Summary
- Power Rangers reboot must focus on nostalgia to attract older fans and balance new appeal for younger viewers.
- Upcoming project should maintain the campy and lighthearted tone of the original series to resonate with audiences.
- Avoid repeating past mistakes by not overemphasizing drama and instead prioritize fun action sequences like Sonic the Hedgehog.
With reports suggesting that another Power Rangers film is on its way, the franchise must take certain steps to ensure they avoid a repeat of previous errors. The commercial failure of the previous Power Rangers movie in 2017 offers many lessons that the creators must seriously take note of, to prevent another disaster.
It goes without saying that the Hasbro-owned entertainment franchise has been trying long and hard to restore its former glory and relevance. With nearly 30 series under different themes, like Mighty Morphin, Dino Thunder, and SPD, Power Rangers has a vast base of untapped nostalgia to benefit from. Yet, the show’s cultural relevance and impact have not been enough in recent days to grab enough eyeballs from industry leaders like Marvel or Disney.
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Is Power Rangers Rebooting?
Potential Paramount-Led Project In The Works
According to an unconfirmed report from industry insider DanielRPK, the Power Rangers franchise is all set to receive a completely fresh reboot. It is expected to be backed by Paramount with a budget of over $100 million. While it’s unclear whether the project will be a film or a series, it’s likely to face significant challenges in breaking even, given past results and trends in the franchise. But the intent is pretty clear here. It aims to win back its older fanbase while also creating a new legion of younger fans to keep the franchise alive.
Regardless of this rumored project’s budget, format, or storyline, there is one particular thing the creators must fix and get completely right—the tone and flavor. Power Rangers was never intended to be a serious work or something that aimed to build a blockbuster franchise. It was a campy ’90s classic with a lot of heart and some wacky action that fit perfectly with the era. Essentially, the upcoming project should avoid taking itself too seriously and instead revisit the roots of the older TV shows to truly understand what made it click with audiences.
What Happened To The 2017 Power Rangers?
Past Mistakes Might Haunt New Reboot
It wasn’t too long ago that franchise creator Haim Saban attempted a similar move to revitalize Power Rangers. The 2017 film, directed by Dean Israelite and produced by Lionsgate, had all the ingredients for a potential hit. The film featured popular cast members like Naomi Scott, Bill Hader, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Banks, and more. It even adapted the pilot episode storyline from the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Despite all this and a $100 million budget, the film fell short of expectations, grossing only $142.5 million worldwide.
More importantly, it was intended to be the launchpad for a Star Wars-like film series, with numerous sequels planned. However, the film’s failure led to the cancellation of these plans, forcing Saban to sell the franchise rights to Hasbro. The upcoming Power Rangers reboot is also expected to have a similar high budget, with its producers cashing in all the chips for a clean slate. However, they need to steer clear of past mistakes and find their own voice before the franchise’s further decline.
Power Rangers Should Take Notes From Cobra Kai
How The Netflix Show Revived Karate Kid
But it’s not all bleak for the future of Power Rangers. The franchise simply needs to learn to look for inspiration in the right places. Earlier, the problem may have been that it tried a little too hard to create an MCU-esque cinematic universe. Instead, the best example to learn from is arguably Cobra Kai and how it gave a new lease on life to the Karate Kid films.
The martial arts comedy-drama series on Netflix cleverly played to its strengths by blending its signature action sequences with a somewhat campy humor style that aligned with the property and built on Karate Kid nostalgia. Any new Power Rangers project can simply borrow this Cobra Kai style, and choose to avoid making the stakes too high just to engage more viewers. It needs to remember that the original show was meant for children, with a lot of cheesy dialogue and over-the-top, goofy action sequences.
The Problem With The Power Rangers Franchise
Less Drama, More Campy Action
Close
The problem with the previous film was that it tried to be a teen drama at first, focusing on how the characters stumbled into gaining powers. It later lost its consistency in tone when it turned into a typical Kaiju-style Power Rangers Zords finale. The film tried to be grounded and MCU-esque with typical one-liner quips, but instead, Power Rangers should have been hyper-stylized with no half-measures. Director Dean Israelite addressed his approach in a 2016 interview with CinemaBlend:
I grew up on it and I have all the same questions other people have. How are we going to update this? How will it exist in the contemporary superhero cinema canon? [I’ve] tried to add naturalism and a grounded nature, [and emphasize everything being more] character-driven.
The writers need to find a balance between not overloading on character development, while also ensuring the characters don’t seem flat. The characters should simply exist to provide spectacular action and fun, more like Sonic the Hedgehog and not The Avengers. Moreover, another Power Rangers origin story would be pointless, considering the audience cares more about their standalone battles with villains than their average drama or interpersonal conflicts.
Power Rangers
PG-13
ActionAdventureFamilySci-FiSuperhero
Release Date
March 24, 2017
Director
Dean Israelite
Cast
Elizabeth Banks
, Bryan Cranston
, Becky G.
, Naomi Scott
, Dacre Montgomery
, Caroline Cave
Runtime
124 minutes
Main Genre
Action
Character(s)
Jason Lee Scott / The Red Ranger
, Billy Cranston / The Blue Ranger
, Zack Taylor / The Black Ranger
, Kimberly Hart / The Pink Ranger
, Trini / The Yellow Ranger
, Zordon
, Alpha 5 (voice)
, Rita Repulsa / The Green Ranger
, Goldar / Putties (voice)
, Sam Scott / Jason’s Father
, Beverly Scott / Jason’s Mother
, Pearl Scott / Jason’s Sister
, Candace Cranston / Billy’s Mother
, Mrs Taylor / Zack’s Mother
, Ted Hart / Kimberly’s Father
, Maddy Hart / Kimberly’s Mother
, Mr Kwan / Trini’s Father
, Mrs Kwan / Trini’s Mother
, Colt Wallace / Bully
, Amanda Clark
, Rebecca / Young Lover #1
, Drew Tanner / Young Lover #2
, Damo
, Harper
, Freak
Producers
Brent O’Connor
, Roberto Orci
, Wyck Godfrey
, Allison Shearmur
, Marty Bowen
, Brian Casentini
Writers
John Gatins
, Matt Sazama
, Burk Sharpless
, Michele Mulroney
, Kieran Mulroney
, Haim Saban
YouTube Trailer
Franchise(s)
Power Rangers
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Fuente: successacademy.edu.vn
Categorías: Trend
