The new Power Rangers movie is just like the others: expensive, cheesy and instantly forgettable

REVIEW: The latest Power Rangers film incarnation channels the Transformers franchise, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Power Rangers (M)

Director: Dean Israelite (Project Almanac)

Starring: Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Ludi Lin, Becky G, Elizabeth Banks.

Rating: two and a half stars

Reconnecting after a long switchoff

The Power Rangers phenomenon had a moment in the 1990s. Mostly on TV. But hey, it was a moment.

There were two Hollywood movies back then as well, both of which were cheap, cheesy and instantly forgettable.

Remarkably, a little research reveals the franchise has never quite died on the small screen. The branding has sometimes changed, but never the core concept of colour-coded superheroes of high-school age.

EVERY CURRENT RELEASE RATED

The Power Rangers are back.

Over the summer, series number twenty-something went to air. A fan base of some kind must be out there.

So now Hollywood has attached the jumper cables to restart the whole Power Rangers as a movie vehicle. 140 million bucks have been spent in doing so.

And wouldn’t you just know it? The end result is expensive, cheesy and instantly forgettable.

Nevertheless, while the rather freaky origin story Power Rangers is hellbent on telling (largely in a bid to lay a foundation for future sequels) is unfolding, the movie does enough to not only hold an audience’s attention, but remain on their good side as well.

Luckily, the interplay between the featured characters is so instantly accessible that it rarely feels as if the filmmakers are marking time.

The superpowered quintet. Village Roadshow Films.

Jason (Dacre Montgomery) is a disgraced football quarterback. Billy (RJ Cyler) is a geek with a compulsive mischief-making streak. Kimberly (Naomi Scott) used to be a popular girl until her involvement in a bullying incident. Trini (Becky G) is a rebellious loner at odds with her overbearing parents. And then there is Zack (Ludi Lin), who is also a rebel and a loner, but with a sick single mother to look after too.

Weirdly, the group’s inexplicable survival of a terrible car accident becomes the catalyst for the superpowers that will eventually see them “morph” into skilled defenders of the downtrodden.

Power Rangers — expect a sequel.

Once the gang fully unwrap their new gifts, they must square off with a mysterious warrior queen (an unrecognisable and shamelessly camp Elizabeth Banks) who wants a lot of gold and total vengeance (and not always in that order).

Despite everything getting a bit too Transformers-y during the obligatory town-wrecking finale, these Power Rangers show enough zap to warrant a return engagement.

Four Minutes With ... Dacre Montgomery

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