Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always (2023) User Reviews

A nice short trip back to my childhood

[Jamiec523 · 7/10 · 19 April 2023]

Like a lot of people, Power Rangers was the one show I couldn't miss after school. From the days of Rita and Zedd to the final battle that led to all the original villains like them as well as King Mondo and the Machine Empire, Divatox, Elgar, Astronema, Dark Specter and so many more being either destroyed or turned good due to Zordons great and ultimate sacrifice, this show seems corny some that didn't grow up watching it but to those that did, it's a time machine that I'm grateful to have. So when I heard about this movie and saw the trailer, I was ready to revisit a big piece of my childhood at least one more time.

For me, Power Rangers Once and Always didn't disappoint for the most part. There was great nostalgic moments and I truly felt like I did as a child where I watched to see if Rita would finally succeed in some way as she executed her master plan to finally destroy the Power Rangers and conquer the galaxy like she first attempted to do back in 1993.

The movie was shorter than I expected at a runtime of 58 minutes considering Power Rangers The Movie from 1995 was 1 hour and 30 minutes long and Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie from 1997 was 1 hour and 40 minutes. But I reminded myself that this is more of a reunion show so I treated it as a special double episode event. The plot and execution was really great to watch with some very interesting surprises and Easter eggs along the way for longtime fans. The acting at times was a bit shaky or corny but thats how it was even back then so this was one of the rare times that it still worked for me. The way they showed dedication and appreciation to the late and great original actors Thuy Trang (Trini) and Jason David Frank (Tommy) was very special to see to say the least. I don't want to ruin anything but I will say the scene right before the credits roll was absolutely perfect to honor them, the other original Rangers regardless if they were in this film or not and I felt it was also a nice little thank you to the fans that have watched from the beginning regardless if they've seen the first season in 1993 or recently.

Power Rangers for me was one of the things that got me through some difficult times as I was in the hospital a lot due to receiving a Liver Transplant in 1989. Once in 1995 when I was in the hospital for tests, a family friend gave my Mom, Sister and I box seats to see Power Rangers Live in Toronto. I still have my ticket stub. It was an incredible experience I remember to this very day.

I have had my transplant for 33 years (I'm 34) and one of the things that helped me escape the sounds of my IV, medical monitors and the hospital overall was watching Power Rangers when I could. Thats why even at the age of 33, the original seasons still mean so much to me today. I'm currently waiting for my 2nd transplant as this liver is slowing down, so this reunion was a reminder of what Power Rangers did for me during the tough and scary times. I'll always be grateful to everyone involved with the show and for the fans that helped keep it alive for those reasons and more. Thank you for this little trip down memory lane and I truly hope other longtime fans enjoy this as much as I did.

My overall rating is 7/10.

It's cryin' time

[DanTheMan2150AD · 7/10 · 19 April 2023]

More or less exactly what you'd expect of a one-hour special celebrating 30 years of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, for better or for worse. Once & Always may have a serious subject at its core, but it still remembers to have plenty of fun. There's playful martial arts action, weird monster villains, and colourful settings galore. As one would expect from a 30th-anniversary special, it goes hard on the nostalgia, I can't be the only one who started jamming the moment the theme song kicked into overdrive. As with MMPR, Once & Always embrace its cheesiness but with its emotional core brings about a truly heartwarming reunion special that despite the real-world loss of two of its stars, never feels like it's taking advantage of them, merely respecting them even as our cast mourn their losses.

An extremely wholesome special that delivers on the Power Rangers goodness we all loved, Once & Always is a real special of a special. Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger.

Appreciate it for what it is

[sirgarrykay · 7/10 · 19 April 2023]

What's nostalgic is the way it's written honestly. It's very much like the 90's show. Which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it.

