My Thoughts On The Power Rangers 2017 Movie (WARNING – SPOILERS)

Well, I WAS going to do a vlog about the movie. Unfortunately, there are new tenants upstairs from where I live with little kids who like to run around a lot, so I opted to write about it instead. lol So, here they are, my written thoughts on the new Power Rangers movie, having just gotten home from seeing it with N. Harmonik.

Okay, I know that we live in the age where saying this sounds like an insult, but I thought the movie was GOOD. It’s not great, but it’s good and it’s fun to sit back and enjoy. And, believe it or not, THAT’S OKAY. I’m sick of people who take someone saying that something is good but not great as an insult. But yes, this movie is good. The best way to describe it is being dumb yet fun and ultimately harmless. And I will admit to being worried about it, particularly after finding out that Billy would be autistic and Trini would be gay. Why would that bother me? Because, if you’ll lean in real close so I can share a little secret with you: I’M ON BOTH THOSE SPECTRUMS…I know, I just revealed the best kept secret in the flipping world. I’ll give you all a moment to recover mentally. lol But anyway, my point is, with how very Bay-esque this movie was coming off in the trailers, I was worried the decision to make them autistic and LGBTQ would be simply to play up the stereotypes of both and have those BE their character traits. Thankfully, though, I think we may have dodged the bullet on that one. In fact, if I may be so bold, the reason I think this movie is actually better than both the Transformers and TMNT movies going on right now has a lot to do with the characters and our ability to actually LIKE them. And, that being the case, let’s go over each one, shall we?

The first thing you gotta know about the characters is that, while they’re people we can relate to and get on board with, they’re also very much delinquents. Jason, for example, finds himself in trouble after a prank gone wrong, to the point where he’s under house arrest. However, he’s still a good person, as shown when he stands up to a bully to protect Billy. He’s also the one who decides to go with being a Power Ranger first, much like his TV counterpart. I should also note that he’s not a martial artist, but rather a football player. In fact, none of the team go in being at all experienced in martial arts, and have to be trained by Alpha 5 (who is thankfully more adept than the TV version, or that would’ve ended horribly). However, he nonetheless comes off as the physically strongest (even after they get their powers) and seems to take on a leadership role rather easily. I did love how he at one point says they should stop pretending to be superheroes and then IMMEDIATELY goes into a superhero team leader speech. 😛

Zack is…the crazy one. No, seriously, that’s pretty much his character. He’s the more reckless of the team, opting to try and pilot his Zord before being able to morph, is all too willing to try and test the limits of his enhanced strength and leaping ability, and even gets into a fight with Jason at one point. However, he’s also the one to come up with the idea of sharing secrets around a fire as a means to help them get closer. And it turns out he might have a reason for his recklessness: His mother is dying, and he doesn’t know what to do with himself and his life when she goes. But, by the end, he finds he does have something more to live for: His friends. He also feels a connection to Trini, doing all he can to keep her with the group and helping her open up about herself. I’m not sure if that’s because he’s crushing on her hard or what, but the point stands that he gets her to be herself with the team.

Billy was honestly the one I was most concerned about since pretty much the first trailer. Of everyone presented, you could instantly tell through him that these were NOT going to be the same characters as we’ve known since 1993. And yes, that’s absolutely true, these are NOT your 90s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. However, here’s the thing you need to remember: That doesn’t automatically make these characters BAD. In fact, if I can be thoroughly honest, these characters are 100x more developed and interesting than the originals were in the beginning. They developed into much more well-rounded characters over time, but in the beginning? Not so much. And no, Billy’s character is not that he’s autistic. It’s a part of who he is, but it’s not his character, and as someone with Asperger’s Syndrome and having worked with people all up and down the autism spectrum, I was not offended at all by his character. Right from the beginning, he’s the one who values his new friendships the most, and because of that, he’s the first one to morph, albeit briefly. He also has a MAJOR moment late in the movie that…well, let’s just say I did NOT see it coming, but I honestly thought worked perfectly. Also, if you’re wondering, he’s in detention for blowing up his lunch box. Seriously. XD

