Written by John Gatins, Saban’s Power Rangers is already making waves following its debut earlier this week, matching Kong: Skull Island with its Thursday opening and looking set to rake in more than $40 million across the weekend. Bringing a whole new cast into the world of the Rangers, the movie reboot is aiming to have appeal beyond even the built-in fan base for the long-running franchise (which turns twenty-four this year).
Dean Israelite is the director behind the reboot, tasked with making five new faces some of the biggest superheroes on the planet, in addition to giving them a sense of purpose and making them relatable characters for those watching. It’s a tough challenge when expectations are so high, but one that the director took seriously.
Those who have seen Power Rangers will have noticed that the film takes quite some time for its five teen protagonists to suit up in their Rangers suits, and now Israelite has offered an explanation for why that is. Speaking to CinemaBlend, he explained:
“There’s always a kind of balance, especially in a movie like this where, you know, we kind of had to tell five origin stories in one movie and it was a challenge. It was something that we felt was important because it was an opportunity to tell stories of teenagers that hopefully kind of reflects 2017. We wanted teenagers to be able to see themselves in the movie and we thought that was kind of important, and also it’s like we live in a world with so many flying capes and whatever that I think, for my tastes, I wanted the personal stories to invest us before it became really about heroic maneuvers, but yeah it was a challenge.”
With the introduction of five new faces to fans both old and new of the Rangers, it’s important that all bases are covered when it comes to representation. Thankfully in this modern day and age, audiences can now enjoy their first LGBT+ community member Ranger, as well as watch scenes involving a Blue Ranger who is on the autism spectrum. The various Ranger teams over the year have always been diverse in terms of race, but the Power Rangers reboot's team is perhaps the most inclusive team yet.
The big screen Power Rangers team may soon reflect an even wider array of teen experiences, seeing as Red Ranger actor Dacre Montgomery and the rest of the film's main cast are pushing for a female Green Ranger to join them in all (or, rather, any) sequels in the future. We could be just a few steps into our journey of a fully revamped Rangers team, in other words.
NEXT: Power Rangers Lore & Zeo Crystals Explained
Source: CinemaBlend