Don't Believe the Hype

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

I saw this on YouTube before Saban's lawyers had it taken down. Who knows, it may even be back up again, if you're curious to see it.So, Jason is a villain and holds Kimberley hostage in an effort to flush out Tommy... The idea is okay, but all the talk of betrayal doesn't really come across, given what happens to each Power Ranger. Zac is pretty cool, but the North Koreans look more like Yakuza and do the typically-hated thing in martial arts films, of standing back and letting their buddies get beaten down, one-by-one, before taking their turn. They also had plenty of time to just shoot him, but this is nit-picking the action.But isn't the action what an action film is all about?Well, for this short, it's more about the characters, in an attempt to make a dark version of somewhat beloved source material, so don't expect any giant monster fights.If you see this, after the initial buzz of seeing Power Rangers actually getting hurt wears off (because nobody can take laser beams and sword swipes to the chest in real life, right?), you'll most likely just forget about it and carry on. Yes, it's very well made, but the story isn't as fantastic as other reviewers would have you believe and the effect of, "Look, mum, the Power Rangers are gritty," only goes so far... in this case, not far enough to justify reinventing the series as something aimed entirely at adults.

"Power/Rangers" was a genuine curiosity, more than anything. This franchise was never my thing as a kid (although I did try), but you hear enough mention of a wildly popular YouTube video, inquisitiveness is a tough thing to beat. But this is for fans, which sort of crippled my enjoyment of this as a short film.That said, the production values were up there, and they did nab established names for this (Van Der Beek, Sackhoff), not to mention an original cast member or two. The very non-kid-friendly material was amusing. And I do appreciate that the filmmakers are taking jabs at hard-edged reboots of kids' TV shows. The joke itself is funny. This would probably be awesome were I an MMPR fan.6/10

"When two empires declare war, neither side is innocent"Thanks to the popularity this short film was receiving over the internet I decided to check it out despite never being a fan of the Power Rangers or knowing anything about the characters. I remember glancing at it a couple of times during my childhood, but it all seemed a bit too silly for my taste. My appreciation for this film is affected by my lack of knowledge about these characters because the short does require you have some background information about who these people are in order to understand what is going on. It is a fan film so the more you know about the series the better off you are. I still have to admit that I was entertained with the action sequences and some of the performances. I found the visuals pretty solid and its short running time does go by very quickly. There has been a fascination in mainstream audiences for grittier and darker films and comics. We've seen it in several comic books that have turned away from the childish elements and focused on adult themes. In movies we've experienced it most recently with the Batman franchise and in the James Bonds films to name a few. We've shifted gears from the innocent and fun playfulness of those screenplays to much more serious and grittier ones. Joseph Kahn knows this all to well and so he decided to have fun with the beloved childhood characters by directing this dark version of the Power Rangers. It is a parody that is aimed to shock audiences who grew up loving these characters. The lead characters in this film are played by Katee Sackhoff and James Van Der Beek who have an interesting verbal face off. She is playing Kimberly (Pink Ranger) and he is Rocky. We get some flashbacks as well of what has happened with the rest of the Rangers. Gichi Gamba gets a decent amount of screen time playing Zack (Black Ranger) and he gets the most interesting action sequences as he faces off some Japanese gangsters. There is also an interesting twist at the end of the film. Overall I found this an enjoyable short film with solid visuals and good performances, but I wasn't in to it as much because I really didn't know much about the characters. http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/

The battle ended. For them. They moved on, got jobs, tried to deal with having been child soldiers in a war that had nothing to do with them. But then they started dying off. Kimberly(Sackhoff, capturing the now hardened, sweet Pink) is being interrogated by Rocky(Van Der Beek, tough). Fingers are being pointed. They think it's Tommy(Bain, doing a lot with little screen-time), and they need her help to find him. To stop him.This is a compelling, not to mention badass, gritty take on the franchise so many of us grew up with. It manages to fit in a ton of the aspects, characters and conflicts, without it feeling rushed or overstocked. Heck, each of our well-cast main rangers get credible follow-ups and at least some closure. Well, poor Trini is merely a still as we see her funeral, so, all except for her. We even get a few *awesome* fight scenes. Twists, solid dialog, great acting and incredible production values. Quality CG, well-integrated and not flashy.There is a lot of brutal, bloody violence and disturbing content in this. I recommend this to every fan of the series who wants this kind of reimagining. Heck, check out all of the bootleg universe. Adi Shankar is the man. 8/10