Ahh, Trini, my first love. Which is why learning she’s LGBTQ in this movie is hilarious to me personally. lol And, much like Billy, her being gay is not her character. And while I was worried they might’ve only done that just so that they could have Rita go succubus mode on her, really, there’s only one line in particular that seems to have that kind of subtext to it. No, if I had to sum up her character, it’s best displayed in her sarcasm and her difficulty gelling into a group. In fact, her more sarcastic nature could even be seen as a defense mechanism/smokescreen. She quite literally has to be forcibly pulled into the group. But, once there, she realizes she likes being part of a group of friends that care for her and will watch her back, and is able to open up to them about her issues at home with her family who just want her to be “normal”. Granted, I still can’t say that I care for this character the same way I did Trini, but that’s my natural bias, and I did not have any kind of issues with this version. That said, what IS her last name now, since it’s obviously not Kwan? o.O

Kimberly is a bit of an odd nut to crack at first, but then the reveal is made why she is the way she is: She once leaked a photo of a friend of hers with some guy to her boyfriend. Looking on her actions in hindsight, it’s easy to see that she’s carrying the guilt of what she did the entire time, and when she considers that it may be her keeping this to herself that’s keeping them from morphing, she tells Jason, who tells her to carry that with her, and to be the person she wants to be. And yeah, they hint several times at the two having feelings for each other, though the kiss from the trailer has been removed. And all the better, I say. If they DO decide that’s the direction they wanna go as opposed to her with Tommy, better to have it develop slowly over a gradual amount of time.

Beyond the team, there are several other things that got revised for this movie. For example, Zordon is now the original Red Ranger, and rather than being trapped in a time-warp that he speaks through via a tube, he’s actually dead and had his consciousness transferred into his ship (the movie’s version of the Command Center) and speaks through a wall that reforms itself to be shaped like his head. Rita Repulsa is likewise the original Green Ranger, but betrayed and killed the team. And, if I can be honest…I really love that change. Honestly, it just fits, and even could’ve worked in the original version of the story without changing much. Hell, I don’t even think it was ever revealed exactly how she got her hands on the Green Power Coin originally in the show. Zordon being the Red Ranger is admittedly a little trickier to work in, but it could be done.

Now, about the Zords… … …Eh. Look, they aren’t bad designs, especially in their separated forms. Really, the only thing that bugs me is the multiple legs on the Mastodon Zord to make it “more alien”. Otherwise, they’re fine, and I actually appreciate the Pterodactyl Zord being the most useful of the group since…well, this is kind of a no-brainer, but because it can freaking fly. But then they combine, and…look, I get what they were going for, and it works for the most part, but it just does not hold a candle to the original design. And admittedly, that could totally be a me issue. What’s funny is, it was actually when I noticed something familiar about the Zords’ individual designs that something hit me about this movie. Specifically, I started to realize that there was one other PR story that this seemed to resemble a fair bit more than MMPR…

Think about it: The teens aren’t friends in the beginning and instead meet by chance that leads them to becoming Rangers after freeing the source of their powers from stone. Their mentor is a former Ranger. They actually have a tie to the time of the dinosaurs beyond the Zords simply being modeled after them, which, as I noted, actually look less like the original Dino Zords and more like the ones from Dino Thunder. Hell, even certain characteristics of the team can be seen as similar to the Dino Thunder team, like Jason being a sports jock. And I’m not even saying any of this as a negative thing. Honestly, if you’re going to use any season as a model of how to update the teenagers with attitude gimmick, Dino Thunder is the one to go with.

