What happens when you put five teenagers in a “Breakfast Club” style detention and add Bryan Cranston’s head on a wall? You get the “Power Rangers” movie we neither needed or deserved. But it’s the one we got.
Director Dean Israelite’s live-action “Power Rangers” film reboot of the hit 1993 TV series of the same name can be summed up in one word: entertaining. “Power Rangers” will not blow you away with its technology presentation like “Star Wars: A Force Awakens” or “Rogue One.” Nor does it even try to attempt to pull tears out of you, although there are some decent softer moments (as well as some cringe-worthy ones, most of which involve the actor who plays Zack, the Black Ranger).
What the film does do well is go out of its way to appeal to everyone that its screenplay could possibly appeal to. Much of the effort in the writing was aimed toward character development, which is quite ambitious for a film in the superhero genre.
Whenever a film cast includes the likes of Cranston and Elizabeth Banks, it is very easy to ignore or overlook the contributions of the actors portraying the main characters. “Power Rangers” starred Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, R.J. Cyler, Becky G, and Ludi Lin as the “five teens with attitudes.”
Newcomer Becky G, a rapper and actress of Latinx descent, played Trini the Yellow Ranger, a role originated by the late Vietnamese-American actress Thuy Trang. Becky G’s performance was memorable because she portrayed Trini in a way we’ve never seen the character before: as a teen lesbian dealing with her own sexuality and the narrow-mindedness of her family.
Montgomery earned his keep with his turn as the stereotypical jock with a heart of gold, as did Scott, more or less. Lin, on the other hand, for some reason felt the least authentic. However, the star of the movie was undoubtedly Cyler as Billy Cranston, otherwise known as the Blue Ranger.
In this version, Billy is on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum, and has an affinity for archaeology (and pencils). Cyler nails his role as Billy, managing the buddy banter with Jason the Red Ranger (Montgomery) and being the glue that keeps the other four from killing each other with relative ease. This fact is made evident with a surprising event at the end of the second act.
Visually, “Power Rangers” is similar to any of the other superhero blockbusters seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC Extended Universe, or the Transformers film series. However, it does boast an original soundtrack provided by composer Brian Tyler, including a 2017-style interpretation of “Power Rangers” which felt nothing like the 1993 version. At least, it didn’t until the Ron Wasserman’s 1994 “Go Go Power Rangers” theme song from the original 1993 TV series erupted during a climactic battle scene.
At times, the dialogue was a little too cheesy, and when it wasn’t, the acting was a little lackluster. Yet, overall, “Power Rangers” is a wildly entertaining film for audiences both old and young, past and present.