This darker version of Power Rangers knows it's audience. It understands that those of us who grew up watching this series are more mature now and would hopefully be willing for something like this to be given a shot.
I really enjoyed it! I felt that it wrapped up some stories pretty darkly but I'm all for that. The action was also just like the tv shows but a rated R version. 9/10, I would totally see a movie like this.
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The battle ended. For them. They moved on, got jobs, tried to deal with having been child soldiers in a war that had nothing to do with them. But then they started dying off. Kimberly(Sackhoff, capturing the now hardened, sweet Pink) is being interrogated by Rocky(Van Der Beek, tough). Fingers are being pointed. They think it's Tommy(Bain, doing a lot with little screen-time), and they need her help to find him. To stop him.
This is a compelling, not to mention badass, gritty take on the franchise so many of us grew up with. It manages to fit in a ton of the aspects, characters and conflicts, without it feeling rushed or overstocked. Heck, each of our well-cast main rangers get credible follow-ups and at least some closure. Well, poor Trini is merely a still as we see her funeral, so, all except for her. We even get a few *awesome* fight scenes. Twists, solid dialog, great acting and incredible production values. Quality CG, well-integrated and not flashy.
There is a lot of brutal, bloody violence and disturbing content in this. I recommend this to every fan of the series who wants this kind of reimagining. Heck, check out all of the bootleg universe. Adi Shankar is the man. 8/10 -
tankace8 September 2016Before I start writing down this review I have to be honest from the currently fifteen series of this Franchise I have watched from start to finish the seven of them and if you include the original second season eight, so I have some knowledge for the source material. Any way this flick is one of the most famous and praised fan-films of all time and having watch it for a third time I can't disagree.
For starters this is made by Adi Shankar, the dude that made fan-films a respectable type of entertainment and I definitely can see why for the film rocks. In this flick we see a darker re-imaging of the original team of the Power Rangers in which the team no all grown up the war has ended and every member has taken his or her separate way in the dystonia setting of the film.
The actors do a fantastic job bring this iconic characters to life and as for the action scenes are expertly directed with stunts that many feature film would be shamed of and many bloody deaths.
The one quote that summaries the whole enterprise is for James Van Der Beek, who portraits Rocky, "When two empires declare war neither side is innocent". Wow I never though that in product with Power Rangers in its title would have such as statement!
If you are a fan of the series then go watch it and let's hope that the feature film ,which will come out in 2017 be as entertain as this one, though if it is less gory maybe deeded. -
KEmerton199226 February 2015First of all, it's not a REBOOT of "Power Rangers" as many believe. It's a complete re-imagining of the idea of "Power Rangers". IN this alternate universe, the Rangers were recruited as teenagers by the government to fight monsters. Onto the review: call it dark, gritty, R- rated, whatever you want to call it. It was a great fan film. Fans of "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" are in their 20s-30s now. They're adults who have memories of Power Rangers. Honestly, as someone who's STILL an avid Power Rangers fan at 22, I can admit that some of the early seasons weren't really all that great. This dark fan film is fantastic because it takes something that many have nostalgia about and makes it into something that fits their generation as film-goers. The creator and owner of the "Power Rangers" franchise, Haim Saban, got angry and ended up having this film taken down from Youtube, which is a real shame. If you can find someone who managed to snag it before it got taken down, watch it, it's completely worth it!
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jackdeth_200624 October 2020This is the Power Rangers Film we deserve...even if it isn't the one we need right now.
A seriously dark and dystopian take on the 'Teenagers with attitudes' that we grew up with.
It manages to get a hell of a lot of story into its short runtime...and luckily it's a great story too.
Impressive visual effects add to the film instead of being the basis for it. Sackhoff & Van Der Beek turn in good performances too.
The only downside for this film, is the fact that it gives us a taster of a fantasy product that we are never going to get; but one could say the same of a lapdance, yet the stripping industry still manages to get buy. -
bob the moo28 February 2015Since the internet is full of chatter over this fan film being taken down due to a claim by Saban, the creator of the series, I will not take up too much time on this topic, suffice to say that when your fan film contains fantastic effects, high production values, and actors like James vander Beek and Katee Sackhoff, then perhaps the idea of "fair use" of IP doesn't have quite enough goodwill in it to totally cover you. Anyway, outside of the fuss, the short film is not only a fan film, but also a sci-fi actioner with good effects and action to cover up for it being a snippet rather than a whole narrative. In both cases such things are common on the internet, since shorts often turn to this genre to try to deliver fancy effects packages.