As for stuff I didn’t like…well, for starters, I was not a fan of some of the moments that seemed to be trying too hard to appeal to a more adult fanbase. For example, I did NOT need the thing with the cow’s penis, and frankly, I found that joke to be done better in City Slickers 2. I also did NOT need to hear Billy have to stop himself from saying motherfucker. That was going a bit too far with the gag of him having to stop himself and others from swearing. And while I agree that it’s probably for the best that Bulk and Skull are not in this movie, as they wouldn’t have fit the tone, the new bully is just the stereotypical bland bully that only exists to have his comeuppance and doesn’t really have a character. And then there’s Alpha, and while I appreciate him being more active and understand the reason for the new voice, the voice seems like a very random choice, and he doesn’t have much of a character at all, though putting developing that on the back burner for the first movie is understandable. Plus, while I understand where they were going with the new design…the eyes are weird. I’m sorry. lol

Now, all of that said, I have to be blunt about something: If you’re coming to this movie expecting to see a perfect adaptation of the original MMPR to the big screen, you will not get what you want. I’m sorry, but that’s just how it is. This is not the 90s MMPR. However, that does not make this a bad movie, and while there are things about it that are inferior to the original, there are also things about it that are better. Will it be beloved to me in the same way that the original was? Of course not. But it’s something that I enjoyed watching, and wouldn’t mind seeing a sequel to, especially since it’s been all but written in the sky that the next movie will be Green With Evil. And speaking of, I am totally in favour of the idea of making Tommy a girl, just so long as she remains the badass martial artist. That part of Tommy has to remain the same, no matter what else they change about him/her/it/they/whatever. Also, I would just like to point out that Jason David Frank and Amy Jo Johnson are in this movie… … …That is all. XD

Anyway, I think that best describes my own personal thoughts on the movie. So, if anyone else was on the fence about seeing it, I hope I’ve helped you come to your own conclusions. Ja né, and may the power protect you always!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…Oh, and lastly, N. Harmonik and I marked out like mad when Go Go Power Rangers played. XD

Ideas For A Future Power Rangers Fic (Please Give Feedback)

So yeah, even though Guardians of Gaia isn’t finished yet, and is actually on another hiatus, I’ve already been compiling a list of ideas for a future PR fic, assuming I ever do one. And, as always, I’m eager to get input from my friends and fans, as well as general fans of Power Rangers. So, for now, here’s a list of ideas I’ve got, with the bold ones being must-haves.

• Layla as the mentor of the team: Basically, the idea goes that Layla, my Blue Ranger in GoG, would return as the mentor for the new team. She would supply the team with their tech, and impart her own experience as a Power Ranger to the next generation.
• A thick-bodied female Ranger: Okay, I know that Saban (and Disney, back when they owned and ran the show) may feel inclined to cast fit, skinny actresses as their Power Rangers as a means of having them be at least close to the build of their Sentai counterparts. And I’m not saying this as any kind of slight against any of the women who have been Power Rangers, either, as there’s not a single one of them I have any kind of real issue with. I’m just saying, it would be nice to have a thick girl as a Power Ranger someday, and if it’s never gonna happen for real, then I feel like I should at least do it for a fanfic.
• A male Pink Ranger: Alright, maybe this only really bothers me as a member of the LGBTQ community (yeah, what a shock, and I’ve been hiding it SO well over the years, lol), but really, why is this a thing? Why is a guy in pink still considered odd? Why is it that guys seemingly only know the names of different shades of colours when they have to insist something of theirs (usually their clothes) isn’t pink when it is? Seriously, there are plenty of guys, even 100% straight, white guys, who can pull off pink just fine. So why is it that, after four decades of Super Sentai, we still do not have a guy in pink? The closest we’ve come is the all Pink Ranger Gokai Change from one of the Gokaiger movies. And yeah, isn’t it odd that, in a series that ate through as much Sentai footage as it could, we never saw that in Power Rangers Super Megaforce? And yeah, I know, I had that team go Legendary Pink Ranger Mode in a fanfic, but I still kinda wanna do a full-time male Pink Ranger.
• A team of Rangers that represent different emotions: Think of it kind of like the different Lantern Corps, just not necessarily the same colours or emotions. I mean, we’ve had enemy factions in both PR and the Sentai (and in Kamen Rider, for that matter) who are sort of representatives of different emotions, but never a team of Rangers that does the same thing.
• A group of Zords based on animals we’ve never seen used before: Be honest, we all are always wanting to see this. If nothing else, the core set of Zords used by teams in the past have found themselves repeated over and over. In particular, tyrannosauruses, sharks, triceratops, lions, wolves, pterodactyls, elephants/mastodons, and tigers of all sorts have been used repeatedly over the years. We usually only see other, more outside-the-box animals and creatures used when the Rangers have massive fleets of Zords.
• Team-up with Guardians of Gaia: Really, I honestly can’t imagine doing a second PR fic and not having a team-up with these guys. And really, there’s no reason not to, either. It’s my team and my story, and there are plenty of ways to justify a crossover, especially if I went with the first idea on this list.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got so far. What would you like to see added to this list? Let me know in the comments below, and we’ll see what happens when GoG wraps up. Ja né!

