filmfan1991 Growing up in the 90s, I like others on this site used to watch Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on TV. When the movie came out in theaters, I never saw it until it came out on VHS. When I did watch the movie I thought it was one of the coolest things I ever saw and I watched it many times whenever I got the chance. How could any kid in the 90s not like this movie? It had great production values, great action (at least to my seven year old eyes), and a fun villain to boot in the form of Ivan Ooze. Looking back now the movie isn't as good as it was when I was a kid but it still has it's charms.MMPR: The Movie takes place some time after what I would assume to be season two of the TV series since it was released during that time period. After the rangers have participate in a charity event involving skydiving, Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa release a morphological being named Ivan Ooze whereupon he wreaks havoc upon the Rangers and Angel Grove.What can I say? The movie is still fun enough but it feels more like an extended episode of the show rather than an actual film. What does make this work somewhat for regular audiences only scarcely familiar with the show, is that it takes place outside the continuity of the show which is both the film's strength and weakness. The higher production values are refreshing with better fight choreography and makeup effects but it makes the film feel like an alternate universe rather than being in continuity with the show. One big gripe I do have with the film and I know that I am not alone with this is that the CGI used in the film is really bad, especially during the Zord fight sequences. It looks like something out of a CGI cartoon made for TV in the 90s and it is very distracting when watching the film. And considering that this film was made four years after Terminator 2: Judgement Day, which had revolutionized CGI in blockbuster films is kind of disappointing. I personally think that they should have stuck with miniatures and models like the TV show did.Acting by the actors who play the Power Rangers is fine all across the board and the characters are likable enough like in the TV series. But the actor who steals the show and keeps this from being a terrible movie is Paul Freeman who plays as Ivan Ooze. The guy underneath all that makeup just lets loose and has fun with the role making him very entertaining and fun to watch. The plot itself is cheesy and not all that different from what's seen in the show, just with better production values. All in all, MMPR: The Movie is a fun, cheesy, extended episode that you can turn your brain off to when you don't have anything better to do. It does have it's flaws and it is not the type of movie that wins awards or wins the approval of critics. But for what its worth, its just a fun nostalgic movie that takes me back to a simpler time to when I was a kid and Power Rangers was in its prime.

MaximumMadness I was born in the late 80's and grew up a total 90's kid. There were three facts I knew to be certain... the kids who owned both a Sega Genesis and a Super Nintendo were gods amongst men, Ren & Stimpy were the highest achievement in comedy humanity has ever witnessed, and the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers were the world's greatest heroes. Seriously, I was obsessed. I had tapes upon tapes of recorded episodes, owned all the toys and merchandise my parents would allow me to get, went as the Green Ranger for two Halloweens in a row, had a holographic Red Ranger pocket-wallet... I was obsessed. So of course, the second a movie was announced, I was stoked beyond repair. Heck, I even talked my parents into ordering me the movie's making-of scrapbook from my elementary school's Scholastic Book-Club!In honor of Saban rebooting the franchise with the upcoming big- budget, big-screen 2017 film, I decided to nostalgically revisit the original 1995 movie that the series spawned after its first few years on-air. I haven't actually watched the film start-to-finish in darned-near close to twenty years. (I drifted from the series just a few years after the movie came out.) What would happen? Would I relive my childhood thrills? Would it be a nostalgic blast from the past? Or would it falter and fail to live up to those great memories of mine growing up? Would it just feel like a cynical cash-grab?Sadly, thought I know many a fan still enjoys the film, my feelings upon revisiting it do definitely fall back on the later feelings above. While it is a fairly competent aesthetic and tonal transition for the series from the small to the big-screen, the story presented feels wholly manufactured exclusively to bring in the big box-office and merchandising dollars without really pushing the series forward or even really making an effort to connect with it. (Heck, the movie isn't even feasibly canonical with the show given all the ret-cons and continuity errors!) And while it is far from a terrible film, this former Rangers fan feels sadly let-down looking back at a movie I once loved, now that I see it for what it is.The Power Rangers Rocky DeSantos, Adam Park, Billy Cranston, Aisha Campbell, Kimberly Hart, and Tommy Oliver are in for the fight of their lives when their foes Lord Zed and Rita Repulsa unearth and resurrect an ancient and vile villain known as Ivan Ooze (Paul Freeman)- a "morphological" being with a wide-range of powers. When Ooze destroys the command center and gravely injures the Rangers' leader Zordon, the super-powered teens will be forced to travel to a faraway alien planet in search for a "Great Power" to save their master and find the inner strength to defeat this new threat!To give the film the credit it deserves, there are some definite positives to be had. The actors portraying the Rangers all do about as well as they do on the small screen, and they're all pretty likable. Freeman makes for an entertainingly over-the-top villain with some great riffs and gags that I'm assuming were his additions. (A hilarious joke where he lists the things he missed out on before being brought back by Zed and Rita in particular is uproarious.) And the film does a nice job updating the Rangers for the big- screen. The then- cutting-edge CGI, brighter and more detailed costuming work and grander scope are definitely appreciated. This is the best the original Rangers ever looked, and everything feels a lot bigger and more bombastic thanks to the higher budget.Unfortunately, the rest of the film falls very flat in my opinion, and comes off as little more than a mindless cash-grab. The script by Arne Olsen and John Kamps hits every note that you'd expect a cynical kids movie to hit. From the addition of a never-before-seen child "sidekick" who needs to assist the Rangers by helping them save the day (a common trope in children's entertainment, and always an unwelcome addition), to adding in plenty of new villains and heroes and robots and costumes to drive up toy-sales, to constant eye-rolling banter and catch- phrases that stink of 40-something writers trying to emulate their teenaged children... it's all so lazy and trite. Direction courtesy Bryan Spicer is barely passable, with his structuring of scenes feeling overly suspect and standard. And the film can barely even try to hide the fact that it's an expensive, 90-minute commercial. Each and every scene shows off new products to buy, blasts new music for kids to beg their parents to buy them, shows us the shiny new versions of last years toys that parents must now re-buy... it's kinda shameful, to be blunt.I keep seeing a recurring theme in the positive reviews claiming that this is all fine because it's "just a kids movie"... no, sorry. We as adults need to demand more from the entertainment geared towards our children. It's completely not OK to just give them bad entertainment and justify it by saying it's "just a kids movie." There are plenty of good, high-quality kids films out there. Stop enabling what is nothing more than inherent laziness on the part of filmmakers trying to make a quick buck off of children.Look, I still love my memories of the Power Rangers. And I'll never regret my time spent with the franchise. Heck, I'm probably gonna see the new movie in theaters when it comes out. But we have to admit... it's not the perfect pop-culture relic that we pretend it to be, and some facets of the series- including this film- are little more than cheap merchandising tools.I give "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie" a sub-par 3 out of 10.

