Power Rangers

The 2017 movie reboot of the The Power Rangers does what many movie reboots of popular TV shows fail to accomplish. To reimagine the original concept of a TV series and update it for current times, and keep the audience awake and wanting to come back for more and be willing to spend hard earned money on a movie more than once and on any additional merchandize that can be produced.

Power Rangers is the first remake of a TV series to movie, in many years to achieve this goal with a lofty $50 million opening weekend. With a PG-13 rating Lionsgate (producing company) and Haim Saban (producer) are betting that the more mature themes and violence in the movie will draw in teenagers and adult fans of the franchise yet still allow parents to bring younger children that have grown up on watching the various incarnations of the TV show that first started in August of 2013 and has continued today.

The cast continues with the original names of the Power Rangers from the 1993-1996 Mighty Morphin Power Ranger series but as some modern twists to the personalities of the characters to deal with current issues facing our society.

The movie starts with all the characters being misfits or outcast students with troubled pasts and backstories. Jason (Dacre Montgomery) the Red Ranger and leader of the Power Rangers is a out of control former star football player who has thrown his life away with a series of bad decisions. Kimberly (Naomi Scott) the Pink Ranger was once a part of the popular clique but through a bad action become alienated from all her friends. Billy (RJ Cyler), the Blue Ranger is still smart is Autistic. Zack (Luda Lin) the Black Power Ranger is a loner who is afraid of being left alone by the death of his mother, and Trini (Becky G) the Yellow Power Ranger is one of the first openly gay superheroes.

The movie provides a perfect amount of backstory of each of the new Power Rangers that you can see them as real people with real challenges that will slowly be overcome during the training it takes to become Power Rangers and Morph into their suits of armor. Power Rangers progresses from the backstore to current strongers, and introduces the nemesis Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks) as a dangerous extraterrestrial sorceress who was once the Green Power Ranger along with Zordan (Bryan Cranston) before he ordered Alpha 5 (Bill Hader) to smash a meteor into the earth sacrificing himself in order to defeat Rita Repulsa and prevent her from taking Earth’s Zeo Crystal (an extremely powerful type of crystal that exists beneath the surface of every planet throughout the universe) and which would destroy all life on earth if taken.

Rita is found by fishermen at the same time that the Power Coins find the teens who will become the Power Rangers. Rita begins killing the local residents of the city of Angel Grove in order to steal their Gold to summon her best fighting soldier Goldar. Goldar then proceeds to destroy Angel Grove in his search to find Krispy Kreme that now resides on top of the Zeo Crystal. The whole movie up to this point has keep the corniness of the TV series out and the little they allow in the movie is the perfect amount to bring the audience a touch of the past in just the right dosage without ruining the climiax of the movie.

Anyone who grew up watching the Power Rangers in the 90’s, both the American version and the Japanese version, action movie fans, or frankly anyone looking to be entertained needs to come and watch the Power Rangers to show Saban and Lionsgate that the beginnings of a new superhero franchise can be supported as long as they continue with this level of storyline, acting and action.

Vu le 24 mars 2017 au Regency Granada Hills 9 (Los Angeles), Salle 4, en VO