What Do I Listen To While Writing Power Rangers Guardians of Gaia?

So, I’ve been writing my Power Rangers fanfic for a while now. Between the two ‘seasons’, the story is currently resting at 26 chapters long with 170,556 words. In other words, it’s the largest single project I’ve ever done, unless you count every article on my blog and add them all up together. However, one thing I’ve always liked to allude to is what I’m listening to while writing certain scenes. So, I’m here now to set the record straight as to exactly what I listen to as I write Power Rangers Guardians of Gaia.

http://bilico86.deviantart.com/art/Power-Rangers-Guardians-of-Gaia-logo-548959457

Now, obviously, while writing action scenes, I listen to a lot of Ron Wasserman. If you’re unfamiliar (which you shouldn’t be if you’re an old school PR fan, but it CAN happen), Wasserman did a LOT of the classic songs for Power Rangers, including the original Go Go Power Rangers, and came back to do the Power Rangers SPD theme and a demo for Power Rangers Mystic Force. He also did a number of remakes of his classic songs, which he released as Power Rangers Redux. Luckily, a lot of Wasserman tunes work perfectly for certain scenes of my fic. For example, in Chapter 9, ‘Knight of the Wind’ (which is also a song I listen to sometimes when I write Patrick in action, FYI), when Pat is making his big comeback against the monster, this is pretty much the intended tune to play along with the scene:

When the Wizard Ranger, who has plenty of gold on his suit and fights a lot like a combo of the Gold Zeo Ranger and the Solaris Knight, leaps in to help the team, a lot of times I listen to this:

And so on. However, on top of a lot of those themes, there’s also a mashup produced on YouTube of one of Wasserman’s songs that I’ve become rather taken with and listen to a lot…

Also, just the instrumental of Welcome To The Family on its own is a great song for writing PR action scenes to. Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up one of my favourite things to listen to while writing people kicking ass, and in particular during the opening to ‘Guardians of Gaia, Awaken! Part 2’: The soundtrack to Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, specifically…

Or hey, remember the two part finale to Season 1, ‘Into Darkness’, when they charged the Blots on horseback?

I also sometimes listen to music from Super Sentai. For example, in ‘Sisters’, there’s a moment where Layla and Madilyn team up to fight a monster, and for whatever reason, this was what was playing in my head as I was writing and I HAD to put it on:

Then there’s that scene in ‘Always A Ranger Part 3’ where…well, I don’t wanna ruin it too much for anyone who hasn’t read it, but let’s just say that the Gaia Rangers band together with some new allies to fight a horde of monsters led by Dradarius himself, and I HAD to use this song. And you’ll have to forgive the quality, since there was never an official release of this, though there IS a piano cover on YouTube…

And during the fight scene that followed THAT up, I listened to THIS awesome mashup:

But enough of the action scenes, let’s talk about some of the other moments in the fic. Now, this is a case where I wish there was a lot more of the background music for the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers available, but unfortunately, for whatever reason, many of those were never released to the public. So, a lot of times, I gotta go outside the box with other stuff. Now, obviously, for moments like Dradarius sitting on the Dark Throne in the Abyssial Fortress, there’s only one theme that could fit the scene perfectly, which thankfully IS available, and has actually been covered and remixed a few different times on YouTube:

However, for other moments of the villains plotting or being menacing, particularly Walker and Darkea, I find myself listening to this more often than not:

And that’s not the only scene I’ve used music from Kingdom Hearts for. For example, remember that heart-breaking scene from ‘Sisters’ that I thought people were gonna kill me for? Well, here’s what I was listening to during that sequence. By all means, re-read that scene with this playing in your headset:

