I would walk you through the intricacies of the movie's plot, but, suffice to say, it's not that important. In short, it starts with Rita Repulsa unleashing a new villain, Ivan Ooze. Ivan Ooze tries to kill Zordon, the Rangers lose their powers, the Rangers go to some planet to get their powers back, they succeed, then they kill Ivan Ooze. The end. In between plot points, there's a handful of fight scenes and horrendously terrible attempts at comic relief.
So, with nostalgia in my heart, I'm going to try my best to set my adult brain aside and look back on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie 20 years later to figure out what holds up, what's weird in hindsight, and what parts are absolutely atrocious to the modern eye?
I think closeted 8-year-old me might have had more than a few secret feelings about Tommy that I wasn't totally aware of at the time. In fact, rewatching the film made me realize that Tommy might have had a lot to do with my early sexual development on a subconscious level. But hey, can you blame me? Look at the guy!
Bulk and Skull were the high school bullies who regularly made life difficult for the Rangers. As a child, I may have found their incompetent antics amusing; as an adult, I can't get past what a bad ripoff they are of Laverne & Shirley's Lenny and Squiggy.
I totally forgot that the "space wizard" who mentors the Rangers, Zordon, is just a giant pale head projected on a weird looking tube. How did that not terrify me as a child? Likewise, why are these teenagers so immediately trusting of him?!
Do you remember the last time you tried watch George Lucas' remastered versions of the original Star Wars movies, and you were like, "Oh man, this CGI is lame. Why did they ever do this to Star Wars?" Well, this movie was made with CGI that predates the remastered Star Wars... and boy, is it terrible.
Power Rangers Samurai is the eighteenth season of the children's television series Power Rangers, which is based on the Japanese Super Sentai Series.[1] The season was the first to be produced by SCG Power Rangers, after Saban Brands (replacing BVS Entertainment as the main producer) acquired the franchise. The season marks the franchise's debut on Nickelodeon, premiering on the main network and Nicktoons on February 7, 2011.[2]
Samurai uses props, footage and characteristics from Samurai Sentai Shinkenger and, according to press material, had a "brighter tone and an infusion of fun and comedy that wasn't present in seasons 16 and 17."[3] Samurai is also the first season to be shot and broadcast in 16:9 widescreen and in HD. Though 2006's Boukenger (which was adapted into Operation Overdrive) was the first Super Sentai series to be shot in widescreen, preceding Power Rangers seasons were not. However, Shinkenger was also the first Sentai series to be filmed with an HD camera at 720p resolution. Samurai also returns the series to a multi-seasonal format; the second season, titled Power Rangers Super Samurai, began on February 18, 2012 and is officially considered the nineteenth season overall.[4][5][6]
Saban announced they would be enacting an "aggressive" multimedia focus, with planned apps, games, streaming content, and social media content in addition to live shows and a feature film.[3][7] The run-up to the new series was promoted by 145 Days of Power Rangers, a daily airing of every Mighty Morphin episode in order. An official Power Rangers Facebook page was also created.[8]
Paul Schrier has a recurring role in the season, reprising his role as Bulk originating from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.[10] Jason Narvy subsequently reprised his role as Skull in the final episode.
For the second batch of episodes airing in 2012, Saban began promoting the season with the title of "Super Samurai" to reflect the upgrades to the Rangers powers (glimpsed already in "Clash of the Red Rangers The Movie"). Actor Hector David, Jr., released an official teaser poster for "Super Samurai" on his Facebook profile.
When the Nighloks are revived and begin to attack the mortal realm, Jayden of the Shiba Clan takes arms to fight them as the Red Ranger. After defeating the company of Moogers, Jayden is informed by his mentor, Ji, that he must assemble his team of Samurai Rangers instead of fighting on his own. Meanwhile, on the Sanzu River, the incredibly powerful Master Xandred finally awakens. Upon learning that the Samurai Rangers still exist, he becomes enraged and sends the Nighlok Tooya to attack the humans with an army of Moogers. Ji summons four other warriors: Olympic swimmer Kevin, kindergarten teacher Mia, carefree gamer Mike, and pure-hearted country-girl Emily. Upon meeting the four, Jayden gives each one a chance to back out of his crusade, and when all four decline, he gives each one a Samuraizer phone. Jayden, Emily, Kevin, Mia, and Mike then take on Tooya and his numerous Moogers. Red Ranger defeats Tooya, but despite that, he tells his teammates to remain on their guard. Sure enough, the Nighlok is reborn as his secondary form, a titanic mega-monster, so the Samurai Rangers enlarge their Foldingzords to confront and destroy him. After the battle, Ji welcomes Emily, Kevin, Mia, and Mike into the Shiba House. All five warriors become full-fledged Power Rangers.
