by Lauren MacFadden ‘17

The Power Rangers we all know and love, with their cheesy lines and vibrant uniforms, have completely transformed into modern teenagers in the film “Power Rangers.” Set in a small town Angel Grove, five teens with little in common all coincidentally meet at a gold mine where they each find a colored stone. After this discovery, each of the teens begin to develop a set of powers including super strength, cat-like reflexes and the ability to run with inhuman speed. Wanting to understand more of the powers they have acquired, the group goes back to the mine to discover a spaceship, where they find a robot named Alpha who explains to them that they are the next generation of Power Rangers, destined to defeat an ex-Power Ranger named Rita, who wishes to take over the universe.

One of the most unique aspects of the film was the addition of more modern situations, something not done in the older Power Ranger series. In most PG-13 movies, the main characters are typically not presented as different from the status quo. However, the filmmakers proudly added an autistic Power Ranger along with a gay Ranger on top of an already diverse group. By implementing parts of society that are not typically portrayed in kid movies, the film presents different parts of society to younger audience members who may see the film.

Along with the implementation of aspects of modern society, the special effects have much improved since the television series, which produced fake explosions and professional wrestling-like fighting. Instead, the film conveys a more sophisticated style with realistic make-up on the villain figure and the ranger suits. The filmmakers also added more gadgets for the rangers, such as a dinosaur like robot the rangers get to have joy rides in and cause chaos.

What stayed the same were the cheesy lines and the lovable closeness of the team. One of the best aspects of the power rangers as a franchise is the bond between all the rangers. It’s the team we all want to be on and love watching. Overall, the movie was a B+ because of its ability to keep the parts loyal Power Ranger fans love, and revamp the franchise to cooler weapons and more modern situations while maintaining the typical super hero adventure.