Fred McNamara asks whether it’s time for Power Rangers to grow up….
“It’s morphin’ time!” “Ka-pow, ka-blam!” “Ranger power!” “Fa-tung, ker-thwash!” “Megazord – activate!” “Neeeee-ooownnn!” “BOOM!”
And there you have a basic summarisation of one of the most successful children’s television franchises over the last few decades. It’s enjoyed by young children across the world just as much as its Japanese source material, but with the series’ 20th anniversary wrapping up and a reboot movie on the way, is it time for those child-centred, cartoon-ish superheroes, the Power Rangers, to grow up?
In the show’s twenty year history, it has always seemed reluctant to fully acknowledge that a large portion of its fan-base is made up of those who grew up on the show during its 1990’s heyday. The recent 20th anniversary series, Megaforce/Super Megaforce, hasn’t sat well with long-time fans due to its rather flippant treatment of its own celebrations. Megaforce/Super Megaforce’s story bears a, perhaps, strong similarity with the set-up for the very first series, Mighty Morphin.
However, rather than coming across as a heartfelt throwback to the original adventures that loyal fans can enjoy the reference of, it came across as lazy and plain. If anything, the lack of explanation for past Rangers making their cameos with their Ranger powers fully intact gave the impression that Megaforce/Super Megaforce was little more than window-shopping handed on a plate for the younger fans. They could watch these past Rangers, whom they may well not even know, and be intrigued that there are so many past Power Rangers to indulge in.
This is perhaps the one reason why, on the small screen at least, we may never see a Power Rangers series directly tailored for older fans – profit for the series is made through the selling of product, i.e. kids want toys. Morphers, Megazords, action figures, play suits – you name it, Power Rangers has it.
So why then is the franchise getting a big screen reboot? Is it just to make more profit? Is it to give long-term fans the instalment they’ve been asking for? Is it both? The arrival of such a movie would suggest so, therefore there surely hasn’t been a better time to ask for the maturing of those spandex-clad, rainbow-splattered, giant-monster-fighting, giant-robot-piloting teen heroes. Hmm, notice how well ‘mature’ plays into those words?
The recent tide of superhero films, whether it’s the latest Marvel flick, the nostalgia of the Harry Potters, or the growing trend of Hunger Games-esque novel adaptations does much to imply that the idea of action-heavy hero movies is something that isn’t going away anytime soon. So what could be done to make Power Rangers more in tune with those films than the TV series?
Well, in all honestly, very little. It’s not as if the concept of Power Rangers is out of touch with an older audience – just look at the fandom the series attracts. Perhaps it has more to do with the execution of the concept rather than the concept itself. Breaking Power Rangers down, it’s a show about a group of young people who are very often chosen by fate/a top secret organisation/a giant floating head to be given special powers to fight evil. Nothing wrong with that at all.
What’s wrong is the bland characterisation, two-dimensional villains, monster-of-the-week plots and blatantly obvious product drives that plague so many of the show’s incarnations (although that’s not to say various individual series haven’t at least tried to break this mould somewhat). If Power Rangers were to appeal to an older audience, it would have to change its tactics so that it would be less insulting to its older fans.
Naturally, clean-cut heroes and monstrous-looking bad guys are devoured by a young audience – it helps them to identify who’s good and who’s bad. But wouldn’t it be more fun if there were blurred lines between the heroes and the enemies? Wouldn’t it be better if Rangers weren’t always good, and if villains had tangible and understandable reasons for their want of destruction and conquer? Again, these are things that many a series as attempted, but the bad guys are nearly always easily identifiable, and no matter how anti-hero you may present a Ranger, there’s never been a case where that Ranger didn’t fight for good at some point.
One can’t deny that the actual Rangers themselves, when out of costume, could be fairly interchangeable in their personalities, with the colours of their Ranger suits sometimes being the only element that one can use to tell one Ranger to the next. The key to any successful story is to have engaging characters, which doesn’t always mean that they have to be heroic, or likeable, to be interesting. And with any diversity of characters, a hooky, multi-layered plot would be more than welcome, and more than mere monster-of-the-week stuff.
For all we know, these might well be elements that this upcoming movie may take, but what of the television portion of the franchise? Given the phenomenal success of recent sci-fi/superhero films, not just as standalone instalments, but as entire series, one can only assume such success is being envisioned for these new Power Rangers. However, does this mean that Saban/Lion’s Gate is playing two sets of hands? The big screen for older audiences and the small screen for the younger?
As long as Super Sentai exists, that may well be the case. For those of you who aren’t aware, the Japanese superhero franchise Super Sentai is the source material for Power Rangers. Essentially, from Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger (which is getting an American DVD release via Shout! Factory) onwards, (nearly) each Super Sentai has been translated for a Western audience, maintaining the child-centric feel of the original yet adapting it for a Western audience to consume.
Breaking that trend just to make some ravenous fans happy would perhaps be too much of a risk on the profits the series makes. So it looks like we should be grateful that we’re going to be given a potential breath of fresh air to the franchise, one that both recognises and compliments the older audiences. Or maybe it looks like older fans are going to be left somewhat unsatisfied, as the original shows they grew up watching, and therefore would love to see grow up just like they did, will continue being aimed at the youngest of audiences while older fans will have to make do with an entire reimagining of their dreams.
But of course, this reboot isn’t to be seen until 2016. By that time, the above article you’ve just read may well have to be flushed down the toilet as news develops, or else it may merely change its appearance, just as the Power Rangers do with every series. And just like every Power Rangers series, it all boils down to the same concept – let’s see the Power Rangers grow up, please?
After failing to become International Rescue’s latest recruit when he obliterated the prototype Thunderbird 7, Fred McNamara now works as an explorer in the world of pop culture – Follow him on Twitter
