[Sentai]

Welcome to, what I hope, will be an ongoing series in Toku Movies and Shows I reveiw. We start today with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. The first, and I wish last, time MMPR came to the big screen.

We're going to start with the acting. JDF, Amy Jo Johnson, and Johnny Yong Bosch are spot on. Atleast as good as they were during the show. And Paul Freeman's portayal of Ivan Ooze is the reason to see this movie. Ivan is the Great MMPR villian. And something I wish they would've brought into the show. Karan and Steve? Not so much. They act worse than anyone you could name from Samurai.
Then we have all the pandering. One extreme sport after another, for no real reason, other than padding the script for time and trying to relate to the youth. And on their Roller Blading. How lax are the laws in Angel Grove exactly? Where you can Skate through Open and Active construction sites. And no one says one word to you. Down stairs, almost knocking people over. And everyone's fine with it. Then we come to Bulk and Skull, who could've been left out of this movie completely. Leaping from a plane without even fastening their harnesses. Yet somehow survive.
And the music. Free Ride, and Higher Ground, And Devo. How many kids watching this movie even knew what the hell Devo was? My guess is that they were only added to the soundtrack so parents could wake up from their coma and say "Hey, I know that song".
The Armored Suits. I liked them. They did what they wanted, seperating the Movie world from the Show world. So glad they added visors and mouth peices. Seriously, google those suits without the visors and mouth peices. Another horrible idea in Saban's long and rich history of dumbass ideas. (RoboKnight? I hope you wake up with hornets in your boxers.)
Dulcea. Why do I have the feeling that many a lad watching that movie went through puberty watching Gabrielle in that short bearskin bikini. Not complaining, mind you. Just pointing that out.
Her acting though, along with Paul Freeman's, are excellent. Well above what we expect from an MMPR outing.
But now I come to the real bitching. The CGI. Oh My God the CGI. Why do I have the feeling they blew the budget on skydiving, costumes, and the getting licenses for the sound track, and had nothing left for the CGI. I know it was the ninties but come fucking on people. The Exomorphicons looks excellent. And while I'm on those Beasts. Why, in the name of Zordon, would you bury a villians Ultimate Weapons so damn close to where you buried him he'd be able to find them in less than 24 hours? Thats like locking Lex Luthor in Stryker's next to his Power Armor and a box of Kryptonite. But back on point. The Zords look good while in Animal mode. But then they combine into a shiney mass of wtf so great it still makes me say wtf. The head alone is an abomination to CGI animation. And the way it moves is a crime against nature.
And since I'm on the Zords. The End Fight. They some how fly Ivan Exomorphicon into space, knowing the only way to stop him is by flinging him into the passing comet they hinted at the frontend of the movie. But a crotchkick? Really? You end this bitch with a crotchkick?! Thats like getting to the end of Hostel, where he's escaping the dungeon, and having him use a banana peel and a Home Alone paint can on a string.

And I have a random question. Why does Zordon, Gosei, every Mentor wait until the great, all powerful, destructive evil is already slaughtering people to tell their group of Rangers about the evil? They never meet the rangers and say "By the way, this is probally nothing and I wouldn't even worry about it, but about 6000 years ago I trapped this galactic morphilogical being that dominated the world with two giant silver insects beneath Angel Grove. And one day he might get free and kill you. So how was high school?" Stupid floating heads. None of you can be trusted. Name one floating head that be trusted. And Jombie from Pee Wee's Playhouse doesn't count. (Mecca Lecca Hi, Mecca Hiney Hiney Ho)

And another problem. Really, Sentai? Yes. When their on the planet, after they get their powers, and are trying to head home. Why, exactly, are they randomly attacked by statue monsters? Someone explain that to me? And how does defeating Ivan magically save Zordon? SO MANY PLOT HOLES...

But I promised to end this on a good note. So let me see. The movie's good for what it was meant to do. Bring the show to the movies with an original story, not one pasted from Japanese footage. The soundtrack was good for all the sense it made. And there were genuinelly good moments. Paul Freeman's Ivan Ooze alone is worth sitting through this movie.

So what do I give this American Toku movie?

3/5 Headder Brothers.

It's good, worth seeing once, but not a classic by any means.

[ljacone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sentai

Then we have all the pandering. One extreme sport after another, for no real reason, other than padding the script for time and trying to relate to the youth.

It was the 90s. That was what the cool kids did ALL THE TIME. Trust me, I know, I was not one of them.

Quote:

But now I come to the real bitching. The CGI. Oh My God the CGI. Why do I have the feeling they blew the budget on skydiving, costumes, and the getting licenses for the sound track, and had nothing left for the CGI. I know it was the ninties but come fucking on people. The Exomorphicons looks excellent.

