The 30th anniversary of Power Rangers has brought us Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Once & Always! The 90’s show was based on Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger (1992-1993) from the Toei Company. It was from the Super Sentai (basically super group) series and the first to use mecha. The show had the team of humans evolved from dinosaurs awakening from suspended animation by Barza to take on the witch Bandora. They use Dino Bucklers to transform to fight Golem Soldiers. They use the Guardian Beasts to finally form Daizyuzin to fight Kaiju-type Dora Monsters. At Angel Grove, California, the inter-dimensional Zordon recruits five teenagers to battle the sorceress Rita Repulsa based on the moon. The Green Ranger was sent by Rita Repulsa and the Rangers are able to break Rita’s spell over him. He becomes the leader of the team. Eventually, three new teenagers replace team members in Season 2, produced a 1995 movie, finally ending with Power Rangers Dino Fury in 2022. Once & Always brings it back to the original Rangers. It is currently streaming on Netflix.
The movie is directed by Charlie Haskell who directed many of the series including Dino Fury. The story and screenplay are by Becca Barnes and Alwyn Dale both of whom worked on Dino Fury. We get some text explaining Rita’s escape from her Space Dumpster prison in 1993. There is some dramatic music by Ron Wasserman who composed the original series. It picks up with Billy (David Yost) fallen on a grassy field. He is the Blue Ranger and the resident genius of the team. This is an older Billy Cranston twenty-nine years after he first became a Ranger. He picks himself up to face a number of Putties, Rita’s clay henchmen, with burbling voices. Then, we see behind them, Robo Rita featuring Barbara Goodson’s voice. She is robot version of the witch with a Kabuki-like cyborg mask. Billy takes out his Morpher, “It’s Morphin’ Time!” He transforms into Blue Ranger and we get a spinning shot around them on a sea cliff. The music goes into rock guitar riffs. Blue Ranger takes on all of the Putties and Rita with her Magic Wand, a large staff. She uses it to blast Billy. Then, the other five Power Rangers transport in. Robo-Rita calls it a reunion!
Billy is helped up by Zack Taylor (Walter Emanuel Jones), Black Ranger and Pink Ranger. It's great to have the original actors back! We have all of the Rangers running into a battle with fireballs of explosions behind them, why are there explosions? who cares, it looks great, classic Power Rangers. Then, we get the titles flashing in. The theme song, “Go Go Power Rangers”, kicks in as we get to the fighting. We see all of the original Rangers. Original Pink Ranger, Kimberly Hart (Amy Jo Johnson), and Green Ranger, Jason Scott (Jason David Frank), are heard and that’s good enough for me. It was always a premise of the show to hear the Rangers with their helmets on and think it may be a stunt person, but that’s part of the show. Blue Ranger spins and smashes Robo-Rita’s face with his elbow! She takes her Magic Wand to send a blast that sends Billy spinning towards the edge of the cliff! Robo-Rita notes her new robot body and uses it to power her Magic Wand for a crimson kill spell! We go in slo mo as the spell, wrapped in darkness, and crackling with energy, nice effect heads towars Billy. Yellow Ranger, Trini Kwan (Thuy Trang), sees the deadly spell and races to stop it!
The spell strikes her and she spins off of the cliff until vaporized! A very sobering part of the movie, the actress had died in a car accident in 2001 after she had filmed The Crow: City of Angels (1996). All of the threats the Power Rangers faced were not dangerous, but this is an upgraded Rita and the basic set up for the movie, so the spell works for me. There is only remnants of a black cloud as Billy and Zack take off their helmets. Robo-Rita transports herself and the Putties to the Dark Dimension. They are joined by the other Rangers and Kimberly falls to her knees. At the Kwan house, Zack and Billy discuss what to say about Trini, as the others are looking in the Dark Dimension for Robo-Rita. Actually a good acting scene for Jones and Yost. Billy brings up the missing Zordon. He may have been destroyed to save the universe by Andros (Christopher Khayman Lee), the Red Space Ranger, in the Power Rangers in Space two-part episode, “Countdown to Destruction (1998). Billy worries that Minh, Trini’s daughter, will be an orphan. Their discussion about Rita killing Trini shocks Minh (Charlie Kersh) overhearing them and runs out the door. She played Sophia in 2017 episodes of the comedy series, Clique Wars.
MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS: ONCE & ALWAYS - - DAVID YOST, WALTER EMANUEL JONES, CHARLIE KERSH - - Photo: Geoffrey H. Short/Netflix.
