Released earlier this year to what many would see as a lukewarm reception, Dean Israelite’s live-action ‘Power Rangers’ movie certainly got tongues wagging, as it brought the Rangers to the big screen once more via Lionsgate and Saban Films. Hoping to take the franchise in a new direction and launch an entirely new series off the back of this first movie, the release was met with some backlash.
The ‘Power Rangers’ made a long-awaited return to the big screen
Despite that, the darker take on the ‘Power Rangers’ wasn’t without its many fans; in fact, the majority of those that went to see the flick were impressed with what they saw. Part of that of course would be down to the inclusion of the original ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ theme song in the film, which comes in for just a few short seconds, but leaves a lasting impression. It wasn’t always going to be that way, however.
“Oh, the theme was a big debate,” explain Israelite and screenwriter John Gatkins on the film’s home video audio commentary. “Should we keep it, shouldn’t we keep it? But at the preview screenings, we watched it play, and it felt so good in the moment. And I like what [Gatkins] said – that it honors the show for 25 years in the moment that we’ve now culminated in them morphing. So they morph, and it’s not about culminating these 2 hours, but it’s about culminating these 24 years and paying respect to all that.”
Elizabeth Banks starred as the villainous Rita Repulsa
The inclusion of the theme song is certainly something that helped ground the movie, which distanced itself from the original property in a number of different ways. It was great for longterm fans to be allowed this little piece of nostalgia in the film; it wasn’t big enough to bog down everything Israelite wanted to do with the flick, but showed that he and the movie were thankful for the Rangers’ roots.
Now, talk will turn to whether or not this version of ‘Power Rangers’ will be returning for a sequel. Doing extremely well with action figure sales, it could be the toys that secure another chapter for this new series. If it does return, we should expect the inclusion of the Green Ranger; a character teased in the post-credits scene of the film.
Hopefully, the studios involved see some promise in continuing the series, as we can’t wait to see what those with sequel ideas have up their sleeves.
More: Naomi Scott Reflects On Training “Crash Course” For ‘Power Rangers’
‘Power Rangers’ hits DVD and Blu-ray on July 31, 2017.
