Before I start writing down this review I have to be honest from the currently fifteen series of this Franchise I have watched from start to finish the seven of them and if you include the original second season eight, so I have some knowledge for the source material. Any way this flick is one of the most famous and praised fan-films of all time and having watch it for a third time I can't disagree.For starters this is made by Adi Shankar, the dude that made fan-films a respectable type of entertainment and I definitely can see why for the film rocks. In this flick we see a darker re-imaging of the original team of the Power Rangers in which the team no all grown up the war has ended and every member has taken his or her separate way in the dystonia setting of the film.The actors do a fantastic job bring this iconic characters to life and as for the action scenes are expertly directed with stunts that many feature film would be shamed of and many bloody deaths.The one quote that summaries the whole enterprise is for James Van Der Beek, who portraits Rocky, "When two empires declare war neither side is innocent". Wow I never though that in product with Power Rangers in its title would have such as statement!If you are a fan of the series then go watch it and let's hope that the feature film ,which will come out in 2017 be as entertain as this one, though if it is less gory maybe deeded.
... View MoreNow growing up like many kids of the 90s I was addicted to the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Never in my wildest dreams would Image that we would see ourselves getting a more mature more graphic and shocking take of Power Rangers. Be Warned: This is not Power Rangers for kids. It features Adult Language, Adult Content, Drugs, Blood and Gore it just a very violence take of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.The plot centers around Kimberly/Pink (Katee Sackhoff) who is being questioned by Rocky (James Van Der Beek) who turned traitor and join the Machine Empire. He questions her for the whereabouts of Tommy (Russ Bain).As the plot goes on it is reveal on what becomes of each Power Ranger and let me tell you it is shocking and appalling to learn. I know it's a fan film but it will leave you speechless. To be fair the effects in this film are impressive for a fan film. Goes to show that independent films can hold their own in the visual department so it feels like watching a true video game master. That's impressive.Katee and James performances are pretty good they brought some credit to the film. Plus the plot twist will make you go I can't believe that happened. Just be warn this is not a film for Children it is very dark. It is just what the adult fans were looking for. I give Power/Rangers an 7 out of 10
... View MoreYeah, I grew up watching the Power Rangers franchise and I enjoyed it, for the record my favorites are "Power Rangers in Space, "Time Force", and "Lost Galaxy". I personally never expecting anything like this to come or ever happen at all, but I'm glad someone finally had the guts to do it. Fan films are usually hit or miss with me but I'm proud to say this film is a hit.I love the fact that it has this dark gritty vibe to it, it's like if someone decided to do a revival of the franchise and go this mature route. The film in a way is sort of a superhero mystery story almost like Alen Moore's "Watchman", just like in that graphic novel/movie we realize something has happened and we're just trying to put all the pieces together figuring out why.The cinematography and effects are great, I really liked seeing some of that footage at the beginning as we see rough footage that keeps coming off and on a few of the Rangers are shooting guns at something, further note their firing bullets not lasers. And were just struggling to see what the hell their shooting at, sort of like in the film "Aliens" with the space marines and their point of view cameras recordings. We then see briefly a Zord and some monster their fighting and just seeing both those things move and fight was awesome.There are some great if short action sequences that I felt were well choreographed. From a battle with Zack/Black Rainger whom we see has became sort of Billy Blanks like celeb. Liked seeing the morph effect which I thought was beautifully done. But the battle was really cool we even got to see some blood effects and kills which is surreal. It's true the Rangers have killed but they were mainly monsters, aliens, robots, and mutants here these are human beings and we're seeing the violence go up the notch of an R rated film.And I really liked the one on one between both Tommy and Rocky which is awesome and also surreal since both use to be red rangers so you can say a fan's prayer has been answered if you ever wanted to see different versions of the red ranger go one on one.Really liked the characterization and acting, their all playing it serious and straight. Russ Bain is solid as Tommy, I really liked seeing a really dark gritty version of Tommy whom has now became a shell of a man. But the two that stand out the most are seeing James Van Der Beek as Rocky and Katee Sackhoff as Kimberly/Pink Rainger. It's interesting seeing the more adult versions of these two characters, from Rocky unfortunately selling out which I never thought would happen I personally like the character despite not a favorite, but the way it was handled in the film it felt plausible, let alone I like the concept of a Rainger turning traitor which hasn't really been done before in the franchise.Kimberly here we see her not as her cheerful energetic self but more mature and tough as she is constantly determined to find a way out of her predicament and make the machine empire pay. I really liked the back and forth dialog between both characters which is great, I really liked that Rocky actually has a point or two in his dislike for the former organization he worked for, that they were all kids that we're pulled into the job without a choice of saying yes or no. When you think about it, it's true, in a way it's sort of a statement about most of those super team stories where most heroes/superheroes are just in not by choice or even the choice to quit if they want to.After this film, I'd love to see a sequel or see a dark take on some of the other Power Rainger series and characters, like the three series I just mentioned, it could be on one or even all somehow mixed as one movie. Or better yet, for the upcoming silver screen Power Raingers film, take the direction of this short and go with it. Just some thought.Overall, if your a long time fan of the franchise like I am and you remember the old series then I recommend watching. Thought if your a recent fan, I would recommend seeing the old Power Raingers series before seeing this short. This short shows that the Power Rangers still have the power.Rating: 4 stars
... View MoreThis fan film from Jospeh Kahn and Adi Shankar is a dark and gritty retelling on the Power Rangers story. It's like a cross between Watchmen and Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, with the frame of the story is an interrogation between Rocky DeSantos (James Van Der Beek) and Kimberly Hart - the pink ranger (Katee Sackhoff), this sets up for several bloody action scenes that are tightly shot and well choreographed, explaining the demise of the other rangers after their team disbanded when the finished fighting aliens as teenagers (so it's a sort of sequel to the TV show, but much more serious)The movie has a nice pace to it and probably one of the best fan movie's I've seen. This is probably because the makers are from Hollywood themselves and know the material well enough to change it without tarnishing the original while still making a well crafted movie. It's been making rounds on the internet, scoring over 15 million hits on YouTube and beating a take down suit from the original creators. "Power/Rangers" is a success and if fans had their way, I'm sure they'd approve of a feature film to be based on this take on the Power Rangers story.
... View More