We see that it is “One Year Later”, Minh is heard practicing marital arts and we also see that the house’s mailbox has added “Kwan & Taylor.” Zack, now Minh’s ward, is looking at the Yellow Power Morpher. I love the photos of Trini and Minh on the shelves! Minh returns and Uncle Zack notes that they are leaving for the cemetary. They are walking to the grave site when Minh mentions that Zack gave up being a congressman to be her guardian! This back story, how Zack was elected before Trini’s death, and what he accomplished, needs to be filled in by expanded material or a sequel! They hear the Rangers call out their Dinozords in the distance. Minh and Zack rush up to their blue Volkswagon to see Robo Rita face the Rangers on the anniversary of Trini’s death! At her side is the minions she “reforged”; Snizzard (Daniel Watterson) and Minotaur (Ryan Cooper)! Snizzard first appeared in season one’s “Foul Play in the Sky” (1993) and Minotaur is also from season one, introduced in “Teamwork” (1993). They are given robotic upgrades. Zack has Minh stay behind as he transforms in mid-leap, kinda cool!
Robo Rita has a new machine, Snizzard paralyzes Red Ranger, Jason Lee Scott (Austin St. James), and sends snakes to bind him! He is drawn back and shrunk into action figure size! Robo Rita adds him to her “collection.” This is a fun concept since the Power Rangers action figures are such a big part of the franchise. Green Rangers takes on Robo Rita, Snizzard paralyzes him, and then Pink Ranger! Blue and Black Ranger are struggling with Minotaur. Robo Rita adds them to her machine which she explains is draining their energy! She sends an explosive blast that sends Billy and Zack flying back. Outmatched, Billy says they should power down, and scramble with Minh into the car. Faced with Snizzard and Minotaur, Billy activates his new RadBug2 (Remote Activated Drivingzord for Basic Ultra Gomorphology) to fly away. Robo Rita leaves and we see the gravestone of Trini Kwan. At the house, Zack and Billy discuss the threat of Rita’s new machine, Minh wants revenge. Minh says she is ready to be like her mother, Billy says she is not a Ranger, and Minh blames him for Trini’s death! Very painful lashing out at Billy talk about teenager with attitude.
MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS: ONCE & ALWAYS - - STEVE CARDENAS, DAVID YOST, CATHERINE SUTHERLAND - - Photo: Geoffrey H. Short/Netflix.
Minh leaves, Billy is silent, and then says to Zack that they should head to Cranston Tech. At Rita’s hideout, Bandora’s Palace, she rants that draining the Rangers’ power is too slow. Robo Rita wants more Rangers, Minotaur and Snizzard say they can deal with them if they morph, and Rita has a plan. Cranston Technologies, by the beach, is the new location of the Command Center in the lower levels. Inside, robot assistant, Alpha 9 (Richard Steven Horvitz) is unable to scan fro the missing Rangers. Billy blames himself for Trini’s death. Then, he looks at the cracked energy tube that formerly held Zordon. We flash back to Alpha-8 detecting a “presence” and Billy thinking it might be Zordon. He asks Zordon to bring in the “particles” to the energy tube. It crackles with blue energy and then shifts to purple mist! Through the crack, the energy strikes Alpha-8, he strikes Billy to get him away! Then, transforms into Robo Rita!, who repeats the same words as her escape from the Space Dumpster. Zordon had sacrificed himself, purged Rita of evil, but she returned in Alpha-8’s form and back to evil! Billy uses his communicator to call for back up and escapes.
Then, there is an alarm as Putties appear everywhere, Billy has Alpha-9 activate the Bandora Protocol to alert every Power Ranger! At the command center, they are joined by Katherine “Kat” HIllard (Catherine Sutherland) who was helping out her son, J.J.’s karate camp. She was the second Pink Ranger introduced in season three’s “A Ranger Catastrophe” (1995) and had a son with Tommy Oliver. He appeared in the graphic novel, Power Rangers: Soul of the Dragon (2018). Next, Rocky DeStantos (Steve Cardenas) teleports in with his firefighter uniform. Rocky was the second Red Ranger. The two Rangers are the new teens from season 2. Later, we get S.P.A. (Space Patrol Alpha) Agents, Aisha Campbell (Karan Ashley). They have to fly to Earth from the Sirius System. It is there that they are dealing with the Troobian Empire, the villains of Power Rangers S.P.D. Aisha was the second Yellow Ranger. Plus, her teammate, Adam Park (Johnny Yong Bosch). Adam was the second Black Ranger. “The Ninja Encounter” (1994) was the debut of Adam, Aisha, and Rocky. Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Once & Always is a great tribute to the actors who helped build the franchise, a love letter to fans, and a story to bring at all together tied to the original Power Rangers show!
Five Power Morphers out of Five!
#MightyMorphinPowerRangers, #OnceAndAlways, #CharlieHaskell, #WalterEmanuelJones, #DavidYost, #CharlieKersh, #SteveCardenas, #CatherineSutherland, #JohnnyYongBosch, #KaranAshley, #RichardStevenHorvitz, #BarbaraGoodson, #RyanCooper, #DanielWatterson
No comments:
Post a Comment