Director: Peter Salmon
Starring: Alex Heartman, Erika Fong, Hector David Jr, Najee De-Tiege, Brittany Anne Pirtle, Rene Naufahu, Paul Schrier, Felix Ryan, Steven Skyler,
Running Time: 160 minutes
Certificate: PG
Extras: Bonus Movie – Clash Of The Red Rangers
Power Rangers is nearly 20 years old. That’s nothing when compared to Super Sentai, the Japanese series it based on, that show is pushing 40. If anybody ever labelled Power Rangers a fad, then they were proven wrong on the most epic of scales. Part of its longevity is due to the constant reinvention of time, space, and the rangers themselves while always keeping the ingredients that work. For those of you who are unaware of the Power Rangers, they are usually a group of teenagers trained in martial arts that can morph into great warriors and fight monsters from other dimensions.
POWER RANGERS SAMURAI is the latest series and having not watched Power Rangers in a number of years (honest), I can say it’s lost none of its charm. I on the other hand have changed, which meant I was left with a brand new viewing experience that was entertaining in its own way. POWER RANGERS SAMURAI is the first time the Power Rangers name has been back in the hands of Haim Saban for 10 years. That means there are plenty of throwbacks to the original series. Well, I say plenty, we get a remix of the original theme tune with some questionable lyric changes, and our good friend Bulk is back. Now into his 40s, actor Paul Schrier has all the comic timing and slapstick panache that he demonstrated early on in his career.
POWER RANGERS SAMURAI have inherited their titles from their parents, giving them a sense of honour but also duty that was present before. They come together in the first two episodes, having trained separately all their lives. Each character has a particular trait, which does give them some depth, but of course it is all handled with appalling dialogue and no subtlety whatsoever. Although, I suppose this is for kids. We have the leader Jayden (Red Ranger), the dedicated and hardworking Kevin (Blue Ranger), and the more relaxed and casual Mike (Green Ranger). Then we have the two girl Rangers. Emily is unsure of herself because it was supposed to be her sister that was going to become the Yellow Ranger before she got sick. Mia on the other hand is a bad cook and hopes to one day find her Prince Charming. There’s actually a line of dialogue where she says exactly that.
Each episode has the Power Rangers fighting a Nighlock monster sent by Master Xandred from the Sanzu River, which is made of the tears from when people are scared. If these foul beasts manage to scare enough people then the river will flood and doom us all. Every episode has a very specific formula. A moral is introduced in the early stages, a monster arrives and the Power Rangers fight, the monster dries out and has to return to the Sanzu River, the monster returns, Power Rangers fight and start to lose, they activate their weapons, they destroy the monster who then becomes a giant monster, the Power Rangers call on their Zords (big robots) and finally defeat the monster.
The best part of the show is the monsters. I’m a sucker for practical effects, especially ones featured in Japanese tokusatsu shows and films. Give me a man in a rubber suit any day of the way. Obviously this is a matter of taste, but for all their lumbering and stiff movements, the texture and interactions with the real world are spot on. These monsters are always very creative, my favourite being Doubletone, a creature that makes humans give up on their dreams. Not through any special power, he just tricks them into giving them up. His design sees half of his head constructed from a bent out of shape tiger. That would scare me more than any vampire or werewolf. Unfortunately due to the nature of the footage from the original show being sold to other territories, this means all of the locales are exceptionally dull and lifeless, as these places can be found in any country. It also means even the buildings look bland and lifeless, as this makes the models built for smashing easier to create.
The action is the same as ever, and every monster and Power Ranger is dubbed over in obnoxious voices that can’t help but make a pun every five seconds. The dialogue is sickly and obvious and the script isn’t exactly helped by awful performances. But they are all awful together, which means after an episode or two you are in this world where this is how people act. Young kids should be highly captivated, and the formulaic stories should help them understand plot and story structure. For us older kids this will be a brand new experience. I played a game where I tried to spot where it switched from stock footage of the Super Sentai series to new footage. Suddenly large groups of people of all races all became Japanese, and the muscle tone and sizes of the Power Rangers in their suits would often change. Not a bad little package, and I’m sure some original fans will have kids of their own to introduce to the series.
Extras: A bonus ‘movie’ which is actually a two-parter episode from the end of the series edited into one. It’s actually more fun than the rest of the episodes as it incorporates a Red Ranger from another galaxy. This crossover leads to some fun shenanigans, and the plot adds some new moments as it is stretched out for twice as long. These include a horse vs. motorbike race and a battle against a huge army. Unfortunately, as it takes place at the end of the series, there are some unexplained parts. Who the heck is Antonio and why should I care?
POWER RANGERS SAMURAI: THE TEAM UNITES is released 29th October 2012. You can buy a copy here.