So, in terms of the reason for the huge numbers of views this got in a very short period of time, it is pretty clear it was the brand and the name that made it such a hot property – and thus easy to see why the actual owners of these got upset that someone else would profit off their work. Anyway, that is not to say that the film itself doesn't deserve credit for what it does – because although inherently the genre/concept is common, it is very well done. The narrative is very simple but I was engaged by the idea of these comical, tacky characters (in my opinion) suddenly placed into a much darker world. This also allows the atmosphere to work and the short feels wonderfully violent, impacting and impressive.
The special effects are part of that, since they are generally impressive, but it is the total delivery that makes more of them. The performances also help add strength to this – with Gamba, Lee, Sackhoff, and vander Beek all doing very good work it must be said. The film adds to these good bits of casting by also getting Pérez to reprise her role from the original cast, as well as yet more to talk about with former porn star Olson too. The thing is, whether I want to grumble about it being a clickbait piece of special-effects showing off, it actually does work, and I really enjoyed the dark tone, slick action, and violent content. It may or may not be easily available but it is worth having a look for what it is. -
michelle13919 March 2015Let me tell you I had a nephew who loved the Power Rangers I am a fan of the originals myself. With that being said this short was amazing! It was gritty and had big movie production feel to it. I saw here in one of the reviews that it has since been removed? Why in the world EVERYONE loved it in the comments it had with the short. I would love to see this as a full on production movie, with Hollywood revamping movie after movie THIS was refreshing to see. I hope everyone gets to see this short.
So apparently I don't have enough here so blah blah and I love vampires and good books. -
hellraiser731 July 2015Yeah, I grew up watching the Power Rangers franchise and I enjoyed it, for the record my favorites are "Power Rangers in Space, "Time Force", and "Lost Galaxy". I personally never expecting anything like this to come or ever happen at all, but I'm glad someone finally had the guts to do it. Fan films are usually hit or miss with me but I'm proud to say this film is a hit.
I love the fact that it has this dark gritty vibe to it, it's like if someone decided to do a revival of the franchise and go this mature route. The film in a way is sort of a superhero mystery story almost like Alen Moore's "Watchman", just like in that graphic novel/movie we realize something has happened and we're just trying to put all the pieces together figuring out why.
The cinematography and effects are great, I really liked seeing some of that footage at the beginning as we see rough footage that keeps coming off and on a few of the Rangers are shooting guns at something, further note their firing bullets not lasers. And were just struggling to see what the hell their shooting at, sort of like in the film "Aliens" with the space marines and their point of view cameras recordings. We then see briefly a Zord and some monster their fighting and just seeing both those things move and fight was awesome.
There are some great if short action sequences that I felt were well choreographed. From a battle with Zack/Black Rainger whom we see has became sort of Billy Blanks like celeb. Liked seeing the morph effect which I thought was beautifully done. But the battle was really cool we even got to see some blood effects and kills which is surreal. It's true the Rangers have killed but they were mainly monsters, aliens, robots, and mutants here these are human beings and we're seeing the violence go up the notch of an R rated film.
And I really liked the one on one between both Tommy and Rocky which is awesome and also surreal since both use to be red rangers so you can say a fan's prayer has been answered if you ever wanted to see different versions of the red ranger go one on one.
Really liked the characterization and acting, their all playing it serious and straight. Russ Bain is solid as Tommy, I really liked seeing a really dark gritty version of Tommy whom has now became a shell of a man. But the two that stand out the most are seeing James Van Der Beek as Rocky and Katee Sackhoff as Kimberly/Pink Rainger. It's interesting seeing the more adult versions of these two characters, from Rocky unfortunately selling out which I never thought would happen I personally like the character despite not a favorite, but the way it was handled in the film it felt plausible, let alone I like the concept of a Rainger turning traitor which hasn't really been done before in the franchise.
