I normally begin my articles with a humorous segue into the review itself, but this piece is rather special. The world recently lost Jason David Frank, a mixed martial artist and actor known worldwide for his contributions to the global sensation Power Rangers. The purpose of this article is to honor the impact of his legacy around the world. As such we are diving into the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie!
For those unaware of the Power Rangers franchise, the series premiered in 1993 as the property of Haim Saban. The series was largely based on the Super Sentai series, which was the property a Japanese production company called Toei. Power Rangers sought to combine the mecha and martial arts action of Super Sentai with intercut footage of American actors. Both series were loud and stylized with tones that could be described as campy. It was a resounding success, becoming famous worldwide.
Even today, decades after the original series ended, the franchise is still going strong. The franchise itself was a marketing titan as its reach extended far beyond television with toys, video games, comics, and so much more. Naturally, films were soon to follow. So, at the height of the original series’ popularity a theatrical film was produced. And that film is the topic of today’s review. Let’s dive in!
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie was released in theaters in June, 1995. The film was directed by David Spicer, co-written by John Kamps and Arne Olsen. The score was produced by Graeme Revell, and the film starred Jason David Frank, David Yost, Amy Jo Johnson, Johnny Yong Bosch, and Paul Freeman. When the vile Ivan Ooze escapes his ancient prison and strips the Power Rangers of all their powers, the de-powered Rangers must journey into the depths of space to reclaim their powers and save the earth!
The plot of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie is very straightforward as is standard for a Power Rangers, given that the intended audience is young kids. The main villain Ivan certainly is the highlight of the film as he has much more personality when compared to the largely forgettable one-shot villains from the original series since the storylines were very reliant on the monster-of-the-week formula. But a factor of note is that the writing in this film is very similar to the original series in terms of tone. It would have been very easy for them to tone down the writing for a theatrical release to reach a wider market. However, Power Rangers was always unapologetic about their tone and general style and this film fits right in with that style.
The film’s writing does fall apart in some respects upon deeper analysis, but it is largely enjoyable for its intended audience as kids won’t think too deeply about it. It is also chock full of ‘90’s references and jokes that will either land for you or won’t. The film makes no apologies for the way it is, and I respect it for this.
The Movie plays out like an extended episode of the series with a better presentation. It had a budget of $15 million, which was significantly higher than the notoriously low budget of the original series. As such the effects were a visual delight for the time. These effects were provided by Lucasfilm, with the Japanese stock footage commonly found in the series having been replaced by the previously mentioned visual effects.
Revell’s score fits the Power Rangers style and tone to a tee, as we have plenty of original compositions featured alongside tracks from the era of the ‘80s and ‘90s with even some representation from Van Halen on the soundtrack. The overall sound design of the film harkens back to the tone of the original series, giving us some stylized audio effects that admittedly still get a chuckle out of me.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie grossed $66 million against its $15 million budget during its theatrical run, making it a modest success. It also found a healthy life on home video through various re-releases. The film met mixed reception from critics but has gone on to become a cult classic for series’ fans and children. And I will admit that this is the most enjoyable of the Power Rangerstheatrical releases.
The film may have the occasional design quirk, but it took what worked for the original series and applied it to a theatrical scale. It fits the spirit and tone of the original series, which makes it an excellent adaptation. I recommend it not only as a fine enough film for your kids, but also for fans of the series. I wholeheartedly recommend it to those who haven’t yet checked it out!
