For an hour, I was a little boy again. Like many people in their thirties, my life used to revolve around Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. I watched every episode to the point of exhaustion. I had all the videogames and created my own stories using the many action figures of the colored heroes. So when the special Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always was announced, I felt like a kid in a candy store. Was the special everything I had hoped for?
In this review, I was forced to use somewhat different standards than usual. Normally, I of course hold things like the overall plot and acting performances in high regard. But this special was created for one reason only: nostalgia. And in that regard, the Power Rangers absolutely do not disappoint.
The special lasts just under 55 minutes. I can tell you: these were 55 minutes of the cheesiest TV I’ve ever seen. And I loved every minute of it.
After all, Power Rangers has always been cheesy. If Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always suddenly had a deep, well-acted plot with modern special effects, the nostalgia would have been hard to find. In fact, it would have diminished everything that fans were once so in love with. It must have been tempting to keep up with the times and make use of the large budgets available now. However, the makers have clearly remained true to the familiar recipe. And that is exactly what this special called for.
Goosebumps
I never expected to get goosebumps while watching a Power Rangers special, but it happened. Films like Titanic, Forrest Gump, and The Notebook failed to do so. But it was Power Rangers that made the hair on my body stand up. Within 2 minutes!
The special starts off with a bang. In the very first scene, we are immediately treated to a fight scene. Intergalactic witch Rita Repulsa (Barbara Goodson) is back, along with her putties, and they are facing off against Blue Ranger Billy (David Yost). The Power Rangers have faced larger numbers before, but without his teammates, Billy proves to be no match for the old enemy.
But then the other rangers come to his aid, and the magical moment arrives. The electric guitars kick in. The six rangers run towards the enemy. Cheesy as it should be; in slow-motion and with a huge explosion in the background. The retro logo that you could draw with your eyes closed appears at the top of the screen. The guitars swell as the Rangers deal with a large number of putties in acrobatic fashion. More slow-motion action. Exaggerated battle cries. Somersaults. Electricity. Sparks. Fire. Beautiful. The little kid in me raises his fists and screams with joy. We’re only two minutes in, and the special has already won me over.
A Tribute to Thuy Trang
However, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always doesn’t just focus on action. It also plays on emotions. In this same opening fight, yellow Ranger Trini sacrifices herself to save Billy from one of Rita’s deadly spells. The original actress who played the yellow Ranger, Thuy Trang, passed away in 2001. She died at the age of 27 as a result from a car accident. The special focuses on how her death affects the rest of the team. Footage of Thuy Trang is shown occasionally throughout the film. An old photo is shown, as well as original material from the old episodes with the actress.
Trini’s daughter, Minh (Charlie Kersh), plays an important role in this special. In an unfortunate moment she finds out that Rita Repulsa is responsible for her mother’s death. She blames Billy, while Zach takes guardianship over her. Minh wants to avenge her mother as the yellow Ranger, but Zach obviously doesn’t approve of this. All of this is quite a mature topic for a children’s show, although the makers obviously knew they would also attract a huge audience of thirty-somethings.
In addition to the major roles of the blue, black, and (future) yellow Rangers, there are of course also roles for the red and pink Rangers. The roles of Rocky and Kat are played competently but modestly by Steve Cardenas and Catherine Sutherland. It is clear that these two have been placed in the background. They don’t have much more to do than complete the color spectrum.
Personally, I found the (mostly) absence of the Green Ranger to be a huge loss. Tommy Oliver was by far the most popular ranger of the original series, despite being introduced only in episode 17. Unfortunately, actor Jason David Frank passed away in November of last year. The filming had already been completed by then, which may explain why this special focuses more on the Yellow Ranger’s story. While the Green Ranger may largely be missing from the special, he is still beautifully honored in the final minute.
Rita Repulsa Is as Repulsive as Ever
It’s not just the Rangers that evoke nostalgic feelings. On the opposite side, Rita Repulsa is just as repulsive as ever. She’s an annoying, ruthless bully who keeps throwing taunting comments at the Rangers. Her robotic appearance is quite a peculiar sight to see, but hey, this is Power Rangers, so I won’t dwell on it too much.
Rita Repulsa (who sounds a lot like Dragon Ball Z’s Frieza), is assisted by Snizzard and Minotaur. These two creatures also appeared in the original series but are probably less remembered. A fun fact is that Snizzard was voiced by Bryan Cranston, who played the lead role of Walter White in Breaking Bad.
Rita’s army of putties is still just as ugly as before. They make the same strange noises and move around in their gray spandex just as they did in the nineties. These creatures always served the purpose of providing a simple target for the Power Rangers to demonstrate their fighting skills, and that’s still the case here. It’s mainly the aforementioned trio that causes problems.
The episodes used to be structured like this: Rita sends in her putties. The Power Rangers defeat them, often without even morphing. Then a stronger opponent arrives, and they need their Power Ranger powers. It’s Morphin Time, and the Rangers level the playing field. Next, Rita Repulsa pulls out a kind of “boss” character, and the Power Rangers have to use their Megazord for a decisive battle.
The same structure is used here, which once again makes it feel like an extra-long, old-fashioned Power Rangers episode. Even the “It’s Morphin Time” footage looks just as cheap as it did before.
Conclusion
As an old fan, there isn’t much more I could have asked for from this special. The characters of the red and pink Rangers could have been further developed. I would have liked to see the green Ranger in a larger role. The highlight for me was reached after only two minutes and was not surpassed thereafter. I think this was due to the presence of the entire team in the intro, combined with the delightful theme song “Go, go Power Rangers.” Unfortunately, this tune only reappeared during the end credits.
But apart from that, this special does exactly what it set out to do. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always undoubtedly evokes warm, nostalgic feelings in every old fan. It covers almost everything that made it so loveable in the past. It honors old characters and actors while also opening the door for a new star. Young and old are catered to their wishes. There are few things capable of making me feel like a little boy again. Netflix has effortlessly achieved that, and that is a great achievement.
