Welcome back to 1 out of 5 – Would Recommend, where the nostalgia goggles do nothing. To that end, we’re watching 1995’s cinematic masterpiece (and the first movie I saw twice in the theater) Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie!
What’s The Plot?
Alien warlord Ivan Ooze is freed from six millennia of imprisonment and wreaks terrible vengeance upon Zordon, the heroic wizard who imprisoned him. Zordon’s six teenage students, The Power Rangers, must travel to the distant planet Phaedos in the hopes of regaining their lost powers so they can save both the planet and the life of their mentor. Will they succeed? It would be one helluva twist if they didn’t.
Who Made This Beautiful Garbage?
Ivan Ooze, who couldn’t share the movie with Lord Zedd because this much ham ain’t kosher.
20th Century Fox, along with Saban & Toei (the production companies behind the show), because Power Rangers was bigger than Jesus circa 1995. It made fourth and a half times its budget at the box office, so it seems like it was a good idea.
Five Reasons to See It
- Paul Freeman, who you would know as Rene Belloq from Raiders of the Lost Ark, plays Ivan Ooze. He is clearly having an excellent time hamming it up and he is a joy to watch. It doesn’t hurt that Ivan Ooze is one of the most effective villains in the franchise’s 22 years history, effectively neutralizing the Power Rangers within minutes of being freed.
- The soundtrack is pretty phenomenal, including songs from The Red Hot Chili Peppers, They Might Be Giants, Devo, The Beach Boys, Shampoo (…ok, they can’t all be winners), and the best damned version of the Power Rangers Theme ever recorded.
She also does a heroic job keeping the dads in the audience interested.
- The Rangers’ movie exclusive new mentor, Dulcea, does a truly heroic job delivering the opening crawl recap of the Power Rangers in a way that sounds dignified. It’s still very silly, but it’s better than “Alpha, Rita’s escaped! Recruit a team of teenagers with attitude!”
- The Rangers’ new Megazord (giant piloted robot, for the uninitiated) has a “Break Glass In Case of Emergency” button in the cockpit. It causes the Megazord knee the giant monster it’s fighting right in the nards. So many questions come to mind about that button, none of which will ever be answered.
- “Oh the things that I have missed! The Black Plague! The Spanish Inquisition! The Brady Bunch Reunion!”
Recommendation
The movie is far from perfect, combining all the show’s goofy over-the-top wholesomeness with great sets and terrible CGI. That said, it is meant as an action movie for children and succeeds at being an amusing romp. Whether you’re a 90’s nostalgiac or just looking for some super hero action geared to the six and under set, this movie is a pretty solid use of ninety-five minutes.
But, as this $180+ worth of my collection demonstrates, I may be biased.
NEXT WEEK: That ridiculous video for “Trouble” by Shampoo put me in the mood to talk about another ridiculous relic of the 90’s – the movie tie-in music video, specifically 5 Times They Were Awesome.