At the time, the simple fact that the Zords were CGI at all was seen as huge. Again, this was the 90s. It was a weird decade to be a teenager.

Quote:

The End Fight. They some how fly Ivan Exomorphicon into space, knowing the only way to stop him is by flinging him into the passing comet they hinted at the frontend of the movie. But a crotchkick? Really? You end this bitch with a crotchkick?! Thats like getting to the end of Hostel, where he's escaping the dungeon, and having him use a banana peel and a Home Alone paint can on a string.

The knee to the groin actually sort of soured me on the movie when I saw it in the theater. I mean, an action movie needs to end strong so that the final memory you have when you leave that theater is the big finale, and your overall mental status of the movie is positive. That knee really hurt my enjoyment of the film.

The Game Gear version of the movie game had the Ninja Megafalconzord using the Hurricane Kick style attack it would use on the show to knock Ooze into the comet. Much better.

Quote:

But I promised to end this on a good note. So let me see. The movie's good for what it was meant to do. Bring the show to the movies with an original story, not one pasted from Japanese footage. The soundtrack was good for all the sense it made. And there were genuinelly good moments. Paul Freeman's Ivan Ooze alone is worth sitting through this movie.

So what do I give this American Toku movie?

3/5 Headder Brothers.

It's good, worth seeing once, but not a classic by any means.

This movie will have a lot of nostalgia factor from fans my age and slightly younger who saw it in the theater. It's not a fantastic movie by any stretch but if you or your kids/neices & nephews/whatnot like the Power Rangers you can't go wrong with it for some light and fluffy popcorn munching.

[ZeoRangerV]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sentai

And another problem. Really, Sentai? Yes. When their on the planet, after they get their powers, and are trying to head home. Why, exactly, are they randomly attacked by statue monsters? Someone explain that to me? And how does defeating Ivan magically save Zordon? SO MANY PLOT HOLES...

1) They weren't trying to head home. They were trying to find the great power, which would restore their powers (the ninjetti powers only allowed them to cross the great plain). The statues were defending the power and/or testing them to see if they were worthy.
2) Zordon was still dead after they defeated Ivan. He was resurrected by the Great Power, which apparently made "anything possible".

Yes its a cop-out reason, but its less plot holes and more you not paying attention

[ljacone]

Also worth noting is that you can now find this on DVD for around $5 at Target. For a long time this DVD was very hard to find and you had to make due with VHS!

The sleeve is pretty poor but I think you can find a custom one easily enough if you want the one-sheet as the art.

[Sentai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZeoRangerV

1) They weren't trying to head home. They were trying to find the great power, which would restore their powers (the ninjetti powers only allowed them to cross the great plain). The statues were defending the power and/or testing them to see if they were worthy.
2) Zordon was still dead after they defeated Ivan. He was resurrected by the Great Power, which apparently made "anything possible".

Yes its a cop-out reason, but its less plot holes and more you not paying attention

I cant be blamed for my eyes glazing over halfway through this. And seriously. The whole Zordon thing really annoyed me.

[Matrixbeast]

Minor caveat, but if you're a great wizard who has fought evil for millennia, then bringing up all of them that could possibly come back would probably take more time than the entirety of MMPR's 3 season run time.

Anyway, the 90's was extreme, so extreme things needed to happen.

And it was the producers who wanted the rangers to go faceplate-less, not Saban.

[MnemonicSyntax]

Movie was full of cheese, just like any Power Rangers outing.

However, my only complaint is when Aisha broke the "In case of Emergency, Break Glass" button for the crotch kick, she actually pressed the button in. So, in actuality, she pressed it twice.

Sure there are lots of other issues, but it's Power Rangers. I can't complain.

And I don't generally complain about Samurai either, but Steve and Karan actually worse than Samurai? Now I know you weren't paying attention.

What's your opinion on Yost for this flick, Sentai? You uh... kinda left him out.

[Kagezuno]

I was always amused that the "bad" kids all drank 7-Up at their keg party.

[Sentai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MnemonicSyntax

Movie was full of cheese, just like any Power Rangers outing.

However, my only complaint is when Aisha broke the "In case of Emergency, Break Glass" button for the crotch kick, she actually pressed the button in. So, in actuality, she pressed it twice.

Sure there are lots of other issues, but it's Power Rangers. I can't complain.

And I don't generally complain about Samurai either, but Steve and Karan actually worse than Samurai? Now I know you weren't paying attention.

What's your opinion on Yost for this flick, Sentai? You uh... kinda left him out.

No. Karan and Steve are worse. And Yost is Yost. For some reason, when I watch him after season one, he always seems to just fade into the backround. To the point I almost forget he's there until he does something with a Zord.

[ZeoRangerV]

Karan and Steve are way better than the Samurai cast. Even really terrible actors are better than them.