I actually use that for a lot of sad scenes, especially those centered around Layla and Madilyn. And remember in ‘Indigo Nightmare’ where the team entered the Well of Regret? Well…

Anyway, that’s enough of Kingdom Hearts. For other emotional scenes (not necessarily sad), like Drayden and Nikki’s talk in ‘Crying Out For Mummy’, here’s a nice little tune I like to pop in and listen to:

And lastly, for relatively silly moments, like when Madilyn is being…well, Madilyn, here’s a pretty on-the-nose song that I turn on:

So yeah, that pretty much covers everything, other than a few random songs I listen to here and there. Lemme know what you think about this unofficial soundtrack for my fic, as well as if you ever do the same thing while writing or drawing or the like. Ja né!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…Oh, and last of all, for the Lightless showing up in the next chapter…well… … …:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Power Rangers instrumental theme songs (Unmastered) by Lemos Design

This was just too fucking awesome to not share. Enjoy! ^_^

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #0 Preview

Haven’t decided if I’m picking this up or not, but being a huge PR fanboy, I thought I’d go ahead and share the preview for BOOM! Studios’ Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #0.

• What’s to Love: The Power Rangers franchise is a true multi-generational, worldwide franchises. With its flashy costumes, mecha Zords, and-at its core-a story of superpowered teens who fight against evil alien forces, the Power Rangers are a pop-culture phenomenon that has continued to resonate with fans for over 20 years. As a new film gets ready for release in 2017, we, as huge Power Rangers fans ourselves, are excited to produce a modern Power Rangers comic featuring the characters of the original Mighty Morphin series.
• What It Is: It’s Morphin Time! The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers make their BOOM! Studios comic debut in this kick-off #0 issue that sets the stage for the rest of the series. After escaping Rita Repulsa’s mind control, Tommy Oliver, the Green Ranger, joins up with the rest of the Power Rangers to combat her never-ending evil plans. Any semblance of a normal life is gone for Tommy now, but with his newfound family there lies hope for a brighter path. Includes the short story from the San Diego Comic-Con exclusive Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comics!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/mighty-morphin-power-rangers-0-boom-studios-2016

What I Would’ve Done With Megaforce/Super Megaforce

So, a few days ago, I ranted a lot about everything that was wrong with Power Rangers Super Megaforce. However, while I did touch base briefly on various things I would’ve done with the season, as well as Megaforce in general, I thought I’d save the majority of it for its own article. Now, some of these might not add up with one another correctly. They aren’t necessarily supposed to, though. They’re just various ideas I’ve had about how the past two seasons could’ve been done differently. So, let’s start off with an idea I had about what they could’ve done with the Rangers before I learned their back-stories and such…

#1 – The Megaforce Rangers Come From Eltar

For those not in the know, in Tensou Sentai Goseiger, the season of Super Sentai adapted into Megaforce’s first season, the Rangers were actually angels. Well, kinda angels, anyway. They’re called Gosei Angels, come from a place called Gosei World, and blend in with humanity to generally guide and protect them. And given Jonathan Tzachor’s love of directly translating the Sentai, I thought that it would actually be an interesting twist on that (and would also fit with Super Megaforce, which was adapted from a season where the Rangers weren’t from Earth) if the Megaforce Rangers were actually from Eltar, having to blend in with humanity while defending them from Warstar forces, and meet up with Zordon’s apprentice, who grants them their Megaforce powers. Granted, you’d wanna make sure they didn’t go full-blown on reusing the stories from Goseiger, and do NOT show them with wings at any time. Also, doing this would make Troy’s Super Saiyan “I AM A MAN!” punch to Robo Knight make a lot more sense, since he could’ve been channeling power from Eltar, which we’ve established was enough to fuel the Turbo Zords and powers.