Kimberly here we see her not as her cheerful energetic self but more mature and tough as she is constantly determined to find a way out of her predicament and make the machine empire pay. I really liked the back and forth dialog between both characters which is great, I really liked that Rocky actually has a point or two in his dislike for the former organization he worked for, that they were all kids that we're pulled into the job without a choice of saying yes or no. When you think about it, it's true, in a way it's sort of a statement about most of those super team stories where most heroes/superheroes are just in not by choice or even the choice to quit if they want to.
After this film, I'd love to see a sequel or see a dark take on some of the other Power Rainger series and characters, like the three series I just mentioned, it could be on one or even all somehow mixed as one movie. Or better yet, for the upcoming silver screen Power Raingers film, take the direction of this short and go with it. Just some thought.
Overall, if your a long time fan of the franchise like I am and you remember the old series then I recommend watching. Thought if your a recent fan, I would recommend seeing the old Power Raingers series before seeing this short. This short shows that the Power Rangers still have the power.
Rating: 4 stars -
"When two empires declare war, neither side is innocent"
Thanks to the popularity this short film was receiving over the internet I decided to check it out despite never being a fan of the Power Rangers or knowing anything about the characters. I remember glancing at it a couple of times during my childhood, but it all seemed a bit too silly for my taste. My appreciation for this film is affected by my lack of knowledge about these characters because the short does require you have some background information about who these people are in order to understand what is going on. It is a fan film so the more you know about the series the better off you are. I still have to admit that I was entertained with the action sequences and some of the performances. I found the visuals pretty solid and its short running time does go by very quickly.
There has been a fascination in mainstream audiences for grittier and darker films and comics. We've seen it in several comic books that have turned away from the childish elements and focused on adult themes. In movies we've experienced it most recently with the Batman franchise and in the James Bonds films to name a few. We've shifted gears from the innocent and fun playfulness of those screenplays to much more serious and grittier ones. Joseph Kahn knows this all to well and so he decided to have fun with the beloved childhood characters by directing this dark version of the Power Rangers. It is a parody that is aimed to shock audiences who grew up loving these characters. The lead characters in this film are played by Katee Sackhoff and James Van Der Beek who have an interesting verbal face off. She is playing Kimberly (Pink Ranger) and he is Rocky. We get some flashbacks as well of what has happened with the rest of the Rangers. Gichi Gamba gets a decent amount of screen time playing Zack (Black Ranger) and he gets the most interesting action sequences as he faces off some Japanese gangsters. There is also an interesting twist at the end of the film. Overall I found this an enjoyable short film with solid visuals and good performances, but I wasn't in to it as much because I really didn't know much about the characters.
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rajiimgross-3374316 August 2019I watched this and was totally blown away! The acting talent enlisted, the special effects, and the storyline were on point!! This was a "Fan Film" made by actors paying tribute and presenting a concept for possibilities. I really wish that this were made into a feature film! Not only would I love a role in it, I'd pay to see it!!!
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Mr-Fusion10 August 2015"Power/Rangers" was a genuine curiosity, more than anything. This franchise was never my thing as a kid (although I did try), but you hear enough mention of a wildly popular YouTube video, inquisitiveness is a tough thing to beat. But this is for fans, which sort of crippled my enjoyment of this as a short film.
That said, the production values were up there, and they did nab established names for this (Van Der Beek, Sackhoff), not to mention an original cast member or two. The very non-kid-friendly material was amusing. And I do appreciate that the filmmakers are taking jabs at hard-edged reboots of kids' TV shows. The joke itself is funny. This would probably be awesome were I an MMPR fan.
6/10 -
tallebrandi36 September 2022Was one of the lucky few who got to see this before Sabaan took it down, and it was amazing! It's exactly what the show should've matured into instead of all those childish cash grab spin-offs.
It becomes about choice and deception instead of childish, infallible/immortal, heroes.
The general plot is that all the OG Rangers were basically deceived into thinking it was Zordon the prison guard, hiring them as lesser guards to keep Rita in her prison cell. When really it turns out that both Zordon and Rita were the problem, and this huge galactic war has been happening, led by the AI of the planet that Rita and Zordon are from, The Machine Empire. -
Terryfan1 August 2015Now growing up like many kids of the 90s I was addicted to the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Never in my wildest dreams would Image that we would see ourselves getting a more mature more graphic and shocking take of Power Rangers.