It's not a 2010's version that's darker or more serious. The budget isn't amazing. The story is simple. It's not what draws us into movies nowadays where we're now accustomed to really good superhero films and such. But it kind of works. It's pretty kid friendly but the audiences that will truly appreciate the cast and story are those that are a fan of the OG, and I think that's exactly who they made this film for. It's a blast from the past and a tug at your heartfelt childhood heroes. It's pretty cool seeing the cast back with some better CGI all these years later. It's really cool actually. Who would have thought?! The costumes look amazing and slightly upgraded yet adhere to the original. The morphing and teleporting transitions are flawless.

Is it going to be omg amazing? Not really but they don't act like it's going to be either. I think they knew the material they were aiming for and succeeded nicely.

The nods to the previous generations, those that have passed away, and keeping the original overall tone is the best way to honor the original MMPR.

They didn't finesse the story, or characters in a way that would disappoint. They're all good people still, and care about one another. And their actual love for one another shows. Thanks for making this film for us 90's kids! I wouldn't mind a sequel to be honest!

The last scene made me cry :((((

[kide-32420 · 6/10 · 24 April 2023]

This is my first review here... As most of the others - I watched the original series back when I was in elementary school.

Watching Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always brought back some childhood memories (and I am really grateful for that), but the overall impression is that for 2023 this was pretty bad... Plot is shallow, acting is not at it's best, some of the graphics are like the same as they were 30 years ago... And they could have made this an awesome movie !!!!

For above stated reason I would give it 4/10, but then after the last scene I have seen that Thuy Trang and Jason David Frank are not with us anymore and this was a big shock for me since I had no idea :(

I even stumbled upon some video of Jason David Frank like a year or two ago, and seen that he was at the moment still involved with Power Rangers franchise which made my day :) Seeing that he passed away... I was speechless :( I started crying for two of them, may their souls rest in peace !!!! :( Out of pure respect for them, I am raising my rating to 6/10.

For Thuy Trang and Jason David Frank !!!

Once a ranger, always a ranger !!!! :(

Half Cooked Nostalgia!

[Hussain-AL-Naseer · 2/10 · 27 April 2023]

"Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always" attempts to create nostalgia for fans of the original 90s series but fails to evoke any significant impact. Despite being released in 2023, the movie seems to have not evolved much from its original roots. The outdated VFX, recycled stories, and predictable character behavior are some of the underwhelming aspects of the movie.

The loose screenplay and average acting do little to elevate the movie beyond its nostalgic appeal. Die-hard fans of the original series may appreciate the callbacks and references to the past, but even the nostalgia factor seems half-cooked.

Overall, "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always" may satisfy some fans looking to relive their childhood memories, but it falls short of creating a compelling story and fails to connect with modern audiences.

It should have been so much more.

[doomprodigy · 6/10 · 2 May 2023]

I came into this with so much nostalgia, at first the original suits and cheesy puttys was fine, but the story became messy and confusing with flashbacks.

Then.. we get on to the Megazord, what the heck was that CGI, awful, the episode felt short, and underbaked. They could have done so much with it and Netflix did the bare minimum. I still enjoyed it, but it wasnt what I hoped for or what it should have been.

The nostalgia was there, the actors, (most of them), the cheese, but the little things were missing, no Bulk and Skull, not uber-popular rangers and no original style megazord. This made for a weak film. It could have easily been fit into 30 mins and it would have made little to no difference on the overall outcome.

I know its power rangers but i still expected more from 2023

[yoshubigaming · 4/10 · 19 April 2023]

Just finished watching this, i was 10 years old when i watched the original series so i was looking forward to seeing this for nostalgic reasons. I wasn't expecting to be blown away but I was really disappointed with the outcome. It seemed very rushed and lacking in charm, the zords CGI was like something out of a cheap B-Movie and I found Minh to be a really annoying character. I would have given this a 3 but the extra star was out of respect for those rangers we lost. It was nice to have a memory jog but that is really all this is. I'm sure there will be a lot of fans feeling the same way, just dont get your hopes up and you'll be fine.

