DIRECTOR: Dean
Israelite LEAD CAST: Elizabeth Banks, Bryan Cranston, Dacre
Montgomery, RJ Cyler, Naomi Scott, Ludi Lin, Becky G. SCREENWRITER: John Gatins PRODUCER: Haim Saban, Brian Casentini, Marty
Bowen, Wyck Godfrey EDITORS: Martin
Bernfeld, Dody Dorn MUSICAL
DIRECTOR: Bryan Tyler GENRE: Action/Adventure CINEMATOGRAPHER: Matthew Lloyd
DISTRIBUTOR: Lionsgate LOCATION:
USA RUNNING TIME: 123 minutes
Technical assessment:
3
Moral assessment:
3.5
CINEMA rating:
V13 (Viewers 13 and below with parental guidance)
MTRCB: GP
Five high
schoolers in Angel Grove, California find themselves drawn to an abandoned gold
mine: jock Jason (Dacre Montgomery), who
is at odds with his father; Billy (RJ Cyler), a nerd who happens to be black;
Kimberly (Naomi Scott), an ostracized cheerleader; Trini (Becky G), who has
communication issues; and Zack (Ludi Lin), outwardly cocky but is a devoted
son. They find and come to own five
colored stones which they discover soon give them incredible physical strength. They decide to go back to the mine where they
disover further superhuman abilities.
Exploring the area leads them to an underground spaceship where they
meet Alpha 5, a talking robot (voiced by Bill Hader) who introduces them as to
Zardon (Bryan Cranston), mentor of the Power Rangers. They are told they are the “chosen ones”—the Power
Rangers whose mission is to save the planet from a 65-million year old “fallen”
Power Ranger Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks).
Power Rangers’ most valuable asset is its simple plot. While the candy-colored superhero outfits are slick,
the CGIs are not really that impressive; other superhero movies have offered bigger
spectacles and more earth-shattering battle scenes. However, the movie shows sincere effort to
blend teen drama and superhero mythos that is cohesive enough to advance the
narrative, resulting in an entertaining, relatable presentation. That the five
protagonists are relatively unknown helps to heighten the credibility of their
roles. Banks is topnotch as Rita Repulsa
the repulsive villain (as her name implies)—a bit hammy but effective, and
qualifies her to play against the Joker in some foreseeable future.
There are two outstanding
lessons taught in the movie. The five
teenagers chosen to become the Power Rangers are each a misfit or a social
outcast. Burdened with their individual angst,
and coming from different racial backgrounds, it is obvious that these “teenagers
with attitude” compose a mismatched team.
But they are warned that they cannot morph into Power Rangers unless
they first learn to be a team—only in harmony with one another can they succeed
in their mission of saving Earth. This
underscores the need to selflessly focus on a goal bigger than oneself if one
must make a difference in the world. They
are also repeatedly reminded to be humble, to “live humbly” among ordinary
mortals, and not to flaunt their powers—an advice which they take to heart
until they mature from the high school kids wildly trying their new-found abilities
into the real heroes gaining depth and wielding their powers with grace and anonymity.
