Jason (Dacre Montgomery) is the football star who fell from grace, wrecking several automobiles in the process. He has eyes for comely rebel Kimberly (Naomi Scott), recently cast out of her popular clique at school. Resident nerd Billy (RJ Cyler) is brilliant but often bullied. Zack (Ludi Lin) is a cool dude cast from the James Dean mold. And Trini is a moody loner who throws a mean left hook.
The quintet meets outside class by chance at an abandoned gold mine. There they discover five shiny coins, each a different color. This is no spare change, as the trinkets emit otherworldly powers which begin to transform our teens, a la "Spider-Man," into superheroes.
Digging deeper into the mine, they discover an alien spacecraft -- and with it, their destiny. The disembodied deity Zordon (voice of Bryan Cranston) and his robot sidekick, Alpha 5 (voice of Bill Hader), have been waiting eons for our teens to take up the mantle of defenders of good over evil, in other words, become the Power Rangers.
And so, our ragtag bunch undergoes extensive Ninja-like training to learn how to "morph" into their armor-clad alter egos, each a distinctive color: red (Jason), pink (Kimberly), blue (Billy), yellow (Trini) and black (Zack).
Their reinvention comes not a moment too soon. Zordon's ancient nemesis, Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks), has been revived and is hell-bent on world domination. She has a particular penchant for gold, rampaging countless mall jewelry stores to build a colossal monster that will locate the all-powerful "zeo-crystal."
If this sounds silly and mindless, it is, and had the film taken a different tack it would have been escapist fun for all ages.
In the end, not even the amusing gag of locating of the zeo-crystal beneath the local branch of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts -- also an extreme example of product placement -- can make up for the film's excess of bad taste.
The film contains much crude humor, rough language, sexual innuendo and references to homosexuality and masturbation. The Catholic News Service classification is L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
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McAleer is a guest reviewer for Catholic News Service.
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CAPSULE REVIEW
"Saban's Power Rangers" (Lionsgate)
A popular Saturday morning children's show of the 1990s makes its third appearance on the big screen. But this latest adaptation, by director Dean Israelite and no fewer than five screenwriters, replaces a relatively benign concept with an ill-mannered teen drama, replete with vulgarity and inappropriate sexual talk. Five ordinary high school students (Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Ludi Lin, Becky G) discover ancient artifacts that bestow extraordinary powers, transforming them into the eponymous superheroes. They are trained by an ancient deity (voice of Bryan Cranston) to lead the fight of good over evil, and vanquish a resurrected queen (Elizabeth Banks) hell-bent on world domination. Had the film taken a more wholesome tack it would have been mindless, escapist fun for all ages. Instead, an excess of bad taste prevails. Much crude humor, rough language, sexual innuendo, references to homosexuality and masturbation. The Catholic News Service classification is L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
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CLASSIFICATION
"Saban's Power Rangers" (Lionsgate) -- Catholic News Service classification, L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. Motion Picture Association of America rating, PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
