In just a few more days, Lionsgate and Saban will bring their updated take on Power Rangers to the big screen. It's been two decades since a Power Rangers film has been in theaters, so the movie will not only serve as a test of whether the franchise can survive outside of TV, but whether it can act as a new tentpole for the two companies. As such, the marketing has been pouring out over the past few weeks in order to get audiences familiar with the new approach to the universe.
We're now in the stage where clips from the film are coming out, giving fans a chance to see what the new movie will be like. Thanks to these early looks at the film, we've seen the Black Ranger take his Zord for a ride, and got our best look yet at the fully-formed Megazord. Meanwhile, Bryan Cranston and Elizabeth Banks recently took the spotlight in a pair of clips highlighting their characters Zordon and Rita Repulsa. Overall, the more alien approach to the film and practical designs of the Zords look to set the movie apart from its peers and predecessors.
In the latest promotional move for the film, Cranston appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert to talk about the movie. Rather than take the usual approach, Cranston decided to use the moment to come out dressed in a full Red Ranger Halloween costume. Not only did it serve as a great gag, but showed the actor is having fun with the role. While many know him for his serious turn on Breaking Bad, Cranston has a much longer history of doing comedies and lighter fare. While being interviewed, he shared the previous clip of him meeting the Rangers, before he and Colbert discussed his past connection to the franchise. As is well-known by now, Cranston once played the voice of a number of villains during the first season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. For those who haven't seen those episodes in awhile, Colbert had a clip ready of Cranston as the snake-themed villain Snizzard.
The other fun thing about the costume is that it plays into a previous fan theory that Zordon in the new movie will be the original Red Ranger from thousands of years ago. While this could merely be a coincidence, we'd like to think it's a subtle nod to the updated lore. Power Rangers has been making all sorts of news lately for the ways it's modernizing the canon.
In the past few days we've learned that the Yellow Ranger will be questioning her sexuality and the Blue Ranger will be on the autism spectrum. Thanks to these efforts, Power Rangers is making history in the superhero genre when it comes to representing two highly marginlized groups of people. In doing so, they're providing thousands of young kids with their very own role models in a medium that often overlooks them.
Sadly, all of the marketing and positive press hasn't translated to stellar reviews. While the movie is hardly being panned, opinions are mixed at this point. Still, it's likely fans will be much more interested in the film than critics, and it's sure to make a sizable amount at the box office. If that's the case, we'll undoubtedly be seeing a sequel. We already know the post-credits scene sets up the future of the franchise, so hopefully we'll learn in the next few weeks whether or not Power Rangers will get a follow-up film.
Source: Late Show with Stephen Colbert