Power Rangers was a huge and impactful part of many young children’s lives in the '90s, and it had a lasting presence in pop culture for years afterward. The Power Rangers were bona fide superheroes, as well as teenagers dealing with classic high school drama. They were brave, strong, and understood the important of working together, and they taught many kids the importance of fighting for something you care about.
The new 2017 blockbuster film based on the original series seems to be taking the superhero aspects quite seriously, but also seems to have the banter, relationships, and dedication to action. The entire world is anticipating this new film, and hopefully it can deliver on all of the elements that made the show so special. The Power Rangers movie could take the franchise's popularity to a new generation and a new level, or it could leave the series in obscurity. Luckily for the team behind the film, there are many great aspects of the show that they’re bringing over, and many that are changing for the better.
Here are 15 Differences Between The Movie And TV Show.
15. Zordon
Zordon is the mentor of the young rangers in both the television series and the new film, but there do seem to be a few key differences in the characters appearances. Zordon in the television program is portrayed as a floating head in a glass jar.
In the film, however, it appears that the filmmaking team behind might be taking influence from visionary director Zack Snyder. Zordon’s new appearance is very reminiscent of the Kryptonian technology that Jor-El uses to teach Kal of his alien heritage in Man of Steel. It’s also eerily similar to the classic pin art games.
With Bryan Cranston’s comments on his faith in the script and tone of the new Power Rangers film, there can be no doubt that his involvement will be able to elevate the movie. It’s also interesting that in the trailer the rangers happen to stumble upon Zordon, when in the show, he seeks them out and teleports them to him.
14. Alpha 5
Alpha 5 looks vastly different than he did in the original series. The creative team behind the new film seem to be going for more of an alien/organic look for him, when the show introduced us to a more robotic design. Alpha 5 was always the squirrelly and high-strung partner to Zordon, and he has been a fan favorite for years.
Though some seem to be less than impressed with the new design, it’s hard to argue with the casting of SNL alum Bill Hader. Hopefully Hader will bring some much-needed humor to the serious-looking film.
The movie is clearly going for more of a sci-fi story than the adventure story of the original program, and the new Alpha 5 seems to be directly in line with that decision. Hopefully the new movie will be reviewed favorably enough, and will make enough money to warrant more sequels down the road, if only to get more Bill Hader.
13. Putty Patrollers
The Putty Patrollers are the Power Rangers equivalent of the storm troopers from Star Wars. They are cannon fodder for the heroes, and a giant joke for the audience. The putty patrollers in the original show were really just men in spandex, who struck fear in absolutely no one.
The new Putty Patrollers, however, seem to be much more formidable and computer-generated than their ancestors. Hopefully these creatures won’t fall into the classic blockbuster trope of just being in the way, and being handily beaten to get to Rita.
If anything can be said for this new film, it’s that it is definitely going to be the most serious film adaptation of the classic multi-colored heroes ever created. The problem with making a serious film is that the creators behind the project have to be just as serious about making it great. Hopefully we can all fall back in love with the Power Rangers when the new film is finally released.
12. Power Coins
The power coins are what allow the rangers to “morph” into their powered selves. In the old show, the coins were just that: coins. They were multi-colored, and depicted each ranger's specific zord. In the new movie, the power coins seem to be closer in appearance to crystallized rocks. They are still color-specific to the ranger who uses them, but they don’t really line up completely with the classic coin design. However, they are shown briefly in action, and it seems like they are held the same way, and have the same exact effect as the original coins.
Once again, a key difference in the origin of these coins is that the rangers stumble upon them, instead of being given them by Zordon after their initial meeting. The original power coins also drew power from the ancient dinosaurs that were depicted on them, which means that the new coins might draw power from the actual users themselves-- perhaps explaining the superpowers that the rangers have outside of their suits.
