5 Reasons To Be Excited For The New Power Rangers Movie

Written by Jonathan Strickland

Say it with me… it’s morphin’ time! Yes, we finally get a live action Power Rangers movie with a real budget and fresh new cast. With the movie releasing two weeks from now, I wanted to share a few reasons why I’m excited for the new Power Rangers movie.

DIVERSITY

When Saban first announced the cast, I was overwhelmed, but in a good way. Though I had never heard of any of the Ranger actors, I was relieved to see a diverse group of people with different races and backgrounds. Dacre Montgomery (Red Ranger), from Australia, and RJ Cyler (Blue Ranger), from Florida, both landed their first major acting jobs with these roles. Naomi Scott (Pink Ranger) is a British pop star. Ludi Lin (Black Ranger) is from China, and is one of the fastest rising stars in the Asian movie scene. Becky G. (Yellow Ranger) is a Mexican-American YouTube star, most famous for her videos of dancing and singing. In many interviews I’ve heard our new Rangers express how blessed they feel to all work together. Not only are they taking on the mantle of the Power Rangers, they are also representing different parts of their culture and the world; which is way bigger than a movie.

NOSTALGIA

Okay, we would all be lying if we said the nostalgia-factor wasn’t in play here. If you’re a 90’s kid, then you likely grew up on Mighty Morphin’ with me. That is actually what the movie Rangers are based off. There’s nothing like getting to relive memories from childhood. I can remember my mom buying my first Zord for me. At the time she was a single mother, and she spent all of her Christmas bonus on it because she knew how much I loved the show. When I see the new movie, of course that memory will come to mind. Nostalgia is a crazy thing. I was talking with my fellow Pop Culture Philosopher Rockin’ Robbie the other day about how bad the acting was in the original show. If you go back and watch the series, you have to watch it in intervals because it’s that unbearable. But even still, you can’t deny how awesome it was when Tommy Oliver showed up as the Green Ranger, or how every dude in the world had a crush on Kimberly.

VETERANS

Can we just give a round of applause to Saban right now? They casted Walter freaking White as Zordon. How insane is that? Elizabeth Banks and Bill Hader are some of the most versatile actors in the industry. I’ve never seen any of them do the same role twice. Just a few name drops, in case of you didn’t already know: Bryan Cranston (Zordon) known from his outstanding performance in Breaking Bad, Elizabeth Banks (Rita Repulsa) known from Hunger Games, The Lego Movie, and Pitch Perfect (which she actually directed), Bill Hader (Alpha 5) from Saturday Night Live, Superbad, and even a few voice-overs for BB-8 in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. A strong group of already-loved veterans to back up the younger and newer Power Rangers cast seems, to me, like a great setup for success!

EARLY REVIEWS

Obviously no spoilers here, but the early reviews from critics have been great! They are saying that the film is fun and enjoyable. While it is different from original series, there are plenty of nods to the old show, and that excites me. I didn’t want a carbon copy of the original show, because that would be extremely corny and, as I said earlier, probably unbearable. A fresh look is never a bad thing, especially when it seems like every superhero movie is the same these days.

POTENTIAL SET-UPS

Saban has gone on record saying that, if this movie is successful, the sky is the limit for Power Ranger movies. How cool would it be to have a Green Ranger solo movie, or even incorporating what they have done in the comics lately with Rangers from different worlds? I would pay so much money to see that! Saban has also mentioned wanting to tie in the Zeo crystal somehow; so be on the lookout for that.

Those are just a few of the reasons that I am excited to see the new Power Rangers movie. Comment below to let us know what you’re pumped about for this new movie. And, as always, for more information on pop culture you can subscribe to us on YouTube, or like our Facebook page at Pop Culture Philosophers.

Signing off,

Jonathan “J-Strick” Strickland