Power Rangers

I’ll give 2017’s “Power Rangers” this much: it soars through the air triumphantly compared to the abysmal “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie” from 1995. That’s not saying a whole lot, but it’s something!

When misfit teenagers Jason (Dacre Montgomery), Kimberly (Naomi Scott), Billy (RJ Cyler), Trini (Becky G) and Zack (Ludi Lin) discover strange, glowing coins, they unearth their destinies. Trained by Zordon (voiced by Bryan Cranston), they are to become the Power Rangers, Earth’s only defense against the wicked Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks)

Watch Elizabeth Banks in this film and you can see what it could’ve been."Power Rangers" is aware that we’ve seen tons of superhero and giant robot on the big screen since the Power Rangers became a worldwide phenomenon, but hasn't put this knowledge to good use. What this should’ve been is campy and over-the-top. Instead, it’s a mix of silly and gritty that doesn’t work. Even the die-hard fans of the show know that the mastodon and the saber-toothed tiger Zords (the Power Rangers’ immense mechanical animal vehicles) didn't fit among the dinosaurs. Instead of poking fun at this fact, most of the Zords have been transformed into amorphous CGI creations. Many of the CGI elements in this film are problematic in fact. They don't look unconvincing, but the designs are all wrong. If you spotted Rita’s golden monster, Goldar, in the trailer and thought maybe that was its first form, that it would look better on-screen, you’re wrong. It still looks like a cross between Parallax from “Green Lantern” and one of the Hawkmen from “Flash Gordon”. If you thought “Transformers: Age of Extinction” cheated when its robots shifted from one mode into another, you haven’t seen anything yet.

I will applaud the combat sequences, in which the Rangers do all kinds of combo moves to take down their opponents, and that the characters are fairly well developed (impressive considering how many balls director Dean Israelite had to juggle) At least you can tell the heroes apart. “Power Rangers” also takes the opportunity to bring some modern sensibilities to the story by having an LGBT and an autistic Ranger. I just wish the writing was better.

If you’re a die-hard Power Rangers fan, they are plenty of references and nods for you to be found throughout. There’s a mid-credit sequence that’ll blow your mind. I still doubt you’ll be able to look past the picture’s flaws. Like the Rangers' costumes, which used to be simple spandex and are now overcomplicated computer creations, this film tries too hard to be serious and epic. Wasn’t one of Rita’s minions a giant pig head with a helmet, and another a chicken armed with hedge clippers? “Power Rangers” is not a catastrophe. That still doesn’t make it good enough to recommend. (Theatrical version on the big screen, March 29, 2017)