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Clash of the Red Rangers: Review/criticism. SPOILER ALERT!!!
I'm sure that quite a few of us have seen the new Power Ranger Samurai Movie. But, I can't help but wonder some things about it. I figured that this would be a good place to discuss a few issues we all may have.
I guess I'll go first. While I can follow the plot like any basic episode of the series, the movie lacks what seemed to make the other movies have a bit of an edge. The conflict was so easily resolved that any attempt to throw in a twist or a challenge for the rangers was pretty underwhelming. Remember in the original Power Rangers: The Movie how Ivan Ooze trasnplanted himself into the Hornetron? It provided an actual sense of a twist to the megazord fight. Then of course, there is the fact that the rangers lost their power in that movie and had to travel accross the galaxy to get a new one, which provided challenge after challenge for them before they could even morph again! Whatever happened to that kind of uncertainty in the plot? I mean it's obvious they're going to win. But, isn't the use of a power symbol just a cop out for something that could have provided a more in depth plot? Season 1 had a scenario like this in On Fins and Needles. Rita cast a spell on Jason and Tommy to pit them against eachother. Ultimately, the two of them were able to overcome the spell on their own.
Other than the plot, the lack of appearance by Gold Ranger actor Steven Skylar, just kind of bugged me. It was almost as bad as having Jeffrey Parazzo play both Trent AND the voice of Tommy Oliver in the Second Dino Thunder/SPD crossover episode, Wormhole. Who are they trying to fool? At least whoever voiced Antonio in this movie got close. But I guess it is only fair to try and include him even though they completely left out the rest of the RPM team. Samurai Gold never even made an important point to be in the movie, so why include the ranger at all if the real actor is a no show?
Finally, there's the arsenal. The revealing of the Shark Zord, the Black Box, and Antonio's lantern made me just drop my jaw and wonder where in the world they came from. Apparently, the Black Box, which was supposed to be a "superweapon" against the nighlok, is now so unimportant to the show that the "big reveal" was in a casual usage when Jaden used it to go into super mode. Another example of a cop out would be the appearance of the Shark Zord. Apparently, Ji kept its disc locked away in case they were in a real bind. And, Scott just knew how to use it, even though Jaden decided to just then reveal it. Then, in the megazord fight, General Gut is able to knock the Battlewing megazord out of the sky and immbilize the beetle, swordfish, and tiger. Jaden then decides on a random whim to try and combine the megazord with the Shark Zord. At this point, you think the fight is going to get better. Apparently not. The Samurai Shark megazord makes quicker work of the bad guy then any combination to date. Possibly even faster than the reveal of the Octo Spear megazord in Room for One More. Could Ji have really kept this disc hidden away? What reason would he have for that? The megazord was having trouble long before this kind of thing happened, and NOW, it's revealed? Lastly, there is a minor appearance of Samurai Gold's lantern. While not as intrusive as the other reveals, this one should ring a bell to some of the Shinkenger fans out there. It's the lantern that becomes another mech. Just like with Ji's mysterious gift of the Shark Disc, the lantern seems to just casually appear without any real mention at all. Perhaps this may just be a sneak peek, but with Antonio being so close to the rangers, it probably would have been a better idea to have him reveal this little project BEFORE taking it into battle.
All in all, I can say that this wasn't the worst thing that could have happened. It combined good portions of story and action comparable to the Samurai episode, The Ultimate Duel. I also liked the classy way they played out how Scott could'nt morph. The last thing they needed was a bunh of stuff from Disney. So, the straight to TV movie did have its merits.
I'm sure there are a few things I forgot to mention, but those are the things I'll start with for now. I'll add more and respond to comments that can help us out with just a few of the things that we liked/got confused by in the episode.
I guess I'll go first. While I can follow the plot like any basic episode of the series, the movie lacks what seemed to make the other movies have a bit of an edge. The conflict was so easily resolved that any attempt to throw in a twist or a challenge for the rangers was pretty underwhelming. Remember in the original Power Rangers: The Movie how Ivan Ooze trasnplanted himself into the Hornetron? It provided an actual sense of a twist to the megazord fight. Then of course, there is the fact that the rangers lost their power in that movie and had to travel accross the galaxy to get a new one, which provided challenge after challenge for them before they could even morph again! Whatever happened to that kind of uncertainty in the plot? I mean it's obvious they're going to win. But, isn't the use of a power symbol just a cop out for something that could have provided a more in depth plot? Season 1 had a scenario like this in On Fins and Needles. Rita cast a spell on Jason and Tommy to pit them against eachother. Ultimately, the two of them were able to overcome the spell on their own.