Love letter to Trini Kwan (Thuy Trang)

[hazard111 · 9/10 · 19 April 2023]

One can say nostalgia bait.. and yes it is but this film being branded as a simple Power Rangers reunion is actually written for Trini. Her character is the base for the emotions in this story and they did this justice. Kinda wish there was more tribute for Jason aka Tommy but I guess it was too late to incorporate the actor's death into the story, would've been a huge reshoot.

Is this campy, cheesy, not really great acting, with laughable CGI and awkward fight sequences of them just standing around while waiting for speeches to finish? Yes..

BUT IS THIS POWER RANGERS?? YES. 1000% YES.

Sure they could've done something like the 2017 movie with better effects and different "vibe" but I wouldn't have this 30th anniversary reunion special any other way. Fans of MMPR will have a fun time with this. The last 15 minutes was the best glorious moments for my childhood spirit.

For fans who were watching 30 years ago....it is what you thought it would be.

[optimysticleo · 7/10 · 20 April 2023]

I grew up with the power rangers. I remember going to school and arguing with other kids about which ranger we were going to be at recess. My first crush was Amy Jo Johnson....as she was for a lot of boys during that time. I say all that to say that this first and 2nd group of rangers that the special is about, holds a special place to me, as it will for the bulk of people who are excited to see it, they are the target audience of this film. The people that were watching 30 years ago when the power rangers became big will greatly enjoy this special.

I'm going to avoid listing any spoilers, but going into this I was a bit disappointed after seeing that this special was only 1 hour in length. I had so many questions and had a hard time believing that all of them were going to be answered in a span of 1 hour. Admittedly, the special started out and I was confused as to why it was starting in the manner that it did and began having serious concerns about the plot of the special. However, in time, all of my questions were answered and a nice dose of nostalgia was delivered.

Overall, it's what the fan from 30 years ago would have wanted it to be. It was still a bit cheesy, not as cheesy as the original. The special effects were better, the acting was better, fight scenes captured that same feel, same arrogant Rita Repulsa, this special had it all. My biggest complaint would be the megazord, it definitely wasn't done justice.

Pro's -All of the original rangers were acknowledged, even if it was only through the use of old voice lines.

-Simple, but good story that was believable for fans -Answered all questions that an original fan would have -Nostalgic fight scenes -Captured the overall feel of the original show -Kept it to the core group of rangers (first and second group of rangers)

Con's -Zord scene could have definitely been better -Too short, they managed to make it work, but it definitely could have benefited from another 30 minutes of film to keep it from feeling a bit rushed.

-Unable to see all of the original cast

In conclusion, "Once and Always" delivers to original fans of the show. It was a nice trip down memory lane, and more than likely a trip I will take again. The writers definitely were able to capture the original feel of the show and make your inner child smile from ear to ear, even if it was for only a hour.

Dissapointment

[bheynen-19746 · 2/10 · 21 April 2023]

I was so hyped when this was anounced. I had chills every where ..... then i watched it and regretted i even tried ...... the only good thing about this special is nostalgia , all the rest is bad , acting bad , cgi bad , story bad , everything was BAD. And now i dont even have the words to make this review complete ... i just dont have anything good to say. Wel maybe zack busting out hiphop kido was cool .... also the people giving this higher then a 5 are deffinitly payed every person i spoke to personally that watchednit says the same thing its a bad special wich is only good for nostalgia , 2017 remake was much better.

I don't care what anyone says, I loved it!

[Vampire_Von_Suckington · 8/10 · 19 April 2023]

Go, go Power Rangers!

Great bit of fun and exciting childhood nostalgia. Yes some of the acting and effects are a little bit dodgy, but I don't think anyone is expecting Avengers: Infinity War here. Was great to see some of the original cast, especially the legend that is David Yost, and some from other incarnations of the show. The way they wrote out Trini, and paid homage to Thuy Trang and Jason David Frank, with a song sung by fellow original Amy Jo Johnson, was beautiful.