prestonwardcondra This movie is all over the place and while it's notches better than the Power Rangers Turbo movie, that isn't saying much.At times the movie is exhilarating and fun to watch. The opening skydiving sequence with all six of the Power Rangers was very well made.The antagonist of the film, Ivan Ooze was alright. Other times, I shake my head in disbelief in that that could of done so much more with the Power Rangers license and made it better.The part where the Rangers lost their powers and became ninjas I just wasn't too fond of.I don't even know. I just wished the Power Rangers fought more than just generic baddies and putties in the film. You think Tommy could of had an epic showdown with Rita Repulsa or something. Speaking of which, it's worth noting Tommy and Kim are basically the only two Power Rangers that get any sort of screen time. The other four Rangers are just kinda there.It's completely mindless fun to watch but at the same time, that's why this is just a mediocre film (at best) and that no one other than kids past the age of 10 will find something to enjoy here.

moviemattb You all know how much I love the show, but now here is what I thought of this movie. "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie" is very much non-canon to the show because of the suits, Zordon's look, Angel Grove being shot in Australia, etc. Heck, "Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie" is like the only one that is canon because it serves as a bridge between "Power Rangers Zeo" and "Power Rangers Turbo." Also, the production quality in both films are different. Lastly, there was an episode of "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" where the Power Rangers get new Zords and becoming Ninja Rangers, and the name of the episode was called "Ninja Quest" as it was a retelling on what the movie did. With that said, the premise of the movie is the Rangers are participating a Charity Drive for the Angel Grove Observatory as they receive a call from Zordon, and warns them that Earth is in danger and that Ivan Ooze is about to return after being buried in an egg chamber 6,000 years ago. Unfortunately, Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa had already freed him and commanded him to destroy Zordon. The Rangers arrive too late as Ooze leaves them to fight his Oozelings, and entering the Command Center by destroying it as well as Zordon with him being outside of his time warp. The Rangers began to loose their power as Zordon is about to die soon, and Alpha sends them to a planet where they can get new powers. Ooze turns against Rita and Zedd and takes charge over the situation of the Rangers as he plans to brainwash the parents of Angel Grove as they dig up his Ecto-Morphicons to destroy not only Angel Grove, but taking over Earth. So its up to the Rangers to get new powers to save not only Zordon, but to save Angel Grove and Earth. I do remember watching this movie growing up as a kid, when it was on an old VHS copy that it really had "Mighty Morphin" on it as on later DVDs took it out. I hope this gets a Blu-Ray release for better picture (no DNR) and sound as well as a great amount of special features. Also, put "Mighty Morphin" back in. If I did a documentary for this movie, I would go into much detail about how the behind the scenes went as well as the issues. If Shout Factory did this besides me doing it, then it is all in good hands. Anyway, I thought this was a fun movie to watch. I do appreciate that the filmmakers were trying to make a high quality version of the show from being cheap, but now it looks dated which I will get to that in a second. I thought the cast did alright with their acting abilities, which I know everyone wants to poke fun of their acting. I know I can find some bad acting, but mostly I rather find is some good acting. So all in all, they did what they had to do. Paul Freeman who you may know him as Belloq from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" plays Ivan Ooze in the movie, and I thought he was good in it for being both evil and over the top at the same time. The makeup of him looks really good as well as the suits that the Rangers wore in the movie. The story itself was told fine, and I can tell that tone of the movie is trying too hard to be a dark movie but I give them credit for trying. Hopefully, the reboot can do something better with that as well as making it fun. I also do like Graeme Revell's score for making it suspenseful and exciting. I do enjoy the updated version of the "Power Rangers" theme song with "Dreams" by Van Halen and other songs that I enjoy. Bryan Spicer did a fine job directing the movie, but nothing more I can say about. I will say that the action in the movie is really darn good. Any flaws? Yes. I thought the movie has some good practical effects, but the CGI effects are downright terrible; they were probably good at the time, but now they don't anymore. I also would have love to see the original Red, Black, and Yellow Rangers in the movie if they had stay on the show instead of being replace. Also, I don't mind the movie being shot in Australia but could they get at least get the vehicles from America instead of fooling us with some Australia cars as if the wheels are on the left but not the right. There are some other flaws that I can point out, but that is all I got say. Nevertheless, the movie is both good and bad at the same time because all it is that it just wants to be a fun movie, and it really did; its no masterpiece but its a good one. I give "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie" an 8 out of 10.