Be Warned: This is not Power Rangers for kids. It features Adult Language, Adult Content, Drugs, Blood and Gore it just a very violence take of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
The plot centers around Kimberly/Pink (Katee Sackhoff) who is being questioned by Rocky (James Van Der Beek) who turned traitor and join the Machine Empire. He questions her for the whereabouts of Tommy (Russ Bain).
As the plot goes on it is reveal on what becomes of each Power Ranger and let me tell you it is shocking and appalling to learn. I know it's a fan film but it will leave you speechless.
To be fair the effects in this film are impressive for a fan film. Goes to show that independent films can hold their own in the visual department so it feels like watching a true video game master. That's impressive.
Katee and James performances are pretty good they brought some credit to the film. Plus the plot twist will make you go I can't believe that happened.
Just be warn this is not a film for Children it is very dark. It is just what the adult fans were looking for.
I give Power/Rangers an 7 out of 10 -
Horst_In_Translation4 August 2015I would not call myself a fan of the "Power Rangers", but I saw an episode here and there back when they were on television and fairly famous. So I was curious what this 13-minute movie by Joseph Kahn would look like. I was pretty much disappointed.. This is an action movie with some science-fiction references, but there are no Power Rangers in it. And James Van Der Beek as a badass character? I am not sure. He gave it his best, but it was obvious he was just copying other performances and doe snot have the grit for the character in my opinion. The only other famous cast member is Katee Sackhoff. There is a major twist around her character in the end, but it cannot make up for the not really entertaining 10 minutes before it. Joseph Kahn is one of the most lauded music video directors right now, so maybe this short film is part of his transition to "real" movies. We shall see. "Power/Rangers" sadly is not worth watching.
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Spideyfan-963-2462159 September 2016Power/Rangers Starring: Katee Sackhoff, James Van Der Beek, Russ Bain, Will Yun Lee, Gichi Gamba, Yves Bright, Stevin Knight, Tony "Madness" Gomez, Matt D'Elia, Bree Olsen, Amia Miley, Carla Perez, Camilla Lim, Tony Ketcham, Adrian Ramon, Joshua Lou Friedman, and Steffanie Melanga Directed By: Joseph Kahn Review This is the best short film I have ever seen! I was never a big fan of power rangers, I never watched it as a kid and know it just looks corny. But I'm going to try out that corn after seeing this amazing short. I was hooked by the opening were you see the rangers fighting in some intergalactic war with two giant robots and guns. It was fracking awesome and the effects looked amazing. Its apparently about some villain who is interrogating Kimberly who is the pink Ranger and his organization has killed all the rangers one by one and he wants to know where Tommy is. But their is this twist. that's pretty cool. I give this short Power Rangers film a four out of five.
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I saw this on YouTube before Saban's lawyers had it taken down. Who knows, it may even be back up again, if you're curious to see it.
So, Jason is a villain and holds Kimberley hostage in an effort to flush out Tommy... The idea is okay, but all the talk of betrayal doesn't really come across, given what happens to each Power Ranger. Zac is pretty cool, but the North Koreans look more like Yakuza and do the typically-hated thing in martial arts films, of standing back and letting their buddies get beaten down, one-by-one, before taking their turn. They also had plenty of time to just shoot him, but this is nit-picking the action.
But isn't the action what an action film is all about?
Well, for this short, it's more about the characters, in an attempt to make a dark version of somewhat beloved source material, so don't expect any giant monster fights.
If you see this, after the initial buzz of seeing Power Rangers actually getting hurt wears off (because nobody can take laser beams and sword swipes to the chest in real life, right?), you'll most likely just forget about it and carry on. Yes, it's very well made, but the story isn't as fantastic as other reviewers would have you believe and the effect of, "Look, mum, the Power Rangers are gritty," only goes so far... in this case, not far enough to justify reinventing the series as something aimed entirely at adults. -
ThunderKing65 September 2021What was the point of this? It's violent. So what, there are thousand of violent content in the world. I don't know what is to special? Because it has 5 mintues of violence? Or is it because we got to see 1 Power Ranger be violent? That's why I don't get this at all. It has of 25million views. 2 of those views were mine from 2015 and in 2021 and I want them back. It also has a whomping 362k likes and 13 dislikes. There is nothing likeable about this other than the Black Ranger. The short ends as a cliffhanger with Rita emerging as the killer with a Loki like shape shifting ability.