#2 – Bulk and Skull

One thing that has made me scratch my head a LOT is the presence of Bulk and Spike in Power Rangers Samurai. It just seems completely out of left field for Bulk to want to be a samurai, and you REALLY need to make some serious assumptions with the timeline of Power Rangers to figure out how Skull has a teenage son (and I swear, if I hear one more person suggest that Kimberly is Spike’s mother…). What would’ve been much better use of Bulk, and hopefully Skull, would be for them to run the hangout for the Megaforce team. Why? Well, because having them run a juice bar or the like would be a great way to follow up on their development as characters. Plus, imagine some of the stories that can be told if Bulk and Skull found out about Troy and the others being Power Rangers, and being able to relay stories of the Zordon Era Rangers to them. And as a personal plus to me? We wouldn’t have the most literal retread of Ernie’s possible, even having a whole new character who has the same name…which is HIGHLY UNCOMFORTABLE TO ME. Look, maybe it was meant as a tribute or homage to the character and the actor who played him, but it still comes off as uncomfortable to me that we now have a character who more or less replaces him, especially considering that the actor passed away several years ago! Admit it, if the Yellow Ranger was named Trini, people would be more than a little uncomfortable. And speaking of stuff that should’ve been held back for Megaforce…

#3 – The Opening Theme and Morphing Call

Look, I have no problems with them reusing Go Go Power Rangers for Megaforce (although I would’ve gotten Ron Wasserman to produce and sing the remix), nor do I have a problem with their morphing call being “Go Go Megaforce!”…Or rather, I WOULDN’T mind them doing those two things if it was JUST for Megaforce. However, these are both carry-overs from Samurai, which had no business using either of those things. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Samurai should’ve had its own unique theme with a Japanese tone to it, and the only reason it didn’t was so Saban could continue the theme of “Power Rangers is back!”. It would’ve been far more meaningful and make more sense if Go Go Power Rangers was saved for Megaforce. And if I may be allowed to go on a tangent (too late, lol), I know that there was originally going to be a different theme done for it, but this was vetoed by interference from Nick, and that the theme for Dino Charge is another remake of Go Go Power Rangers, all because Nickelodeon insists on using the old theme. Again, I don’t mind the song being used for Megaforce, since it’s the 20th Anniversary season. However, I DO mind it on the grounds for why it’s ACTUALLY being used. That said, at least Dino Charge is an ACTUAL remake, and very energetically…well, for a lack of a better term, CHARGED. And in terms of “It’s Morphin Time!” being used as a pre-morphing call order of sorts…Meh, I don’t really mind, honestly. As someone who’s used it myself in that same manner for my own Power Rangers story, I can tell you it works a hell of a lot better than the oftentimes used “READY?!”. I guess “Let’s Ranger Up!” is decent enough, but I just prefer “It’s Morphin Time!”. Just personal preference, really.

#4 – Don’t Use The Gokaiger Costumes

Now, I know a lot of people who love the Gokaiger suits and equipment are gonna hate this idea, and I’d be lying if I didn’t get why: They ARE really cool. However, here’s the reason why I wouldn’t use them: They kinda clash in more ways than one with the Megaforce Rangers. Why DOES Jake go from Black to Green? Now, the obvious explanation is because there was no Black Ranger in Gokaiger, but there were Red, Blue, Yellow, and Pink Rangers, so Jake was the odd one out. But beyond a production reason, another explanation is the fact that a lot of Ranger teams use similar colour-schemes, with several teams having a Black or Green Ranger, and few having both without one being the Sixth Ranger (notable exceptions including RPM, hence why Emma uses Dillon’s Ranger Key, to the point where now I’ve gotten way too used to seeing RPM Black’s costume have a skirt). But still, it’s odd to see a Super Mode change a Ranger’s colour, and the use of GokaiGreen footage is the reason why Jake had to be made a clumsy oaf, as to fit such footage. Instead, I would just have the Rangers go Legendary Ranger Mode using new Power Cards…which, honest to God, I thought they were gonna do at first, when the card game and Morpher sold in stores had cards for various Rangers both in and out of PR canon. Plus, I’m sorry, but it bugs the heck outta me that Super Mega Mode makes them look like pirates. Gokaiger makes the pirate motif work for them (especially since their enemies are a giant space fleet with a old-school navy feel to them, and pirates are the natural antagonists to naval fleets), but it doesn’t make any sense for these kids, especially since there’s no explanation for the motif, nor does anyone bring it up. And hell, why take focus off of the Goseiger suits? They work perfect for the 20th Anniversary. Seriously, look at the Megaforce Rangers and tell me they don’t heavily resemble the Mighty Morphin Rangers. And in terms of Orion, there WAS a Green Ranger costume made for Goseiger for a single scene. Really, the only thing I would do is add a golden shield to it, akin to Tommy’s shield when he was the Green Ranger. That said, there IS one other way they could use the Gokaiger suits…

