If you've been paying attention to the world of TV and film, you'll notice a major trend: nostalgia is ruling the day. The past few years have been full of reboots and sequels for classic properties, and perhaps none is as unexpected as the upcoming Power Rangers movie. After all, who would have thought that a campy and poorly dubbed 90's children's show would be adapted for the big screen, and featuring all star cast members like Elizabeth Banks and Bryan Cranston? Images and footage from Power Rangers have been slowly released over the past few months, and now we've finally gotten our first look at Zordon's little sidekick Alpha 5. Be warned: this isn't the Alpha from your childhood.
Super weird, right? Let's talk through this robotic character before I scream "Aye Yai Yai Yai".
This image, which comes to us from IGN's Twitter, makes it clear that there's almost nothing human about the new Alpha. While the original was little more than an actor in a robot costume, the new one bears little resemblance to humans- except for perhaps its arms and legs. Instead, Alpha looks like a pint sized robot that will presumably act much less ridiculous than the Alpha from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
Then again, Alpha 5 is being voiced by Saturday Night Live actor Bill Hader, so there must be some comedy associated with the robot. While Hader is a generally hilarious comedian, he's also been doing a fair amount of voice acting in the recent past. He's had roles in Finding Dory, The Angry Birds Movie, and Inside Out. Additionally, he recently helped voice another sci-fi robot- Star Wars: The Force Awakens' BB-8. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Hader is going to utter Alpha's signature catchphrase of panic.
As a reminder of Alpha 5's original look, check out the image below.
As one can easily see, the new Alpha 5 has quite the different look. Sure, he's still got the weird saucer head and is red in color, but there are plenty of creative liberties being taken for Alpha's appearance. Perhaps the most shocking was the robot's little tummy. While the rest of the robot is decidedly frail and thin looking, he has an unexplained stomach protrusion that really catches the eye. Perhaps this is just another way to ensure that Alpha looks decidedly alien, as does the Power Rangers' new suits and Zords.
With the new Alpha, Rita, and the Rangers all revealed, the missing piece is Bryan Cranston's Zordon. News that the Breaking Bad actor would be playing the floating head brought a ton of respectability to Power Rangers, and fans are eager to see how the movie's overall design will affect Zordon's adaptation. And with the pace Power Rangers is currently releasing stills, we may not have to wait long.
Power Rangers will fly into theaters March 24, 2017.
