Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (30 June 1995)
directed by Bryan Spicer
starring Karan Ashley, Johnny Yong Bosch, Steve Cardenas, Jason David Frank, Amy Jo Johnson, David Yost, Paul Schrier, Jason Narvy, Paul Freeman, Gabrielle Fitzpatrick, Nicholas Bell, Peta-Maree Rixon, Jamie Croft, Mark Ginther, Julia Cortez, Peter Mochrie
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MPAA rating: Studio: 20th Century Fox, Saban Entertainment, Toei Script: Aren Olsen, John Kamps Music: Graeme Revell Running time: 95 minutes Tags: Action; Family Film; ooze; robots; Science Fiction; space travel Tactical strength: [5/10]
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for action violence
I first started watching the Power Rangers when my youngest son was about four years old. He loved the martial-arts action sequences and the goofy monsters. I remember his excitement when I took him to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. I didn't expect much from the movie, but it pleasantly surprised me at the time. Just recently my son (now fifteen) pulled the VHS tape out, and we watched the film together. We both still liked the film. It has pretty good action scenes, a bunch of corny jokes, and now we can make fun of all the silly fist waving together.
The villain can make or break any film, and Paul Freeman does an excellent job at playing Ivan Ooze. A veteran actor like Freeman probably cost Saban Entertainment a major chunk of the production budget, but I think they got their money's worth. Freeman clearly has fun with his villainous role and doesn't take himself too seriously as he torments the six colorful Power Rangers.
Thousands of years ago, intergalactic watchdog Zordon (Nicholas Bell, voice by Robert L. Manahan) captured and imprisoned Ivan Ooze in a time capsule. Instead of launching the capsule into a sun or a black hole, Zordon buried the capsule on Earth. Of course, while Zordon wasn't paying too much attention, a construction company unearthed the capsule and accidentally released Ivan. The release finally sets off an alarm at Power Ranger headquarters, and Zordon sends the rangers to investigate. The Rangers arrive in time to fight a crowd of slimy henchmen, but not in time to catch Ivan, who made his way directly to Zordon. Ivan wrecks the headquarters, and nearly kills Zordon. With the destruction of Zordon's headquarters, the Rangers lose their powers and revert to color-coded teenagers. The Rangers rush back to headquarters, take stock of the situation, and get transported by Alpha 5 to a distant planet that houses "the power of the universe." If the powerless rangers can't reach the great power in time, then Zordon will die and Ivan Ooze will take over the universe. I don't think it gives anything away to say that the Rangers do get the power, and they must battle Ivan Ooze with their Zords -- giant interconnecting robots -- before they can use the power to save Zordon.
I liked the original Power Rangers TV series because Saban hired real gymnasts and martial artists for the roles of the Rangers. The Power Rangers Movie makes the first cast replacement from the original cast of rangers, replacing the Black, Red, and Yellow rangers. These new cast members still display some athletic abilities, but they lack some of the personality of the original cast. The casting changes were hard to take walking into the theater, but after watching the movie several times, the cast does work well together and all seem to enjoy the work.
To enjoy the Power Rangers, I think you have to like corny martial arts movies or perhaps the silly Japanese monster movies. You have to laugh at how every statement one of the rangers makes has an accompanying fist wave and sound effect. I doubt that you could enjoy the movie on its own merits; you have to see it as an extension of the Power Rangers story line established in the first couple of television seasons. But for Power Rangers fans, this movie still holds entertainment value, even after repeated viewings.
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