I was hyped to see this movie. My childhood was going to be relived with this new take on the original series and to be honest, I was pretty satisfied with what I saw by the time the movie came to an end. Characters I loved in new form, a dope new style of armor (which has been hotly debated but how is that a turning point for a movie being bad or not? P*** off), and quite an entertaining bit of material throughout the film in regards to comedy and action. So no doubt, 'Power Rangers' was an entertaining film from my perspective. However, everything was not all rainbows and butterflies. The story progression was sporadic throughout the film. I felt as if the film had a hard time balancing the whole serious tone and the imminent Earth's destruction between the OhEmGee teen drama that was supposed to instill a deep emotional heart-string pluck (although I did feel for Zack (Ludi Lin) the Black Ranger because I'm a mommas boy). Let us also not forget the music video film constantly blaring out mainstream tunes at inopportune moments. Sorry, the last thing I want to listen to is Kanye West's "Power" while an intense battle scene is going on.
So beyond all that and other personal gripes I had with the film, I do want to bring focus to the characters. I had no previous knowledge of any of the actors and actresses besides Becky G (Trini/Yellow Ranger) being a musician and me loving RJ Cyler (Billy/Blue Ranger) in the film 'Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl'. RJ Cyler easily stole the show. From the moment he entered the screen, I loved every moment of his screen time... Discount Zac Efron aka Dacre Montgomery (Jason/Red Ranger) was a solid player in the film. I was not entirely thrilled with his role of the leader but I hope to see better from him with the expected coming sequels... Naomi Scott and Ludi Lin (Kimberly/Pink Ranger and Zack/Yellow Ranger) were average for me. I was not a fan of Kimberly's story and Zack was a bit of annoyance but they were nothing perspective altering for me... Lastly, Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa was actually impressive for me. I enjoyed her quirky persona and was actually shocked by the way they presented her at times through almost a horror type way. Very cool for me... Again, overall, solid cast choice and performance for an intro film.
-- Oberrated.com --
So beyond all that and other personal gripes I had with the film, I do want to bring focus to the characters. I had no previous knowledge of any of the actors and actresses besides Becky G (Trini/Yellow Ranger) being a musician and me loving RJ Cyler (Billy/Blue Ranger) in the film 'Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl'. RJ Cyler easily stole the show. From the moment he entered the screen, I loved every moment of his screen time... Discount Zac Efron aka Dacre Montgomery (Jason/Red Ranger) was a solid player in the film. I was not entirely thrilled with his role of the leader but I hope to see better from him with the expected coming sequels... Naomi Scott and Ludi Lin (Kimberly/Pink Ranger and Zack/Yellow Ranger) were average for me. I was not a fan of Kimberly's story and Zack was a bit of annoyance but they were nothing perspective altering for me... Lastly, Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa was actually impressive for me. I enjoyed her quirky persona and was actually shocked by the way they presented her at times through almost a horror type way. Very cool for me... Again, overall, solid cast choice and performance for an intro film.
-- Oberrated.com --