch]

I thought this was pretty well done for a Power Rangers flick. Having grew up with the original Power Rangers and its spin-offs until 2000, this was an exceptional movie. Even my parents liked it and they didn't like any of the movies or series. I was born in 1983 and let me tell you that this movie did well with all the key notes here. Billy was my favorite character and I hope see more of this in coming sequels. How did it do in the box office? Everybody was cheering like crazy at the end.

[DisneyBoy]

Is this worth seeing in the theaters or should I just watch it at home? I'm a casual fan of the franchise and really enjoyed the out-there designs of the original show... but if this is just a big CGI fest with a bunch of CW-style characters I won't waste my money going to the multiplex.

[methodwriter85]

Lionsgate might want to re-think their sequel plans. This will be lucky to hit 90 million domestic.

[Robert Lynch]

Didn't the first TMNT starring Megan Fox made less during its debut? I am pretty sure it garnered a sequel afterwards, though. 

[methodwriter85]

I got the chance to see it. I definitely enjoyed it. I hope they still get a sequel. The Tommy tease definitely has me there. And it was nice to see OG Kimberly and Tommy.

[Robert Lynch]

Oh, man......http://www.slashfilm.com/was-power-rangers-2-just-killed-by-poor-international-box-office/

Edited May 19, 2017 by Robert Lynch

[methodwriter85]

2 hours ago, Robert Lynch said:

Oh, man......http://www.slashfilm.com/was-power-rangers-2-just-killed-by-poor-international-box-office/

Well, that's disappointing. Maybe Lionsgate could have the show go as a series and just recast Zordon and Rita?

I really think it was a mistake to turn this into a PG-13 movie. (Rita's "dead" body was seriously gross and I wish they had done something else with introducing her.) This needed to be something that 8-year kids would enjoy. I mean, I did enjoy it, but I can see why this only really appealed to adults who loved the show as kids, not people who are actually kids now.

[DisneyBoy]

I tried watching this a few weeks ago on a sick day and could only get through the first hour. I liked the cast - especially Billy and Jason - but felt the  other characters were underwritten, especially considering how much time we spend in that first hour just getting to know them (supposedly).

Zordon and Alpha worked surprisingly well and I didn't mind Rita's revised origin as a fallen former Ranger...but they really took their sweet time introducing her as a threat and I found it impossible to forget that I was watching Elizabeth Banks ham it up. Her whole stealing gold thing to make Goldar was also a big ?!!?

I'll watch the second half of the movie soon and probably have more to add. It wasn't a bad... but I found it bizarrely somber and dull and murky in terms of its tone and cinematography.

I'm in no way surprised to see the Chinese audience reject it outright. The original show Power Rangers is based on was colorful and bizarre and campy and larger than life. It grabbrd your attention and was compelling and creative. This must've seemed very pretentious and dry by comparison.

Edited May 25, 2017 by DisneyBoy

[Robert Lynch]

Yes, it had flaws and it could cut the fat a bit, but I did liked the idea behind it. The actors were all good in their respective roles, having Bill Hader is always a plus in my book.

 

I think the problem is everybody in Hollywood is expecting to exceed above everything, but that's not always the case. I remember in the 90s when Power Rangers and Turtles were still in everyone's mind, despite not meeting everyone's standard. I personally think with the Internet and the changes in Hollywood is a huge factor today. What happens is that you expect your movie to exceed your expectations. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn't. This usually is the case in this day and age.

..

Edited May 25, 2017 by Robert Lynch

[starri]

The Honest Trailers guy seemed to have kinda liked it.

[Racj82]

On 4/12/2017 at 2:13 AM, Robert Lynch said:

Didn't the first TMNT starring Megan Fox made less during its debut? I am pretty sure it garnered a sequel afterwards, though. 

Never this comment but the tmnt reboot made over 500 million worldwide and stayed on top of the box office with the first guardians of the galaxy for over a month. So, that's not a equivalent. The sequel to that made around 250 million worldwide which stopped that movie franchise cold.

[Robert Lynch]

Yeah and that includes my parents who are not fans of the show. In fact, they couldn't stand the show. But they love the movie they saw recently with me. Which is ironic because you get people that were never fans of the show itself, but the movie kinda did a good job of it. In fact, it opened up to people who could not stand the show itself. A good example is nostalgia critic. He badmouthed Power Rangers before, but the recent movie made his attitude change a bit. 

I think Dean Israelis(sp?) did a good job here, being a newbie director and all. I hope to see more of him in the future. I want a sequel to this movie, but I am not sure if we are going to get it.

Edited June 22, 2017 by Robert Lynch

[shantown]

Finally got around to watching this, and I liked it. Couldn't help thinking it was "The Breakfast Club Gets Superpowers" though.

Brian/Brain = Billy/Blue
Andrew/Athlete = Jason/Red
Claire/Princess = Kimberly/Pink
Allison/Basket Case = Trini/Yellow
Bender/Criminal = Zack/Black