By Cynthia Ayala

“A group of high-school students, who are infused with unique superpowers, harness their abilities to save the world.”

    —IMDB

Sometimes Hollywood can remake our childhood, tapping into everything that made us smile. Power Rangers is a perfect example of that. The old show was always intended for a much younger audience, layered with a degree of absurdity and campiness that made the show so good. With the new adaptation, the movie capitalizes on the absurdity but without the campiness, a deeper level that the writers used to make the story more grounded for an older audience.

The movie is more mature than the old television show, getting to the roots of who the characters are and their relationships with one another. The film focuses on who the characters are, their backgrounds, and their destinies. Together, they made the film more grounded and gave it a deeper meaning. It’s the biggest selling point of the movie, and something the original show lacked. There was character development, and that, in itself, was powerful. At the sake of sounding redundant given the origins of the movie, the writers had the challenge to recreate such a fan-favorite show, something many people going to see the film were fans off. So they writers and actors had to make sure that they did justice to the original while also making the film mature enough for today’s viewers. And it was successful. The kids in the movie understood their parts, understood the history of the characters they were playing and where they were coming from. The actors also understood their dynamics with one another and how they should have acted. As far as casting went, these kids were perfect for their roles, and they had dynamic chemistry, able to operate as a family unit, be fun and serious at the same time.

Then there was Elizabeth Banks who was an amazing Rita Repulsa. To be honest, for her alone is a reason to watch this film. She made a great villain, she carried out her role with utter perfection, and was just a joy to watch. She was such a perfect former Green Ranger and owned that role.

Needless to say, the film is excellent. Maybe it has a little too much absurdity to it, but the grounding factor of the movie, the character development and chemistry make the film worth the watch. For fans of the original, it will make their childhood happy. Action packed, and tons of fun, this is a must watch film. Here’s a popular franchise being reborn in the best ways possible. (★★★☆ | A)

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—Film Credits—

Directed by Dean Israelite

Screenplay by John Gatins

Story by Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney

Based on Power Rangers by Haim Saban & Super Sentai by Toei Company

Starring: Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Becky G, Ludi Lin, Bill Hader, Bryan Cranston & Elizabeth Banks

Rating | Length | Genre: PG-13 | 2h 4min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Distributed by Lionsgate