If you're a fan of the shows, especially the original, then just enjoy it for what it is.

Once a Ranger, always a Ranger.

All the cheese of the show

[ercfunk-445-950046 · 6/10 · 19 April 2023]

TLDR: laughably cringy amount of cheesiness just like the OG show.

It was a fairly fitting anniversary "movie". It's like 50 min long so it's a bit of a stretch to call that a movie. If you were a fan of the original show as a kid then you might enjoy this trip down memory lane. It certainly is more like a B movie than anything else. The acting is on par with the show, but that's not really saying much to be truthful. What's more amazing is that they can keep a straight face during the shoots. The CGI during the megazorg scenes looks pretty rough. I know the show is from the 90s, but did we need CGI from the 90s too? It was shiny. I haven't seen shiny/glossy CGI effects since the early 2000s.

It was something that if you just roll with and laugh, a fun trip to the past.

Nostalgia isn't strong enough

[JJSM22 · 3/10 · 19 April 2023]

While this special has an excellent concept, there just isn't enough to make it work. The absence of Thuy Trang and Jason David Frank is especially felt, as well as the cast that could not return.

However the acting just isn't good enough, the dialogue is poor and with the runtime being under an hour, everything feels rushed and uneven. The effects stack up with the power rangers series of today so that's alright.

They try bringing back half of the original cast with them just being in their uniforms and voices taking place off-screen. That just feels like there's a big hole in the story that we're missing. This might have done better as a miniseries or a full movie but this just isn't good enough to honour a legacy that grown with several generations of children.

For the characters that did return, it's was nice to see them again.

A Morphenomonal Special

[motoghostphotography · 7/10 · 19 April 2023]

Excuse the corny title, but I couldn't help it. Caught up in the nostalgia while also enjoying some new touches, Once & Always delivers on a special that is easy to follow without being cheesy to allow original fans like myself and even younger people to enjoy a fun adventure for an hour. I see where this easily could've been extended to a series, but I'm relieved they didn't because this special keeps it from being an experiment in excess. Charlie Kersh as Minh is a welcome addition and couldn't have done a better job. There are plenty of references to the former rangers series' that every fan will enjoy and I know I enjoyed it far more than I expected to.

It could have been a classic

[Odinson_Marvel · 3/10 · 20 April 2023]

I was so excited when I saw Netflix was bringing again one of my childhood heroes. The original Power Rangers. Sure, I would have preferred Jason and Kimberly over Rocky and Kat, but that wasn't a deal breaker.

But man, what a weak story. Uninspired. The nostalgic effect was great (it really was, they didn't update any of the uniforms or zords, and that was so cool), but it didn't seem like a 30y/o chapter. There was no evolution on the story.

The actors seemed like they didn't want to be there. There was no feeling on them. It's like they just accepted it for the cash and that's it, let's get over with it already.

There's even a scene around the 37:23 minute, in which there supposed to be a dangerous fight happening. The rangers just took off and the monsters are still around. But on the background you can see some random people walking by, that probably were not warned they shouldn't be there. And they aired that anyway!!

And, oh god, what was that new yellow ranger acting? Even butter ads have better actors on it. The girl couldn't even play dead properly. And I mean, if you can't play the role of a DEAD PERSON, something is really wrong with your acting skills.

I was so sad after seeing that. It's a shame what happened with that. It was supposed to be a nice reunion event. But it seemed just like some random episode on the 40th season.

I give it a 3 because it had some moments. But it could have been way better.

Disappointing

[mcskillit99 · 3/10 · 20 April 2023]

This is hard to watch, the script feels like a first draft, things move so quickly and make little to no sense.

JDF was alive while this was being filmed, why was he excluded? Bringing back origonal cast is great but why did the new actors have to be so bad? CGI is so bad it looks like it belongs in 2000. The idea of the story is fine but needed a real script writer to finalize it.

