Power Rangers (2017) is a reboot of the 1993 show Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers that premiered on the FOX Kids programming block. With a current score of 43% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.1 on IMDb, Power Rangers has received mixed to positive reviews since its release. Although critics often cite an inconsistent tone, a general lack of action in an action movie, and a generally weak plot, it was actually better than I expected.

The story takes place in the town of Angel Grove, the town in the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, and focuses on Jason Lee Scott, the Red Ranger, Kimberly Hart, the Pink Ranger, Billy Cranston, the Blue Ranger, Zack Taylor, the Black Ranger, and Trini Kwan, the Yellow Ranger. The Rangers are taught to master their abilities by Zordon, played by Bryan Cranston, and Alpha 5, played by Bill Hader. Their task is to stop Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks) from summoning Goldar and taking the Zeo Crystal.

Power Rangers was honestly better than I initially thought it would be. The characters are what makes this movie watchable, especially the character of Billy Cranston. In the original Mighty Morphin’ show, Billy had just been a nerdy guy with glasses who was good with science, engineering, and computers, but also incredibly shy and awkward. In the 2017 movie, he’s given more depth. Early in the film, Billy mentions that he struggles with connecting with others due to his father passing away and being on the brink of ASD. Billy truly is the heart of this team. The character of Billy Cranston transforms this movie from a five-out-of-ten into a six-out-of-ten.

Cheli Cobb, a senior, said “It was really good. I thought the characters were well written and the action was pretty fun”.

The action in the film, while refreshing as it’s not a jumbled, shaky-cam mess as with most modern action movies, is a detriment to the film. It feels awkward and slow. especially during the scenes with the Zords. 

The film would appeal to someone who grew up with the show, but to a general audience member, the story could be very off-putting.