Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - If you’re going to make a movie reboot of a superhero franchise as beloved as Power Rangers, you’d better do it right. After all, this was the afternoon TV staple for just about every child I knew growing up – a show so beloved that as an adult, 20 years later, I still get a grin on my face when I hear the cheesy “Go Go Power Rangers” theme tune.
Unfortunately, director Dean Israelite shies away from everything that made the franchise great.
Don’t expect kitschy effects, bad dubbing, earnest but cheesy lines or camp villains here. Instead, the movie delivers slick, dreary millenials wrestling with contrived personal stories and an almost desperate attempt by Israelite to veer away from his source material.
When the plodding story line finally takes us to the action, there’s way too little mighty morphing, Zord action and explosions to make up for such a dreary start.
A bright light in this movie is Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa, but her tongue-in-cheek and gleeful portrayal of the villain gets lost in all the way-too-serious side stories.
I wish Israelite had gone all out and given us the no-holds-barred Power Rangers movie we deserve.
Channel24 also reviewed Power Rangers and loved it. Read it here.