11. Angel Grove
Angel Grove is the fictional town in which the rangers live, in both the show and the new film. Both adaptations also show the high school that all the rangers attend, Angel Grove High. It’s been speculated by Power Rangers fanatics that Angel Grove is located somewhere in California, and the new movie’s aesthetics seem very similar.
In the original series, the high school was very close to the command center where Zordon and Alpha 5 were stationed, but it’s unclear whether or not the film will follow this structure. Even after the Power Rangers saga left the original rangers and the town of Angel Grove behind, it was mentioned numerous times by the following series. Here’s hoping that we might just get a glimpse of Tommy somewhere in that high school (though it seems much more likely that we would be introduced to him in an end credits sequence).
10. Rita Repulsa
Rita Repulsa is Lord Zedd’s most trusted sorceress, and she is so inherently evil that she occasionally outshines Lord Zedd and his plans. Rita originally came to Earth to take it over for Lord Zedd, but she was stopped by Zordon and his rangers, and subsequently imprisoned. Rita spent 10,000 years floating through space and, when freed, used her magic and minions to exact her ultimate revenge.
The movie version of the character looks vastly different from the original series version, and their origin stories may not line up. All we know for sure about this new movie version is the line that she says in the trailer, “I’ve killed rangers before.” So whether or not Zordon was the one to imprison her in the new film’s timeline, it definitely seems as though Rita has been around for quite a while, and is out for blood once again.
Some fan theories have stated that the new look of her armor may indicate that she was once the green ranger who went rogue, which isn’t a ridiculous theory seeing as that was Tommy’s entire arc.
9. Rita’s Staff
Rita’s staff in the television series had a moon at the very end of it, which signified both her base of operations, stationed on the moon, and her 10,000 year journey that ended when she arced around the moon. In the show, her scepter channeled all of her evil magic and helped her to better conjure her minions and strike fear in the rangers.
In the new film, her staff appears to be used for similar purposes, but it doesn’t quite look exactly the same. It happens to house a green power coin at the very end of it. This could also explain the green armor that she has, which hopefully Tommy is just waiting to take it from her. It does look a lot creepier than the previous one, and it has bits of sharp metal protruding in all different directions. Maybe this was the same staff that she used to murder those previous rangers.
8. Command Center
The command center is the base of operations for all ranger work, and all of Zordon’s planning. In the original show, the command center seemed to be more of a government facility, which was tucked away inside a building that looked like an observatory. For some reason, no one ever came to the giant building seeking out what was inside, but for a show with giant monsters, it could easily get away with some knowledge jumps.
The new movie seems to be going in a much smarter and more interesting direction. The new command center seems to be a crashed alien ship tucked into an underwater cave. It’s good to see that the basics of the command center are still intact though, with Zordon and Alpha making it their home. It’ll be interesting to see if Zordon and Alpha are still able to do research within, because the base is clearly lacking the giant computer set up of the original show.
7. Goldar
Goldar was the strongest of all the warriors under the control of Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa. The only problem that Goldar usually runs into is overestimating his strength when combating the rangers and then, as always, he gets defeated. Goldar is (supposed to be) a giant humanoid ape, and he was portrayed as such in the original series.
In the movie Goldar is clearly gold, like his former self, but there don’t appear to be any ape-like features to his face at all. This seems to be a dire misstep for the franchise, because many fans have been complaining about this drastic change from the original.
Many of the changes the movie is making seem intended to create a different, more serious tone, but the new Goldar looks so ridiculous and his concept screams "thrown together at the last minute." Hopefully this new Goldar will be just as memorable as his previous incarnation, but it seems the filmmakers are off to a rough start.
6. Action
The action seems to be the most improved quality from TV to film. Thankfully, modern technology has advanced well beyond the need for men in rubber suits fighting other men in rubber suits. This new film may not capture the magic of the original-- it may not have the heart ingrained in all of the main characters like the past-- but at the very least, this new film is visually spectacular, and that includes the fight choreography.
