by eabaker » Thu Apr 05, 2018 2:20 pm
I watched Power Rangers last weekend. Obviously it didn't make a huge impression on me, since it took me this long to even bother to mention it.
I really can't offer much that hasn't been said. The pacing is a little clunky, mostly due to the largely innate structural awkwardness of origin stories, and a few characters are badly under-served (Trini is the most glaring example, followed by Zack, and I would have appreciated a lot more Rita screen time). But the performances were good, and I liked the overall approach to the story.
My favorite aspect, though, is the juxtaposition of the dour first two acts with the bright, wacky third act. The movie spends 3/4 of its runtime telling you, "Okay, I'm a Power Rangers movie, but I'm not that kind of Power Rangers movie." And then, suddenly, it pulls off its disguise and yells, "Fooled you, suckers! I was that kind of Power Rangers movie all along!"
I wish more mainstream movies had the courage to twist their genres and tones this way. It makes for a really effective volta.
Tokyo, a smoldering memorial to the unknown, an unknown which at this very moment still prevails and could at any time lash out with its terrible destruction anywhere else in the world.