Other than the plot, the lack of appearance by Gold Ranger actor Steven Skylar, just kind of bugged me. It was almost as bad as having Jeffrey Parazzo play both Trent AND the voice of Tommy Oliver in the Second Dino Thunder/SPD crossover episode, Wormhole. Who are they trying to fool? At least whoever voiced Antonio in this movie got close. But I guess it is only fair to try and include him even though they completely left out the rest of the RPM team. Samurai Gold never even made an important point to be in the movie, so why include the ranger at all if the real actor is a no show?
Finally, there's the arsenal. The revealing of the Shark Zord, the Black Box, and Antonio's lantern made me just drop my jaw and wonder where in the world they came from. Apparently, the Black Box, which was supposed to be a "superweapon" against the nighlok, is now so unimportant to the show that the "big reveal" was in a casual usage when Jaden used it to go into super mode. Another example of a cop out would be the appearance of the Shark Zord. Apparently, Ji kept its disc locked away in case they were in a real bind. And, Scott just knew how to use it, even though Jaden decided to just then reveal it. Then, in the megazord fight, General Gut is able to knock the Battlewing megazord out of the sky and immbilize the beetle, swordfish, and tiger. Jaden then decides on a random whim to try and combine the megazord with the Shark Zord. At this point, you think the fight is going to get better. Apparently not. The Samurai Shark megazord makes quicker work of the bad guy then any combination to date. Possibly even faster than the reveal of the Octo Spear megazord in Room for One More. Could Ji have really kept this disc hidden away? What reason would he have for that? The megazord was having trouble long before this kind of thing happened, and NOW, it's revealed? Lastly, there is a minor appearance of Samurai Gold's lantern. While not as intrusive as the other reveals, this one should ring a bell to some of the Shinkenger fans out there. It's the lantern that becomes another mech. Just like with Ji's mysterious gift of the Shark Disc, the lantern seems to just casually appear without any real mention at all. Perhaps this may just be a sneak peek, but with Antonio being so close to the rangers, it probably would have been a better idea to have him reveal this little project BEFORE taking it into battle.
All in all, I can say that this wasn't the worst thing that could have happened. It combined good portions of story and action comparable to the Samurai episode, The Ultimate Duel. I also liked the classy way they played out how Scott could'nt morph. The last thing they needed was a bunh of stuff from Disney. So, the straight to TV movie did have its merits.
I'm sure there are a few things I forgot to mention, but those are the things I'll start with for now. I'll add more and respond to comments that can help us out with just a few of the things that we liked/got confused by in the episode.
Comments
This episode is actually an episode from Season 2, but they aired it now. So now we have to wait for an episode where Antonio finishes the box and Jayden uses his Super Mode for the first time. I just think it's bad on Nick's part to air the episodes in this weird order.
Here’s my little fan girl moment. OMG!! MEMILY!! YAYYY!!. *cough* Ok, I’m better now.
I wish Jayden told Scott about the secret. I’m getting tired of it being dangled in our faces, and it not going anywhere. I loved how he delivered the line, “Sucked through a vortex” when Ji asked what was wrong. That short scene between Jayden and Scott back at the house, was really good and I think it was Alex’s best acting part since the show began. The race to the group of Nighlok was pretty awesome. I thought it was really funny, but it also took some time out of the episode as well.
Clash of the Red Rangers was a great name for this episode. Their constant bickering can easily get on your nerves, but suits the tone of this episode, and is a great side plot as well. I loved their duel against each other and thought it was handled well.
Anyone else think that Ji is the "Brown Ranger"?
Red pony? Oh god. Please tell me I’m not the only one that thought it was actually going to be a small horse. I wish we could see the other RPM rangers though. Loved Mike’s “Rage against the machine” line. The horse scene was really cool and it was great. I loved how they had their colored accents as well.
Overall, I felt like the movie was two separate episodes just stuck together. Two of the worst Samurai episodes stuck together. But, it did have good points here and there, and I did actually find myself laughing out loud as well. But, at the same time it felt like unused clips from other episodes all smushed together around the Japanese footage. I loved the ending with Mike though, it made me laugh. I had so much anticipation for it, and it just fell through at the end.
As a whole, I’d give this a 3/5. This team up wasn't bad. It was a little above average, but it wasn't bad.
Romance has been a common thing in the Rangers series for quite some time. And I'm glad it's not Kevin and Mia. I just wish that Najee De-Tiege would have taken a few more acting lessons before starting on this series. I can't think of anyone off the top of my head that I could compare him to, right now. But, I could be wrong. On the plus side, though, the sense of blank-slate-emotion does almost fit what the character is supposed to be. But, at the same time, you're not supposed to be able to tell that the person is acting. Which you can kind of tell, in this case.
