Power Rangers: Once and Always was a movie produced by Hasbro to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the franchise and the 30th Anniversary of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
The Plot
As well as paying homage the cheesy and nostalgic quality (right up to the suits and the puffy collars), the special also does tackle dark themes such as death. Even using words such as “kill” or “die” brings a drastic change of tone from what the audience is used to.
To sum it up: After the accidental revival of Rita Repulsa (known here as Robo Rita), the original team (Jason, Billy, Trini, Zack, Kimberly and Tommy) stand up against right and fight her off. However, tragedy strikes. Trini scarifies herself to save Billy from an attack which ultimately ends up killing her. This leaves her daughter, Minh, without a mother and is now under the care of Zack.
The special then follows a mix and match of Rangers from both MMPR teams (Zack, Billy, Rocky and Kat) coming together to fight against Robo Rita after the global crisis of Rangers being turned to action figure like states to have their energy drained away. Minh also has yet to forgive Billy for what has happened to her mother and learns what it means to be a hero.
Towards the end, she eventually becomes her mother’s successor and becomes the Yellow Ranger after taking a blow that was again meant to kill Billy and defeat Robo Rita and her goons.
The Pros
The movie has good strong points to say the least. First and foremost, it is a special that can provoke deep emotion which is what keep us as an audience engaged with the special. Moments such as the death of Trini and the small tribute towards the end for both Thuy Trang and Jason David Frank, who passed away during the production of Once and Always.
The special also consists of climaxes which can put the audience on the edge of their seat. One moment in particular is where Minh takes a blow that was meant for Billy which initially takes her out. During this moment, we see her have a flashback of her mother as a Ranger.
The movie also maintains elements previously present in the series; even very little intricacies such as the puffed up collars on the suits!
The Cons
The special does have a predictable plot which you usually get in a Power Rangers episode in which the rangers are doing day to day business before they run off to fight a villain that shows up. They are defeated in the first round and they come back stronger and with a plan and defeat the villain.
Moreover, I feel like the VFX could be a better rather than the generic Power Ranger glows we have been getting for the past few years.
Conclusion
Speaking from the viewpoint of someone who does not enjoy Power Rangers that much, Once and Always is a movie that successfully pays tribute to the 30th Anniversary of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers franchise. While it may have a predictable plot and could improve its visual effects, the special still manages to deliver emotional and climactic moments that keep the audience engaged. The exploration of dark themes such as death also brings a drastic change of tone from what fans are used to. The small tribute towards the end for Thuy Trang and Jason David Frank adds an extra layer of sentimentality to the special.
Overall, Once and Always is a great watch for fans of the franchise who want to relive the nostalgia and emotion that comes with it.
Did you enjoy Once and Always? Do you agree that the plot was fairly predictable? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Pingback: Things to Hope For in MMPR: The Return - The Toku Source