Power Rangers Review - What The Fuck Do You Expect?

Let's break this unconvincing attempt at a blockbuster down act by act. The first is a surprisingly strong mixture of Chronicle and Breakfast Club, with three teens in detention befriending each other and a further two they meet at a quarry. From there, they gain powers and become rangers. Hence the title. The second act sees hackneyed character development, while the final act tries spectacle, but the result is an immensely underwhelming battle filled with tawdry special effects.

The young actors are generally a mixed bag; Me and Earl and the Dying Girl's RJ Syler is pleasantly affable as autistic Billy, but Ludi Lin's Zach is an irritating prat who fails as the comic relief. The autism aspect isn't exactly as sensitively done as Rain Man, but it's a step in the right direction. Collectively, the mostly bland batch have a reasonable amount of chemistry, which is enough to distract from the contrived plot (the villain conveniently shows up within eleven days of the heroes discovering the source of their powers).

Elizabeth Banks gives the gammon fillet acting you'd expect from an character called Rita Repulsa, who is talked about being evil more than she is shown doing so. When she is on screen, she spews vacuous lines about killing everyone and resurrecting Goldar, a massive gold creature. Ugh. Bryan Cranston and Bill Hader are also present as the mentor to the Rangers, but are under-used. 

To top it all off, there is an un-ironic use of the original theme song that will illicit grimaces. On the one hand, Powers Rangers is inappropriate for children with its coarse jokes about tossing off cows and swearing, but doesn't hit the self-aware sweet spot it needs to appeal to older audiences. Not much works.

TWO STARS. There's a line in it about being the person you want to be. I want to be someone who hasn't seen this film.