Review of Power Rangers (2017) by Sassyquatch — 31 Mar 2017

As is to be expected in goofy, totally imperfect and genuinely enjoyable content, critics sit stiffly in their seats and wear an ineffectual glare upon their face while everybody else around them smiles in merriment, not being bound by that terrible fate of taking things too seriously.

Having not watched Power Rangers when I was younger, I went into this movie with no preconceptions and no expectations regarding this film. I came out of this movie joyfully surprised. Quite obviously this film is not a masterpiece (in any sense of the word). However, it knows that it's not a masterpiece, and its true glory comes from its imminent self-awareness. The film strikes a nice blend of light-heartedness and seriousness, each making the other more significant. I typically am not invested in the characters of these sorts of films, but oddly enough I found myself truly caring about the Rangers' different character arcs (with one or two exceptions). This is undoubtedly due to the fact that the movie is really an origin tale, and understands with great focus the duties that it has to fulfill in setting up a new generation of Power Rangers. The high points of this film are the character arcs and interactions (especially between the male Rangers of the group)and the ease with which the film balances on line between being overly dramatic and overly goofy. Unlike so many films which try to do both and succeed at doing neither, this film includes both with a lightness of touch. If it sounds like I'm praising this movie to high heavens it is mostly because I wasn't expecting to be so entertained by it, and am still perplexed by what made it so enjoyable. The movie's writing isn't very good. The acting isn't phenomenal. The villain is underwhelming. And yet, the movie itself isn't stale. Somehow it is just the opposite.