Four Key Episodes – “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers”
By Robert R. Garver
Bob Garver here with my sixth article for F.A.N. This week I take a look at my obsession from nearly twenty years ago.
What I know going in: I’ve used to know a lot, but I’ve forgotten most of it. I remember that the Power Rangers were color-coded superheroes who repeatedly saved the world from evil monsters. The show consisted of scenes of American actors spliced with footage from a Japanese superhero show.
The franchise became a huge hit among children of the early-mid 90s, and I was no exception. Though the adults around me dismissed the show as a violent toy commercial, I felt they were all overlooking the show’s excellent qualities. Plus my heart was all a flutter over the beauty of the original Pink and Yellow Rangers.
The show has been around in various incarnations and spinoffs since the early 90s. This article will focus on the first three seasons, which most sources define as the run of the original show.
Did I make the right decision spending hours and hours of valuable childhood time watching this show? Let’s find out.
First Episode – “Day of the Dumpster”
Plot: Villainess Rita Repulsa escapes from her space dumpster prison and vows to destroy Earth. Resistance leader Zordon recruits five American teenagers to enable with superpowers and save the planet. Although initially resistant, the Rangers use their newfound powers to fight off the bad guys, protect the planet, and feel better about themselves.
Thoughts: Well, the adults were right about the toy commercial part. Everything about the Rangers’ costumes, accessories, and vehicles screams out to be bought and collected. This is in between painful acting and dialogue (the Pink Ranger actually says “Not!” at one point). At least the episode is good for a nostalgia trip, but there’s no denying that the show has aged miserably. I get the depressing feeling that the show was just as bad then as it is now.
Rating: One and a Half Stars out of Five.
Second Episode – “High Five”
Plot: The Yellow Ranger overcomes her fear of heights to save the Blue Ranger from an attack by Rita’s Putty henchmen. Then the team gets trapped in a time warp by a skeletal monster called Bones and the Red Ranger uses his robot to fight a giant knight.
Thoughts: The Rangers go through a lot in this episode, which means that no battle goes on too long, but also makes the story feel rushed and uneven. Bones is defeated way too easily and the knight monster falls to the Red Ranger’s robot alone. Monsters that fall to solo Rangers invariably look weak. At least the episode tries to do good by teaching a lesson about conquering fear. It does so clumsily, but it’s making an attempt.
I just realized who Rita and her henchmen remind me of. With her evil cackle and the henchmen’s stuffed costumes, dubbed voices, and idiocy, they’re dead ringers for Witchiepoo and her henchmen from “H.R. Pufnstuf”.
Rating: One and a Half Stars out of Five
Middle Episode – “Ninja Quest Part 4”
Plot: The Rangers have recently gained Ninja powers, and they try out their new robots on Rita’s brother and a monster named Vampirus. Meanwhile, comic relief bullies Bulk and Skull go through the police academy.
Thoughts: Half the cast has been replaced and the new robots aren’t nearly as cool (a frog, really?). IMDB lists this as a fan favorite episode, but it seems pretty generic to me. The Bulk and Skull storyline is an annoying distraction, but at least they get some neat montage theme music out of it.
Rating: Two Stars out of Five.
Final Episode: “Rangers in Reverse”
Plot: Rita’s father unleashes an evil plan to turn back time and strip the Rangers of their Power. Surprisingly, the plan succeeds and the series ends on a down note.
Thoughts: If nothing else, I didn’t see the unhappy ending coming, so I’ll give the episode credit for doing something unexpected. True, the premiere of the next series’ incarnation saw the Power Rangers wrap up the storyline with a victory, but I like to think the bad guys got the better of them. On the other hand, I don’t like the new Rangers and the action is as lame as ever.
Rating: Two Stars out of Five.
Final Thoughts: If you’ve seen one “Power Rangers”, you’ve seen them all. Bad acting, poor dialogue, insulting storylines, painful humor, uninteresting action, and blatant product placement all make it a much suckier show than I remember. All those adults who insisted it was hackery were right.
Robert Garver is a graduate of the Cinema Studies program at New York University. Check out his movie review blog at www.bobatthemovies.com. He welcomes feedback, criticisms, and suggestions for future columns at rrg251@nyu.edu.