#5 – Have The Gokaigers Used Initially As Villains

Basically, among the Armada would be a group of space pirates who got mind controlled into becoming evil Rangers and wind up stealing the Legendary Keys from the Command Center. The two teams get into a massive battle until a monster from the Armada takes the keys when it looks like the evil Rangers might lose. The pirates are freed from their mind control and team up with the Megaforce Rangers to take on clones of the Rangers created from the Legendary Ranger Keys, and reclaim said keys. The pirates would then either give their Legendary Morphers to the Megaforce Rangers, thus justifying them having pirate-themed weapons, equipment, and Zords, or become a secondary group to supplement the team, making use of their ability to morph into previous Rangers. Hell, if they went with the former, it would be a better way to give Orion his own Ranger Key and Morpher: The pirates made them and gave them to him to go assist the Megaforce team. And yeah, in case you’re wondering, this WOULD make use of footage from the Gokaiger/Goseiger team-up movie, though with some additionally filmed footage…which brings me to my next point.

#6 – Proper Use Of Stock Footage

I’m sorry, but one the bigger issues with Super Megaforce is the overuse of Gokaiger footage. Now, in some cases, it’s perfectly fine to use the Gokaiger footage, since it’s plenty action-packed with badass action scenes. However, some of these scenes definitely needed to be left out or edited better than they were. Specifically, stuff like Jake and Orion’s mannerisms not matching the footage used for them (and Noah to a lesser extent), and certain Legendary Ranger Modes that really shouldn’t have been included (seriously, that battle with Levira should’ve had them use different Legendary Rangers, though at least they had Troy go MMPR Red). Now, on the flip side, there’s some moments in Gokaiger that weren’t used in Super Megaforce that I wish they HAD used. Time Force and Lightspeed Rescue were barely used at all in Super Megaforce, with I think only Jen and Chad’s keys being used to go Legendary Mode, and Quantum Ranger’s key used to summon the Q-Rex (which I assume is either a brand new version of the Q-Rex built by Time Force, or an upgrade of the original. Personally, I hope it’s the former, since otherwise, it means Eric doesn’t have a Zord anymore). Plus, I would’ve loved to see certain Legendary Ranger Modes used, like Yellow Ranger Mode, Silver Ranger Mode, Sixth Ranger Mode, and so on. So, I suppose it’s really about having a better balance of old and new footage.

#7 – Megaforce and Samurai Team-Up

What I thought would’ve been a lot better than what we got for the Samurai homage episode would be a made-for-TV movie set in Megaforce, where Vrak takes control of the remaining Nylok forces for his own purposes. And yeah, I know that the last made-for-TV PR movie didn’t work out so well, but considering how they got most of the Samurai cast to make cameos in Super Megaforce, I’m sure they could get the whole cast back for this, and if it was more or less an adaptation of Goseiger vs Shinkenger, trust me, the story would’ve been a lot better than Clash of the Red Rangers. It’d have awesome stuff like…well…Well, just look!

Hell, they coulda then made use of the episode of Gokaiger where they go back in time to the final battle of that movie (hence the Gokaiger debut being in that movie, which was set before the Great Legend War, when the Ranger Keys were created), where the Super Megaforce team has to do the same. Woulda been kickass.

