As a longtime Power Rangers fan (keeping up with their color-coded adventures to this day), I still get a kick out of catching a few of the older moments whenever I find myself bored on the internet. From classic morphing scenes to old theme songs, there’s never a dull moment in indulging my inner child with any point out of this diverse and vibrant 20-year history. Out of all those older moments, however, one thing that I really enjoy from classic 90s Power Rangers is the delightfully entertaining yet often cringe-worthy feature length romp that is Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie.
Even as a kid, I remember being blown away by so many things about this movie. For starters, the six-man team seemed so intense when compared to their television counterparts. Well, the characters were the same, but their movie-exclusive suits were really something to behold. Shifting from spandex to bulkier plated armor and slick detailed helmets, this fresh look at the Rangers in their new outfits was really exciting. Even the villain of the movie was an incredible treat (though as a child, I saw him more as the most powerful villain I never wanted the Rangers to deal with). Ivan Ooze, the ancient and literally slimy antagonist released from his centuries-long imprisonment, is ridiculous and entertaining from the get-go. From his hilarious entrance in declaring “THE OOZE IS BACK” to destroying the Command Center and leaving the Rangers’ mentor Zordon to the brink of death in the name of such vile acts like the Spanish Inquisition and the Brady Bunch Reunion (his words), this villain is as powerful and terrifying as he is enjoyable. As far as Power Rangers monsters go, Ivan Ooze simply oozes perfection.
And on that note, I now reflect on some of the more laughably sillier moments I’ve found in a recent viewing. Fun MMPR Movie drinking game: Take a shot every time someone does a backflip. Go on, I dare you. Chances are you won’t make it to the morphing scene, as it’s impossible not to notice some of the characters needlessly backflipping from point A to point B just to be showoffs or something. Fight scenes don’t fare much better, with every KO being complemented with a pun and that pun being accentuated with a flashy pose. It’s not much to gripe about, but it certainly gets more noticeable as one viewing goes on. And the giant robot Megazord fight that finishes off just about every Power Rangers adventure is hampered down painfully awkward CGI and a rather anti-climactic knee-to-the-nuts to finish off Mr. Ooze. I mean, it’s a silly 90s action flick geared towards children of that era; what else would you expect?
Yet, it’s easy for me to remember what I enjoyed about the movie over what I didn’t. Regardless of how much I’ve grown, the Power Rangers Movie will always be a morphenomenal ride for me.
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