I get it is trying to capture the cheesyness of the show but it ends up feeling like something for a high-school film contest. The returning cast seems like they don't care at all about the story or characters, should have just left it alone.

Nostalgic! A mix between oldskool MMPR and something more mature

[blueshadow-632-977816 · 8/10 · 19 April 2023]

I was interested to see where this special would go, being advertised as a slightly more mature version of the old MMPR, whilst being stuck between having a nostalic love for the good old series from my youth and some remnant doubts from knowing Jason David Frank had his issues with this special (especially since his passing, which affected me more than I would have expected it to)

Overall it felt like an extended, slightly more mature version of the old episode, in both its strengths and weaknesses. They kept the structure and storytelling alive whilst telling a slightly darker story with some tones of loss, grief, vengeance and acceptance in it, whilst also staying true to the tone of the old series, including its campiness at several points.

It was good to see some of the old crew back, and especially have Zach some extra moments to shine. The story was good enough to carry the special, though my strongest point of annoyence was David Yost's acting, which felt like "I AM NOW READING THIS LINE" at a lot of moments. Even with that issue it certainly was good to see him back and getting a chance to shine, especially how the past did him wrong.

I was kind of worries how they would handle the green ranger after JDF's death, but I think they struck an OK compromise. I somewhere would have wanted something more, but doing it to everyone's liking would be impossibly hard.

Also bonus points for netflix for neither ruining an original casting nor getting overly political in a place it does not belong. (I feel there is one moment some people are gonna complain about, but I think it was actually neat)

In conclusion, I really enjoyed this special. It is mostly for fans of the old Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and delivers for those fans, it probably is not for you if you did not grow up watching Power Rangers in the early 90's, which I consider to be a case of "knowing your audience and targeting them well" in this case (same as Kung Fury did); It is a good watch for it's target audience, and I'd definitely like to see more.

Nostalgic

[Sh31kh_H0kv5 · 6/10 · 29 April 2023]

But also in loving memory of the great Tommy man u made my childhood full of marvel and may your legacy live on through the hearts you've touch with your journey in your life time on earth, we all thank the crew behind the camera too for this was beautiful and heart warming seeing how most of us enjoyed our power rangers this actually cultivates a path for more amazing times together my memories will live on forever with me. Fighting the once vanquished evil fue once and for all we'll never forget how you guys fought for the galaxy as a whole in inspite of everything you had to risk thank you so much.

Only for fans

[Movie_Rating_n_Ranking · 5/10 · 20 April 2023]

Power Rangers entering the circle of nostalgia. Netflix did what a reboot couldn't do last decade: round up a couple of familiar faces and crank up the nostalgia machine.

As a child I was part of the child audience that never missed an episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and this 1-hour special brought back a lot of good memories, but that doesn't necessarily mean this is good quality stuff. While almost all of the dynamics were reproduced in the likeness of the original series, there are details that went way back, such as the giant robot battles. The move from mockups to CGI didn't do the show any favors, as the practical effects were part of the episodes' appeal. The script is also too basic and the acting is lousy. Now, we must consider that a product like Power Rangers was never something that required a high demand for the actors, so the bad level is quite to be expected.

Recommended only for lovers of the original series, since if you don't know anything about the Power Rangers, you will waste your time with a rather questionable medium-length film.

Once a ranger, always a ranger!

[viniciuscorreia-32868 · 10/10 · 20 April 2023]

I cried from start to finish. Power Rangers are my all time favorite heroes. Seeing them together made me very emotional. The ending, with a scene from the original series, paying homage to Thuy Trang and Jason David Frank made me cry a lot. Of course, those who chose not to return had their reasons. Maybe Bulk and Skull could show up even for a simple line. However, I will keep this special one in my heart. Thank you so much for showing us that our friends, even 30 years later, are still saving the world.