I can tell that the secret is going to be a huge back-burner plot device. But I can also see why Jayden didn't tell Scott. There was not much trust there. Plus, it was after the hypno-bolt assault. The bickering was annoying. I will never argue against that. But the other direct conflicts between Scott and Jayden were pretty well done. Especially the combat scene. And yes, seeing Scott's actual face would have been nice, as well as the rest of the team. But, as I stated before, there would have been a few things from disney that would have made trouble for Saban.
Mike's humor has always been a good quality for the show, as he and Emily do seem to be the most human. I only exclude Mia because of her apparent lack of taste buds. Does she even eat her own food?
Ji's use of symbol power is actually understandable, even though he is not a ranger. In order to instruct on how the symbols work, it would only make sense for one to have some power over it, even if it's not as great as those used by the rangers.
And, the car. The only purpose it served was when Jayden and Scott were in the Motorcycle Chase scene. And even with that, they still could have easily left it out. But yes, Nightmere, I was expecting a small horse, too. At least that would have made a little more "Old-School" sense.
The big battle scene was great in the sense that we could feel the anticipation like we could at the end of Time Force. Most of us can remember when Alex stood alone against the huge army of cyclobots all by himself. But, as I stated in my opening comment, the reveal of the Shark Zord was really a cop out for the whole battle. There wasn't even time to show any real trouble with the rangers. Jayden just took the moogers out like Scott did with the grinders, earlier on.
One thing I actually did miss, though, was the inclusion of Bulk and Spike. I was not only a fan of the original rengers in the past, but Bulk and Skull still offered a great deal to the series as a whole. Seeing Spike come in as Skull's son was a nice way to intro duce him, as the character did inherit a LOT from his clumsy father. And he gets along with Bulk in that same fashion. I'm probably one of the few that actually missed the original comic relief that was Bulk and Skull, and I actually found myself quite satisfied with this incarnataion of it. Paul Schrier kept a lot of what made Bulk a lovable character. And, his taking Spike under his wing was a good way to keep that going. But, I digress. Their exclusion from the movie made it feel just a little empty for me.
One more thing that bugged me was the time in which this took place for RPM. Do we even know? Scott had never been able to pilot the Skyrev megazord on his own, during the series. And, after the series, the morphers had all been locked away, the air outside the dome had become safe to breathe, and the world had become a decent place to live in again. Plus, the statement that this was all in another dimension just seemed to make this part of the plot another cop-out. Where is the imagination that brought us so many other good crossover episodes?
If I had to give this one a score, I'd say a 2/5. The humor and action were alright. But, the exclusion of certain characters, for whatever reason, and weak plot really were not able to keep this movie as strong as some others. I could'nt help but to just feel disappointed and empty.
For that plot, I'm hoping that they have little hints in each episode and then show that and then go into it more in later episodes. Although Hector did state in an interview that Mike gives Emily a flower with the use of his symbol power, so I can't wait to see that part.
But, I do wish Bulk and Spike were in this. I was hoping this was one of the instances that Steven was talking about when he said that he spent more time with those two. It would've been awesome to see them in this episode. And yes, I do agree with you on Najee's acting and how happy you are that it isn't Kevin and Mia being paired up. Although, we don't know for sure whether they are or aren't going to be.
I'm glad to see another person that likes the return of Bulk. I miss Jason Narvy, but Felix Ryan coming in as the son of Skull actually brings forth a new way of interaction that still returns to a sense of what used to be. Not to mention the fact that it ADDS to the quality of the series. The only way to make that better would be a little more interaction between those two and the rangers. But, it would'nt be the same since they would just end up as crazy fanboys, before long. We all may remember Origins Part 2 when Bulk mentioned he was "an expert in the field of samurai-ology". His swordplay and garage show that well enough. lol
'I still don't trust him... I dont like the way he looks at you.'
'He's wearing a helmet, how could you tell?'
'Umm... A... I could just tell.'
LOL! In those Jemily's faces! Sorry 'bout that! But I am a teenage girl so... You'll have to forgive me. I loved the ending as well when he jumps in the air with happieness! And I LOVED Alex Heartman aka Jayden. He is SO hot! Anywho many things in this movie were just trown out there in the open without a second thought, but overall I was MEGA PLEASED with the movie! 5/5 is my rate!
Also it's disappointing that Steve wasn't actually there but considering what we got, I don't think it would have been that ground breaking anyway.
Also I'm not entirely sure but I do believe that was Eka himself doing the voice of Scott aka Ranger Red.
Based on what I've heard, he wouldn't be allowed to work on a non-union production like Samurai is because of his contract with Terra Nova since Fox has a strict rule about their actors working on non-union shows.
The actor credited for the Ranger Red voice is a name that is completely different but that doesn't mean it's not Eka since union actors will typically be credited under "fake names" on non-union shows in order to avoid SAG's wrath.