If you're of a certain age, say, mid-30s to early 40s, then you were probably a big fan of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
And, like some kind of time travel plot ripped right out of both of these franchises, we now have a brand new TMNT movie coming out this summer called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and a brand new Power Rangers movie in the Netflix special, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always.
But, while we still have to wait a while for TMNT, Once & Always is out right now on Netflix, and I have some thoughts about it.
Oh, and some pretty heavy spoilers up ahead. You've been warned.
Whoa, This Special Is Not For Little Kids
While, yes, the rating for Once & Always is TV-Y7, and yes, characters die in G-Rated Disney films all the time, I'd still say that this new Power Rangers movie isn't for kids, or at least, not in the way that the old series was.
Now, I never really checked out much of the later Power Rangers series like S.P.D, or Dino Fury, but whenever I'd walk into the room and see my son watching one of the newer shows, they all seemed to be even MORE geared toward children than even my own beloved series.
Not so with this new special, though, as Power Rangers actually die in this one. Not only that, but Rita Repulsa actually says, "I'm going to kill you," and actually DOES kill Trini. Now, Trini's actress, Thuy Trang, tragically died all the way back in 2001, but this special found a way to pay tribute to her character all these years later.
In fact, another reason why I might say that this special isn't specifically for children, is because it's for us, the older heads. You know how the 2017 Power Rangers movie (which was actually pretty good) tried to modernize the brand for a new generation? Well, it only partially succeeded, as even though it was kind of cheesy, it wasn't SUPER cheesy, and Power Rangers, at least the Mighty Morphin ones that I grew up with, was always SUPER CHEESY.
And, so is Once & Always. But, unlike the 2017 movie which had fresh, young faces, this movie mostly features Power Rangers with wrinkles! So, no, this isn't catering to a new generation. This is catering to us, the old generation. And, I wouldn't have it any other way.
I Really Miss Jason David Frank
Not too long ago, I wrote a tribute to the Green/White Power Ranger, Jason David Frank, and how we were all going to miss him. While we as fans have had a number of years to mourn the loss of Thuy Trang, we’re still coming to grips with the loss of Frank. And, because he’s not in Once & Always, it kind of feels like putting salt on a fresh wound.
Tommy Oliver (Frank) was ALWAYS popping up in Power Rangers events. Whereas we usually wouldn't see any of the original cast in newer specials, I'd sometimes walk into my living room, and find my son watching one of those newer shows, and Tommy would just be there, aiding one Power Ranger team or another.
Thankfully, we still have one final Jason David Frank movie to look forward to, but his absence, more than any of the other Power Rangers, was the one that was the most depressing when watching this Netflix special.
That Said, I'm Really Happy That The Black And Blue Rangers Are The Stars Of This Adventure
Even though Frank was deeply missed, I must say, if there were going to be any other two Rangers that I wanted to see lead the pack, it was the Black and Blue Rangers, played by Walter Emanuel Jones, and David Yost, respectively.
Before Tommy arrived on the scene to at first wreak havoc, only to eventually become an ally, my favorite Power Ranger was definitely Zack (Jones). As a Black person, I always saw myself underneath that Black Ranger suit, and I always thought it would be cool if Zack was the leader rather than Tommy, since Zack was always more of a cool side character. But, in Once & Always, he's one of the leads.
And then there's Billy (Yost), who I always thought was the weakest link of the original team. I really love how he's been elevated to a lead in this movie, though, as his arc here acts as a sort of redemption story.
So, while we do get Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always cast, like Rocky (Steve Cardenas), and Katherine (Catherine Sutherland), since other later Rangers like Kimberly (Amy Jo Johnson) and Jason (Austin St. John) don't make appearances, at least we got two other great original Power Rangers taking the lead.
Rita Repulsa Has Never Been Scarier
As mentioned earlier, Rita Repulsa, who was the first major antagonist of the OG Power Rangers, actually KILLS TRINI, which is really disturbing to say the very least. But, what may be even more disturbing is that she now has a wicked robot face, with eerie glowing eyes, which compliments her screechy voice, which is again reprised by Barbara Goodson.
The scariest thing about her, though, is the fact that this version of Rita seems to gleefully enjoy killing. Whereas the old Rita was always rather silly in nature, hitting her minions over the head with her giant wand-thingy, this Rita means business, and almost seems like a Joker-type character, in that she is genuinely having fun tormenting the Power Rangers. My son might have nightmares if I showed him this version of here. She’s certainly not the Rita that I grew up with, that’s for sure.
I Now Really Want An Updated Version Of VR Troopers On Netflix
Lastly, if this special has proven anything to me, it’s that nostalgia aimed squarely at adults hits me right in the happy center of my brain. So, when the Power Rangers raced toward adventure in Once & Always with explosions blowing up behind them, I immediately had a goofy smile on my face.
It also got me thinking about how much I’d really love to see my other favorite tokusatsu show, VR Troopers, get its own special. Like, what’s going on with Brad, Kaitlin, J.B., and their talking dog, Jeb? (Whose real name was actually Zeb. Don’t ask me why.) Is Grimlord still a threat?
Oh, and that got me thinking about some of my OTHER favorite copycat shows of that era, like Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad, Big Bad Beetleborgs, and Masked Rider (which I know wasn’t a copycat, as it was originally Kamen Rider Black RX, but I’m talking about American television).
I know that NONE of those series has the kind of draw that Power Rangers does, but if Ultraman can get a Netflix series, then I don’t see why I can’t get an hour long special of VR Troopers. Especially since they’re getting rid of the Netflix DVD plan, which I’m still not happy about. So, they better have something worth watching on their streaming service now that I won’t be able to get my DVDs in the near future. Why not VR Troopers?
But, those are just some of my thoughts about Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always. For more news on all things Power Rangers, make sure to swing by here often.