After joining Jayden as his teammates, Emily, Kevin, Mia, and Mike begin their transition into Samurai Rangers. However, while Mike spars with Kevin, Emily disappears. Kevin, Mia, and Mike discover her practicing at a nearby park, revealing her reasons for becoming a Samurai Ranger. Meanwhile, Bulk is reunited with Spike, the son of his best friend Skull, and he becomes committed to training his nephew into becoming a samurai. When the Nighlok Scorpionic appears, four of the Samurai Rangers deal with the Moogers while Red Ranger fights the new Nighlok. During the battle, Red Ranger keeps a young girl out of harm's way before the Rangers defeat Scorpionic with their combined Spin Sword attacks. But when Scorpionic revives into a Mega Monster, the Rangers combine their Foldingzords to form the Samurai Megazord to destroy him and his giant Mooger army. After the battle, Ji congratulates the Rangers while Mike uses his symbol ability to create confetti before dancing all over the house.
During battle training, Emily accidentally injures Mike in the arm, with Emily's attempts to care for his arm making a mess of everything. The Nighlok Negatron appears and subjects his victims to insults that hurt their feelings so deeply that the verbal abuse becomes a physical assault. Confronting him, all the Rangers are struck down by Negatron's attacks save for Emily, who is unaffected as the Nighlok is forced to retreat. When her teammates wonder about her immunity to Negatron's attacks, Emily tells them how her sister Serena taught her to ignore insults and how you need to keep thinking that the person never even said it. When Negatron resumes his attack, Emily weakens him with Mike's help as Jayden destroys him with the five-disc Beetle Cannon. Negatron revives as a Mega Monster, and the Rangers destroy him with the Beetle Blaster Megazord. Later, the Rangers are then seen walking along the sidewalk while Mike carries Emily, who loses consciousness at the end of the fight. Mia hears an ice cream truck and Emily, who has been faking unconsciousness for a few minutes, pretends to wake up so they can all get ice cream.
As Antonio heads to the Shiba House, the others listen to Jayden and Ji talk of young Antonio. Jayden gave him the Octozord and threatened to quit his training if Ji tried to take back the Octozord. Antonio makes an entrance, all fancy, but when his fish hook rips his pants, he feels embarrassed. Antonio explains that after moving away when he was a kid, he trained himself to be a samurai and built his Samurai-Morpher from a trashed cellphone to communicate with Octozord through text Zords understand the Rangers. They were born into the Samurai heritage. Ji, feeling that Antonio lacks discipline and true samurai training, confiscates Antonio's morpher, which he later doesn't react too well. Jayden agrees with Mentor, although Antonio begs Jayden with memories of childhood friendship. As the Rangers fight the Nighlok Steeleto (who vows to avenge his best friend Vulpes), they're powerless to destroy him. Steeleto retreats when he starts to dry up, and the team starts to consider bringing Antonio along. Antonio, down at the fishing pier, angrily talks with Octozord about regretting meeting the Rangers. Emily and Mike go to ask him to join and go to the mansion. There, Jayden is convinced to give Antonio back his morpher just in time for the next attack by Steeleto. When the Rangers arrive, Antonio struggling to get into a heroic position, they begin fighting, and Steeleto is overpowered when Jayden and Antonio tag-team it. Once Steeleto mega-sizes, Antonio combines the Octozord with the Samurai Megazord and defeats Steeleto. To celebrate, Antonio cooks fish barbecue, and everyone appreciates Antonio's membership.
Ji and Antonio announce that Antonio is fixing the Claw Zord damaged in battle long ago, and Ji hid it. Kevin doesn't fully accept Antonio as a "true Samurai" and thinks he's just goofing around. The monster of the day steals kids' toys to create sorrow with Octoroo, trying to find another way to open the Sanzu River through a well. Bulk and Spike are sleeping, and their toy panda is stolen, and all that is left is slime. Dayu visits Deker outside the Sanzu River, but around it, he's still injured. Dayu wonders if Deker does remember anything from his past. Antonio follows Kevin's morning routine to learn what makes him a true samurai. The boys end up in the forest finding Octoroo, but their morpher signals are blocked. Kevin and Antonio eventually overcome their differences and fight together to defeat the Nighloks.
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