Anyone who grew up in the ’90s knew “Power Rangers.” Five teenagers of diverse backgrounds suited up in brightly colored spandex and team up to save the world from evil monsters.
As silly as it sounded, it was awesome, and it created a loyal fan base that, 23 years later, is still going strong.
So, of course, Hollywood wants to reinvent the franchise with a new “Power Rangers” movie to be released next spring. Directed by “Project Almanac” director Dean Isrealite.
This new, gritty reboot of the franchise recently released a trailer showcasing a dark direction for the film.
This time around, as seen in the trailer, Jason, Zack, Billy, Trini and Kimberly meet in detention and discover the power coins in a cave that give them incredible powers. As a diehard “Power Rangers” fan since childhood, I was excited by the prospect of a new take on the classic series. I know that the fandom is still alive and well today and fans are chomping at the bit for any new version of “Power Rangers.”
But, seriously, why does every reboot have to be gritty, realistic and extremely dark? “Power Rangers” looks like it’s trying to go overboard to convince haters of the series that it is not the over the top action extravaganza that the show was. This new reboot will completely miss what made the show great.
Let’s be honest, folks, the concept behind “Power Rangers” is ridiculous. Just look at any given episode and try to take it seriously. You can’t and that’s why it works. You turn off your brain and have fun. So, why on Earth would you make that concept as gritty as humanly possible?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that dark and serious reboots of classic characters can’t work. Take “The Dark Knight,” a film that took a silly concept of a man dressing up like a bat and turned it into an edgy crime thriller that examined deep philosophical questions. It worked. But ever since that great film, many franchises simply try to copy the film’s formula.
“Power Rangers” doesn’t need to be dark and serious. Would kids have gone nuts for the show if Tommy Oliver gutted his enemies and brooded all day long? Probably not.
Not only that, the film seems to rely heavily on other influences. The premise feels like “The Breakfast Club” meets “Chronicle” and not the classic optimism of the series. If they want to reinvent “Power Rangers,” great, I’m all for it, but keep the spirit of the original, or risk losing the legions of “Rangers” fans across the world.
Those who grew up with the show like it for its quirks, its consistencies and its cheesiness. Changing the basic tone is going to alienate fans and potentially blow up in the filmmaker’s faces.
Time will tell if “Power Rangers” will be good, but for now, it is definitely its own beast as opposed to an extension of what we know and love.
Bradley Burgess can be reached at [email protected]