There have been numerous attempts at Power Rangers short films, usually resulting in nothing but short teasers. But out of nowhere, comes POWER/RANGERS, a dark 11 minute short film directed by Joseph Kahn. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect. I've been teased so many times with dark Power Ranger short films that I thought this would once againbe nothing more than that.
Boy was I wrong.
In this futuristic take on the original Power Rangers, we see a world where the members aren't teens anymore, and instead grew up to be grizzled war veterans. Katee Sackhoff plays the role of Kimberly, the Pink Ranger, interrogated by Rocky, the Red Ranger, portrayed by James Van Der Beek. Frankly, these two names alone got me incredibly interested.
I won't spoil what happens in the video, especially since it's only 11 minutes, but there is a pretty crazy and awesome plot twist that you won't see coming.
When io9 asked Adi Shankar, the producer of the short, why he went with a dark and gritty short film, he replied with this:
"When I was a child I had two favorite TV shows the X-Menanimated series and Power Rangers. I eventually came to the realization that high school students weaponized to fight an intergalactic threat would turn those kids into some seriously disturbed adults with severe PTSD."
Turns out though, not everyone's a fan of this darker take on Power Rangers. Fans of the current series (yes, they're adults) feel like a darker tone ruins the fun and youthful tone of the show. Myself being a fan of Power Rangers, I really enjoy the alternate look at the show. I understand where the other fans are coming from, but I feel like there's room for both.
Did you see it? What did you think of it? Was it too gritty or not gritty enough?
Honestly, I'd pay to see a feature length movie of this caliber, though I'm guessing the Lionsgate movie reboot will certainly be more kid friendly.
