Why the New 'Power Rangers' Film is a Great Idea

Hello, fellow moviegoers!
  In case you weren’t aware, Lionsgate (the company behind The Hunger Game saga, and American Ultra) is currently in development of a new Power Rangers movie set to hit theatres in January of 2017. Collider is reporting that the film will be titled Saban’s Power Rangers, in reference to Haim Saban the series’ co-creator. While that is a stupid title, "The Power Rangers" is a franchise pretty well known to everyone by now. Whether you’re a parent whose kids watch it, or someone from my generation who grew up watching the original series. I have heard a lot of people saying this movie is a terrible idea, financially and when it comes to story. I actually disagree. I think this new Power Rangers movie could be a stroke of brilliance from Lionsgate. Here’s why…

  The point everybody makes when talking about why this movie is a bad idea, is the last wide-release movie in the franchise, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, made only 9.6 million dollars. That’s from its entire run worldwide! Its opening weekend it only made 3.3 million. To put that in perspective, The Intern made more than that in its fifth week at the box office. Similarly, the last Power Rangers movie scored a 17% approval rate from critics on RottenTomatoes, and only 40% from audiences.
  That's a valid point. What studio would put money behind a film where the last one in the franchise was a complete bomb in all areas? What a lot of people seem to forget is that film came out 18 years ago. The audience they were hoping to reach is into their early to mid-twenties by now. If there is one thing we can learn from Jurassic World this past summer, it’s that we should not underestimate the power of nostalgia.
  Now, I’m not saying this movie is going to break the record for the biggest domestic opening weekend like the new Jurassic Park did. I don’t think Saban's Power Rangers is going to be anywhere close to that. But I do believe that people that grew up watching the series will go and see it purely for nostalgic purposes. Maybe even bring a few of their kids with them.
  Although, that all depends on how they approach the movie. If they make this a full-length film version of that fan-made short film that came out earlier this year, it’s not going to work. (If you don’t know the film I’m talking about, it’s on YouTube. It’s a very dark and serious look at the Power Rangers.) While that short film was enjoyed by many, it wouldn’t work on the big screen.     If Lionsgate wants to capitalize on the nostalgia of my generation, they’re going to have to stick to the general tone of the original series. I don’t mean, make it super campy, with overacting and bad visual effects. But it does have to be light-hearted. Something that can please the kids, while maybe having a few jokes in there for the now adult fans of the original series.
  While there is a lot that could go wrong with this movie, if Lionsgate does it right they could have a potential hit on their hands. The Power Rangers is something I still hear people my age reminiscing on quite often. If Lionsgate can capitalize on that, we could be in for a surprise. 

  ​So what do you think of this new Power Rangers movie? Do you think that it’s a terrible idea, or do you agree that it could be a great idea? Let me know by commenting on this post! If you enjoyed this editorial, share it on Facebook or Twitter. It really helps! Don't forget, I post every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So check back then for new Movie Reviews and Editorials!
 
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