Re-visiting Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The Movie
Full disclosure, I’ve never been a fan of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but that comes with a slight caveat. I remember watching a few episodes on TV as a kid. Even as a kid I wasn’t very into it, but also feel like, if the Power Rangers were on TV it was hard to look away. Fast forward to the other night when my wife (who’s been on a 90’s movie binge lately) wanted to watch the 1995 film. Neither her nor I had seen the film before but, safe to say, if you’ve seen the TV show you’ve seen the movie.
I was going to let her watch the film and busy myself with something else. I have a Stranger Things art piece I wanted to start working on, not to mention a comic strip I need to polish up before the weekend. But-don’t you know-once those six colorful teens hit the screen and then introduced the villain-Ivan Ooze-welp, it was hard to look away.
I’m not sure why the movie exists, really. I don’t think it added anything to the MMPR story or characters. I don’t think it tried to do anything new with the property. Of course, I’m not very familiar with the franchise and I’m just going by what I remember from watching the show as a kid. Maybe the movie was an attempt to introduce the Power Rangers to a wider audience? Maybe it was a cash grab to get parents to movie theaters to appease their kids. Regardless it does exist. So what are you gonna’ do?
Allow me to lead you down a quick rabbit hole for just a moment. Long story short, my wife had a very sheltered childhood where she wasn’t allowed to watch…pretty much anything (except Disney movies which may be one of worse ways to learn about the world at large-but I digress). As a result she’s been searching out all the 90’s movies she should’ve seen in the 90’s. Some movies she’s scratched off her list already: Ghost, Twister, Hook, Independence Day, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you know-the classics! She has also developed a growing fondness for those particular 90’s movies we’d all love to forget about. Shall I remind you of the Olsen twins’ film that is the Great Value brand of Parent Trap titled It Takes Two? In it the two girls meet at Summer camp but aren’t related even though they’re identical, and we’re just supposed to roll with. It’s one of those films, where it’s so bad it’s good. Think how often Twilight is made fun of…I think you get it. But my wife loves them. The outfits! The one liners! The cheese! The total unbelievability. As a result of this pilgrimage she’s got a soft spot in her heart for sweater vests, chunky socks, practical effects, a pre 9-11 New York City, and a lot of corny dialogue.
So let’s bring this back around to Power Rangers The Movie! No one set out to make Mighty Morphin Power Rangers a serious film. I mean-God I hope not. Let’s acknowledge that going into it. The movie’s premise is: “…a construction crew accidentally cracks open a gigantic egg that has imprisoned evil maniac Ivan Ooze for centuries…” and with lines like, “I am Lord Zedd, sworn enemy of all that is good and decent,” it’s not exactly going to make it into the Criterion Collection. But come on, though, most kids movies have something for the adults to cling to. The Power Rangers don’t worry about that too much. It busies itself with whooshing sound effects anytime the rangers move their arms a couple of inches, and multiple back flips to get from point A to point B when walking or running would’ve done the job.
When the credits finally role and I’m left sitting on the couch knowing I won’t get that hour and half back of my life back, I wonder aloud why my wife loves this kind of movie so much. She points out the obvious, “Didn’t it make you grin from ear to ear just watching this entire thing?” To which I had to admit-more embarrassingly to myself-that I was grinning from ear to ear. Did I just enjoy that last hour and half? I mean, entertainment is still entertainment even if you are laughing at a thing, right?
So often I can get stuck in critique mode looking for meaning and nuance and depth in my pop culture consumption. Too much of that and I’ll be turning into the guy who can’t enjoy Jurassic Park for wondering: if the Jeeps are powered by the track, how come the lights are still on when they’re knocked off it? It’s equivalent to “I can’t see the forest for the trees” Some movies are made for sheer entertainment. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The Movie is obviously made for kids, little kids, but that doesn’t mean I can’t laugh at the sheer ridiculousness that is The Power Rangers. I mean, don’t they have a legit television game show called The Floor Is Lava? They do, but how critical can one be? It’s a game show. Emphasis on game. The point is to have fun. And, damn it, if watching brightly colored super hero martial arts powered teenagers throw ooze born henchmen against concrete barriers, and watching purple goo go everywhere to have one of the rangers say the line, “You snooze, you ooze,” can’t bring a goofy smile to your face, I guess nothing will.