P. S. I watched the special with the dubbing in Brazilian Portuguese, my first language. Netflix enlisted the entire original cast of voice actors to voice their characters, including those who only appeared morphed. This somewhat compensated for the absence of some actors.

Long Live, Power Rangers!

[cahidi · 6/10 · 25 April 2023]

It's time for nostalgia. Childhood memories come flooding my mind. It's not easy staying true to your original form, especially when new technology is outshining it. But as bad as it looks, the special effects were pretty cool back then. And as someone who's reminiscing the past, I think it's okay. It may not be as cool as superhero movies, but then again, it's not a superhero movie. I'm giving this movie two thumbs up for staying true to it's original ways. Although it would've been better if they can also bring Amy Jo Johnson and Austin St. John back into this movie. That would've been perfect. Alas.

"MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGER: ONCE AND ALWAYS" REVIEW

[Mr-Topshotta · 2/10 · 22 April 2023]

Directed by Charlie Haskell. A runtime of fifty-five minutes. Streaming on Netflix with a TV-Y7 rating.

The original "Power Rangers" came out in '93. Some thirty years ago. With some of the original cast members from the first two renditions of the show. "Billy"(the blue ranger) played by David Yost and "Zack"(The Black ranger) played by Walter Jones.

They are older now and living their lives but like the title once a "Power Ranger" always a "Power Ranger". After coming in contact with an enhanced version of an old enemy. Now "Robo Rita" played by Barbra Goodson wants her revenge.

With a master plan that calls for the destruction of all "Power Rangers" across the planet. "Billy", and "Zack" will have to enlist the help of some other "Power Rangers" like "Rocky"(Red Ranger) played by Steve Cardenas, and "Kat"(Pink Ranger) played by Catherine Sutherland.

They'll even have unwanted help from "Minh" played by Charlie Kersh. The daughter of the original Yellow Ranger. "Zack" is supposed to be her guardian but he's not doing the best job. Whether he likes it or not he will need all hands on deck to defeat "Robo Rita" and stop her plan of destruction across the planet. In this nostalgic mashup of some of the original "Power Rangers".

"Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always" wasn't what I expected. I feel kind of robbed. They gave us the feel of the original but not all the way. They had the same cheesy stuff that was in the series but when they made the films they always took it up a notch.

I felt like they put extra cheese on this meal. I don't know if they were purposely acting bad but "Billy" seemed to take that to the next level. Everyone contributed to that honestly.

I like "Zack" going old school with his dancing karate. It's like they touched on things from the original that I loved but didn't go all the way. I loved that they blended a lot of the popular original renditions. But some characters should have been in the film but weren't.

It wasn't even an hour long. That told me everything I needed to know. It didn't get the proper funding or script it deserved. I loved seeing some of the original cast but as a whole, they dropped the ball. Unfortunately, even if they do it right Jason David Frank won't be in it. Rest in Peace Jason. Also, Rest in peace to Thuy Trang.

It saddens me to say this. I'm one of the biggest "Power Ranger" fans. I loved this series as a kid and the films were always fun. Seeing the trailer for this brought back a lot of fond memories but what they gave us wasn't right. I give this film more like one long episode one mor fire 🔥.

#CosmoandtheMovieWithin #CosmoMovieBlog #CosmoLanier #MightyMorphinPowerRangersOnceandA.

Too short and thus way too fast

[Baxxie22 · 6/10 · 21 April 2023]

I really wanted to like this. I grew up watching the original show. And I was so excited seeing the trailer for this movie.

But the end result moves way too fast. Why is this special so short? Was there a lack of budget? Was no one else available? Was part of it cut?

The special effects were so much better of course. But the storyline... We basically jumped into the middle of a story and it just sped up more and more from there. How are the original rangers still in action? I thought I watched enough of the show to know that Kimberly, Jason, Zack and Trini left and handed over their coins to others. And now suddenly they've been rangers all this time? Did I miss something?

