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How could a movie currently sitting at 47% on Rotten Tomatoes be perfect you might ask … WELL I’LL TELL YOU. In a world where Batmans are fighting Supermans and the majority of the movie going population is just waiting for Thanos to kill at least one of our favorite MCU heroes, Power Rangers stands alone.
After watching the 2017 film, the first word that popped into my head was color. Even in the dramatic moments, the whole movie was filled with bright, saturated color pallets. That’s something that frankly isn’t happening in the big, blockbuster super hero films coming out every couple of months.
To the average person this really wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but it was for me. Power Rangers encapsulated all the fun super hero movies used to be! The story in no way took itself seriously, the characters were cheesy and relatable, and there was genuine humor scattered throughout the narrative. Hollywood only green lights ideas that can be turned into universes (and Power Rangers is no exception), but to see an origin story done in this way was incredibly refreshing.
The major plot points and beats of this film gave off the same tones as classics for the genre, such as Spider-Man and Iron Man. Not to say the movies we have coming out now are bad, but they can get taxing. Call it lazy or brilliant, the team behind Power Rangers looked at the direction these films have been going in and said, “screw it.” They went against the grain and chose to tell a heartwarming, fun story that almost no one was asking for.
Also, no one was asking a Power Rangers movie to be socially conscious, BUT IT WAS ANYWAY. Directly targeting a socially confused America, the film included several people of color, one character questioning her sexuality, and another on the spectrum. By adding this extra layer of relatability to an already heartwarming and fun story was great. These character details were handled beautifully on screen, giving children in similar situations someone to look up to.
All in all, Power Rangers could have just mailed itself in and made millions because of the brand it’s based off of. The filmmakers accepted the challenge, and not only crafted a fun, visually pleasing, heartwarming story, but also made it extremely relevant to today. With the dark, and world-changing Marvel and DCEU movies coming out every couple months, Power Rangers will forever stand out as a 21st century gem.
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