#8 – Legendary Rangers Minisodes

This is basically the best way I could think of to excuse the use of the Legendary Rangers who were Sentai teams that weren’t used for Power Rangers. In a nutshell, they would be short 5-15 minute episodes telling about the Rangers’ stories, their battles, who they were, and who some of their enemies were. They coulda been exclusives shown on Netflix, or the show’s website. Granted, this is supplemental material to explain something in the main series, which can be considered a failure in storytelling, but at least we’d have SOMETHING. They’d also be super-easy to make, too. And hey, after you’re done explaining the various Ranger teams used for Legendary Mode, they could then tell some more of the back-story for Megaforce, where the keys come from, and what the Legendary Rangers are doing in the middle of the battle with the Armada.

So yeah, other than stuff I’ve already discussed (Jake’s stalker nature, the need for stuff to be properly explained, additional cameos) and little details that they got wrong about previous seasons (the island of the Wild Zords is called the Animarium, while the kingdom it once belonged to is called Animaria, and it wasn’t pronounced like you had people do in Super Megaforce), that’s all I got for now. Lemme know in the comments section below if there are any you’d add. Next time I talk PR, I think I’d like to discuss the future, which is honestly looking a bit brighter than the past four years have. So, feel free to check back in then, as we unleash the power of Power Rangers Dino Charge. Ja né!

Power Rangers Megaforce Official Teaser! It’s Evaluating Time!

Well, the first official teaser for Power Rangers Megaforce is out, and that means…

It’s Evaluating Time!!!

So first off, here’s the teaser for anybody who hasn’t seen it yet.

Okay, so obvious stuff out of the way first. This has a very prominent sort of ‘everything old is new again’ type of feel. I already knew ahead of time that the plot would be very similar to Mighty Morphin, what with five teenagers being selected by a giant head and his robot buddy to fight off alien invaders. You can make your own call as to whether or not this is a good idea or not, but considering the timing of this season’s airing and the Sentai footage being used, I don’t really blame them for going this route.

I also kinda figured they’d use Go Go Power Rangers again as the theme, though sadly still no Ron Wasserman. My only problem with reusing the theme here is that they’re reusing it after Samurai did, and…Well, how do I be fair about this? Samurai really should’ve had its own unique theme, one with a Japanese feel to it. There really was no reason for Samurai to use Go Go Power Rangers, other than it being the return of the series after Disney had cancelled it, and I don’t think that was a good enough reason to do it.

One thing I wasn’t really expecting was the old morph call of “It’s Morphin Time!” to return. Oh, I suspected at times, considered it a neat idea…and yet, I also find myself feeling a bit mixed by its presence here. Bare in mind, every season since Zeo has had its own morphing call, uniquely tailored to each one, some of my favourites being “Shift Into Turbo!”, “Wild Access!”, “SPD Emergency!”, and “RPM Get In Gear!”. Still, I can get behind the nostalgic feel to it, and since we already know that in the second half of Megaforce they’ll be calling on the powers of the veteran Rangers, I guess it kinda makes sense they’d use the original? Maybe?

The Megaforce Rangers: Gia, Noah, Troy, Jake, and Emma.

I suppose I should take a sec to talk about the suits. LOVE THEM. While I had mixed feelings toward Goseiger at best, I always loved how classic the suits looked. Oh, and for those who didn’t watch Goseiger, the season that Megaforce is being adapted from, and are among those who felt Samurai followed Shinkenger‘s plot too closely, you can relax here. Tensou Sentai Goseiger was about five angels separated from their world and forced to shack with some kid and his scientist father while protecting the Earth. I think we can safely guess that won’t be a factor here. lol

Speaking of suits, I notice that they’re using the Zord cockpits and footage from Goseiger instead of creating their own, and thankfully we (and the budget) are spared the pointless extra suits used only for when they’re in the Zords and for ONE fight scene in the last episode. Seriously, that always bugged the hell outta me. It just seems unnecessary and damaging to the budget to make the Mega Mode suits. Not only that, it always bugged me how DANGEROUSLY close they got to looking like the suits from the MMPR movie. -_-

Oh, and one last thing I should note, even though I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before: Power Rangers Megaforce is admittedly a stupid frigging name, but I just love how GLORIOUSLY 90’s it is. XD

Anyway, that’s all from me for now. Post your thoughts below, lemme know if you’re pumped for this season or not, and we’ll see how Megaforce does when it débuts next month. Ja né!