Also their acting used to be better in my opinion. But well. It has been years.

Of course I wish the whole cast was complete (except Thuy of course, since she passed away years ago). I actually even miss Bulk and Skull. I get the reasons they weren't there (especially Jason David Frank), but it still feels like it was half finished because they weren't there. As if the makers were in such a rush, they were already making it when it turned out several cast members couldn't be there and so they half assed it.

I'm sorry for being so negative. I just really looked forward to it. And with everything possible nowadays, I wish they took more time and turned it into a series with maybe three episodes of an hour or something. That would have allowed them to flesh it out. And really created a story. Not just one long episode that was fast forwarded somehow.

The last scene was beautiful though, thank you for adding that.

Maybe now can we have a making of special of the show? Not this movie/special, but of the original show? I get not everyone is around anymore. But it would be great to hear how everyone was cast and how it was made and such.

Relies almost solely on nostalgia

[watcher101 · 4/10 · 21 April 2023]

That's the sad truth. This special relies almost entirely on nostalgia to be any good. And while that may have been ok if they had put more effort into the rest of the special, it's obvious that they put the bare minimum of effort into it.

Right off the bat it feels off as they start in the middle of the conflict, explained later via flashback, which gives the special and strange feel, and from there, it depends on nostalgia to give it any worth. The acting really isn't that good, and while the TV series didn't have the best acting either, you can tell that they didn't put in much effort here since the acting in the TV series was even better. The special effects are horrible too, once again, having the effects of the TV series be even better, which is completely inexcusable since they definitely had a bigger budget than the TV series did. And that's not even counting the horrendous CGI that looks like it's out of a bad PlayStation cutscene. When your acting, special effects, and CGI is actually worse than that of a cheap TV series from the 90s, you know they're not even trying.

While it was nice to see much of the old cast back fulfilling their roles, it once more relies heavily on nostalgia to carry it. The actors lack a lot of the chemistry they had in the TV series, and when you look at past reunion specials such as Forever Red, once again, it's inexcusable, especial since they have the funds this time to make sure it shouldn't be as mediocre and the actors have much more experience, but obviously aren't really trying. And then there's the horrible newcomer, Minh, who is just all around unlikeable. Yes, we get that she's supposed to be angry and want revenge, but her character is just completely insufferable and acts like a total brat throughout the entire special that just keeps making everything worse for most of the special. That's not the actress' fault, they just made her character awful.

In short, this special was pretty disappointing, especially after the way it was built up to be the ultimate reunion special or something, that instead relies solely on nostalgia, has no effort put into the roles, an unlikeable new character, and awful special effects, and even the action isn't as good as the TV series, and it all comes to a close in a rather anti-climatic ending. If you want to kill an hour living off nostalgia, I say give it a watch, but you'd probably be better off just watching the old MMPR if you want that, you'll find it much more appealing.

Fun with the charm and campiness of the original

[jschroeck92 · 7/10 · 20 April 2023]

If you're going into this thinking you're going to get a more serious version of the Power Rangers? Well... you are, but it's not much more serious. It still has the campiness that the originals have, but has a flair that makes it feel more like a soap opera. All the returning characters still feel exactly like themselves and their acting... well not much has really changed there.

The cgi has gotten an upgrade for sure. I love the morphing transition and the way they teleport and all that really feels big budget. When it comes to other aspects that I do not feel inclined to spoil, it's an upgrade, but still feels much like the original. There's nothing too wrong with it, it really just helps with feeling the nostalgia that this special was trying to bring.

The story is cheesy, but fun in its own way and I love how they explain the reasons for things, especially why certain rangers weren't really present throughout. This was still a fun nostalgia trip down memory lane at the end of the day, and it's not really a spoiler, but they do indeed pay a loving tribute to Thuy Tran and Jason David Frank. I may have shed a few tears here and there

6.5/10 I recommend to all fans of the Power Rangers.