This was hash when I first watched it, and it's hash now. This short is so boring and dry. The only good part was seeing the Black Ranger because he looks like Black Panther, Blade and Wesley Snipes in one. The corny power rangers are better then this.
Last Words: No morphin' time for this one. Should be called "Pointless Rangers". -
maxmages19 October 2017As someone who is himself Power Rangers fan is true I am really excited. As someone who shoots shorts and fan-films with his own camera I was twice as excited.
I can not tell if I find the movie too serious or not serious enough. The fights are super choreographed but the blood effects are a little cheap but not trashy enough, the background music is exciting but I hate Dubstep and often the music is too loud, I expected self-irony but the missing here.
In any case, the myth of the Power Rangers was continued and expanded somewhat.
It is of course very high quality produced and I think someone is reading "Ghost in the Shell". My problem, however, is that I do not quite notice how that is meant. Is it a Bad Ass 18+ version of the Power Rangers? Or is it a bloody parody? If it is meant as a parody, then it is well done but a little too reserved for my taste. If it was planned as Bad Ass Power Rangers version ... Then, GO ALL OUT! Why is Tommy's Vest Digital animated?
I can not stand it at all, when we have these super serious, super dark Sci-Fi movies and all the people are only whispering to each other, I know it should be more serious and threatening, but we can not understand a word. And the Dubstep in the background dose not help. I also did not like that the film is not stylized enough, just for a parody would it kinda word, but the obvious problems of the PowerRangers franchise are not addressed.
Like: Why do they fidget around as soon as they put on the suits? Why do the robots and Zords have eyes? If Zordon trapped Rita in the space dumpster, he could have just told the people of Earth to not freaking open the space dumpster. Seriously, What the hell has he been doing for the past 10,000 years?
Why do the Villains only attack where the power rangers live? How come the extremist juxtaposition of subtleties involving numerous existential schema are even profound of non established Power Ranger concepts?
Spoiler questions: Where is Zordan? Where is Lord Zedd? At what time are we? Is this the past, the future, the future of an alternative universe? If it takes place after the Zordan era why is Rita still evil? Where are the Megazords? Where in the world does this movie play? Where is Alpha 5?
PS: One of the sub themes in this film is about child soldiers and I call bullshit on that. that. (except for Power Rangers: Samurai) -
dairemcnease3 March 2022What the actual frack is this this is not the power rangers and it never will be DESTROY IT INTO THE TRASH IT SHOULD GO I ahve never seen such garbage in my life if power rangers is ever insulted again is such I way I will handle the problem myself.
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ethan-856232 April 2018First off, I just want to say, different people will see this differently. For me I perceive it as a reimagined version of the mmpr. Instead of an alien, the ranger are are given their powers by the government to fight Rita. In the end, it's the machine empire that defeats them.( It's never mentioned if Rita had anything to do with the machines). After the defeat, the government surrenders to the machine empire, and the rangers lose their powers. They now have to go on with a normal, Non-Ninja life. How ever, some of the former rangers start to die. The black ranger was given his powers back and works as a contacter for the machines to crush out any resistance( North Korea) he's shot in the head by an unknown killer. Jason(red) is rated out to the empire and is killed right next to Kimberley ( pink). That's where the movie starts off. Kimberly talking to Billy(Blue), who sold out to the machine s) Kimberly tells him everything she knows. But Billy wants to know where Tommy Oliver( Green) is she says she hasn't seen him since Trini's ( yellow) funeral after the surrender. Billy says he knew that's all she would know, and that Kimberley is the bait. The bam, lights out and Tommy appears. The two sword fight, and Billy gains the upper hand due to having a mechanic leg. Right before he kills Tommy, Kimberley shoots Billy in the head. Tommy jumps up and ask Kimberley who she is. She says Kimberley, and Tommy replies that Kimberley died in his arms during the battle and defeat against the machine empire. Kimberly then reveals her self to have been Rita all along, and Tommy attacks her. The End!