The year 2017 was an interesting one for superhero fans. From the critically acclaimed Logan to the drama-at-every-bend Justice League, there was a plethora of films for fans to absorb and consider. Lost in the shuffle, unfortunately, was the Power Rangers movie.
Directed by South African director Dean Israelite and starring the hottest young talent in Hollywood, this movie reboot took the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers back to the start when we first met Jason Scott, Kimberly Hart, Billy Cranston, Trini Kwan and Zack Taylor. There have been different iterations and variations of the Power Rangers throughout the years, but this is still widely considered the definitive version of the team.
Despite the live-action series looking like they’re operating on the tiniest of budgets, the Power Rangers movie received a healthy $105 million for production. This wasn’t a film using clips from Super Sentai and recycling previous action sequences. No, it was the upgrade that the franchise has sorely needed for years. It treated the Rangers far more seriously than before—without necessarily losing the spirit of the TV series.
This was an origin story with heart. Suddenly, this was more about the individuals than the ability of the Power Coins. It was a coming-of-age story before a superhero action-adventure, and that’s what made it special. The characters weren’t cardboard cutouts or tired tropes, as there was actual growth and development for each and every Ranger.
More importantly, the Power Rangers movie cast had chemistry—the type that you can imagine carrying a franchise for years to come. It’s no surprise that Dacre Montgomery has gone on Stranger Things fame, while Naomi Scott stole the show as Jasmine in Aladdin and Ludi Lin was cast as Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat. The cast was sensational and oozed charisma, birthing a new generation of superstars for Hollywood.
Yet, none of this seemed to matter as the Power Rangers movie only grossed $142.3 million worldwide. It was released in late March and had almost no competition in its opening weekend, which made its underperformance even more puzzling. While it could be argued that the releases of Logan, Kong: Skull Island and Beauty and the Beast in March could’ve had an impact on the film, it seems like no one showed up to a big marquee movie like Power Rangers—even in the normally fruitful international territories.
Ultimately, the TV show’s campiness and goofiness might’ve been a factor in the low attendance turnout. When most people talk about the Rangers, they think of the shows, the low-budget effects and cheesiness. It’s fun for most, but not something they’d actively spend their money to watch on the big screen. Perhaps there was a perception that the Power Rangers movie would contain the same elements, which led to the poor box office performance.
Whatever the reasons, it’s disappointing that the audience will never receive a sequel to 2017’s Power Rangers since Paramount Pictures is already developing a reboot movie. It’s a film that ticked all the boxes, but the audience missed it until it was too late.
I most definitely did and it also definitely needs a sequel
i actually did. i loved the kimberly and tommy cameo. it’s not like they were trying to make the citizen kane of hero movies. i wish more people would have seen it. hearing dacre montgomery talk about “yeah the studio isn’t moving forward with a sequel ” kind of hurt.
one little note. becky g started making music after this movie. and she’s had a couple of hits.
I didn’t hate it, the original series on tv was kind of fun to watch, especially since it was so low budget.
I hear you when it comes to going into the characters more in depth, but that part I felt was drawn out too long.
As a fan from the show’s inception in 1993, I really enjoyed the movie. It’s characters were relatable and we could watch them grow and come to terms with who they were throughout. It was more in depth with the characters than the show. I found the beginning to be a rather unique take on the origin of Zordon. The ending was satisfying as they finally accepted each other and became a force to be reckoned with. Well done
I actually enjoyed the movie and wish they had continued with it. This seems to happen a lot with movies now days. They expect them all to hit it out of the park. Now I wonder if they had any merchandising attached to the movie at all. That was how I believe GI Joe actually got its sequel before the first movie launched. They had toys attached to the movie. I cannot figure out why this movie did not do better.
I disagree that this movie deserves more love and respect. It’s not a bad movie, but it’s not a great movie. The main reason why this movie failed is that it ignores its roots — Not Power Rangers, but Super Sentai — part of the charm of the TV series and why it has endured for over 20 years from the energy of the Japanese fight footage. It popped with complicated fight choreography, special effects, crazy camera angles, and tight editing. Those fight scenes were masterful.
A Power Rangers product without that uniqueness is a bland presentation. It’s like localizing Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and cutting out all of the martial arts.
That’s what the Power Rangers movie was like.
It’s great that they had character development and all, but if I wanted to watch a teen drama, I’d watch a teen drama.
Super Sentai, on the other hand, has had at least a movie for almost every year of its 44-year run. They are popular enough to keep making and they focus on what makes this franchise good: The fighting, the monsters, and the giant robots. Even then, they still manage to evolve and flesh out their characters even though the cast is changed after each series.
Anytime Power Rangers deviates from the Super Sentai material it tanks. With the exception of the comic book, which is just as terrible as this movie, but making a profit off a licensed comic book is a lot easier than a movie.
found the sentai purist lol
The movie was great I actually enjoyed it, I really don’t understand how it got those low reviews and such.
I totally and couldn’t even agree more. I enjoyed this movie a lot. Yes, the Zord battle was a little disappointing, but overall I really enjoyed it. The fact that there will not be a sequel, let alone 5 or 6 movies to follow, which is what was originally planned, is a great disappointment indeed. However, I’m hoping they will reconsider
I totally and couldn’t even agree more. I enjoyed this movie a lot. Yes, the Zord battle was a little disappointing, but overall I really enjoyed it. The fact that there will not be a sequel, let alone 5 or 6 movies to follow, which is what was originally planned, is a great disappointment indeed. However, I’m hoping they will reconsider.