The action in the original series has been an internet joke for years, and this is a much needed improvement. The rangers also seem much more capable than in previous incarnations, and the villains seem much more violent as well. The only problem that the new film might run into is its extreme use of CGI, but from what the trailers have shown so far, the film is looking spectacular in those aspects too.
5. Tone
The new tone of the film is steeped in seriousness, which is a complete and utter departure from the television series. The tone may not be as dark as the fan film that made the internet lose its collective minds last year, but it doesn’t have to be. This is a property about a group of teenagers who dress up in multi-colored armor and fight an ancient witch.
The movie seems to be taking the mythology serious, but keeping the humor and the camp of the original film. The fact that murder was actually brought up by the film’s villain speaks volumes to the departures the film is taking from the original program. The new minions look ferocious, Rita looks terrifying, and the rangers look genuinely scared for their lives at certain points in the trailer. Even the promotional material for the film shows off the darker tone that the 2017 blockbuster is taking.
4. Zords
The zords are unequivocally and undeniably one of the greatest parts of the original series (this is a fact, not based on opinion). The zords were based on a tyrannosaurus rex, a mastodon, a triceratops, a pterodactyl, and a saber-toothed tiger. The ancient power of the beasts were contained within the giant mechanical monsters, and the rangers were able to summon them to take on the monsters that were just too big for them to defeat.
The zords in the new film are actually pretty close to the ones in the original show, with the exception of them looking a lot more intense and formidable. The film is also keeping the best part of the series' use of the zords, which is combining them to create a giant fighting robot called a megazord (more on that later). They are also manned assault vehicles that, much like the Jaeger’s in Pacific Rim, require a human pilot to operate.
3. Superpowers
This is a giant diversion from the original series, as the new film is implementing true out-of-suit superpowers, which was never the case in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. In the trailers, the Rangers can be seen jumping over a canyon, climbing straight up a rock face, and beating a sink into submission. Perhaps the suits enable the rangers to have more control over their respective powers, but the fact that they are superhuman without the armor is a complete departure.
But much like the original series, it appears that the rangers only attain powers after their initial confrontation with Zordon. It also looks like there will be a Spider-Man-type montage of them working through the discovery of their powers. Hopefully the new film won’t spend all of its run time with the heroes training to defeat evil, only to become Power Rangers as we know them in the back quarter of the film, but will dedicate at least half of the time to them fighting at full strength.
2. Uniforms
The rangers' armor is easily one of the most recognizable aesthetic characteristics of the original series, and it seems the film is taking the same route. The new rangers' armor is definitely visually reminiscent of the original series’, but there also seems to be a few minor tweaks here and there.
The most prominent change has to be the Iron Man-like light emitting from the chest plates. Some of the merchandise that has come out for the film has shown a closer look at these light emitting plates, and they actually resemble a universe up close. Perhaps the same space power that both Zordon and Rita were able to call upon in the original series will be embedded inside of the rangers' suits in the new movie.
They also (although the internet tends to disagree with this fact) look much better and more intense than their previous incarnation. And even though the original uniforms had more unique features between them than the current film, the new uniforms definitely look more capable of taking on an evil army with.
1. Megazord
And now comes the greatest single aspect of the Power Rangers property; the much beloved Megazord. This is also a major point of contention for fans, because the new film seems to have completely messed up this single design choice. The new Megazord looks incredibly different, and the filmmaking team would have been a lot better off just sticking close to the original Megazord design. The best way to describe the greatness that was the original Megazord is that millions of kids ran out to pick up the toy version of the giant mechanical fighting robot, whereas we'd guess that this new Megazord would be stocked very healthily on toy store shelves everywhere.
The original Megazord also had the advantage of having very recognizable and easily identifiable monsters stationed all around it, where with the new Megazord, aside from the different colors, it is extremely difficult to tell where the different Dinozords fit in.
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Did we happen to leave off something you noticed from the trailer? Are you excited about the new film and the future of the Power Rangers property? Sound off in the comments below and let us know.