I was looking through some old movies and I saw something I hadn't seen in a long time: A Power Rangers movie. So I put it on, and memories flowed back into my head, and it reminded me why I hated the Turbo Season of Power Rangers so much. But, I'm not here to talk about the show (I'll get around to doing that soon), I'm here to talk about the movie. So, let's get started.
Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie. So for those of you who don't know, Turbo was the third season of Power Rangers, which followed one of the more popular seasons: Zeo. Some Power Rangers fans, including myself, often wondered why the team switched to the Turbo powers, when their Zeo powers were suppose to get stronger each time they're used. I guess it was to promote new toys. This is also the first Ranger Season to begin with a theatrical film. Plus, the teleportation effects are different, and frankly worse in my opinion. The original effects were just a blob of color and some lightning bolts, but theses new effects are more obvious when the Rangers disappear. Along with the teleportation effects, Alpha 5 (the robot who helps Zordon) looks shiner than before, and his curved lightning bolt on his chest is straight. Zordon's voice isn't as deep as it used to be, and the Power Chamber looks bigger, brighter, and replaced the costumes in the back with the Rangers' colors. Now, onto the film itself. So the movie begins with a narration by Zordon, the big floating head in a tube who helped the team with his guidance. The narration is kind of like the Star Wars narrations, only it's Power Rangers. We then see a planet that looks like a moldy cookie, and we see henchmen know as Piranha-trons hunting a creature named Lerrigot. Lerrigot is suppose to be this great wizard, but he just looks like an ewok who was left out in the sun too long. He escapes the Piranha-trons and makes his way to Earth, which ironically makes him weaker, because he can't stand the sun's radiation for too long. The Piranha-trons work for the main villain of Turbo who is known as Divatox, who wants to use Lerrigot to make her way to a mysterious island, so she came release a powerful demon and marry him. Ah, the things you do for love. We switch over and see Katharine (the pink ranger) and Tanya (the yellow ranger) bonding with some kinds at a shelter on a bus on their way to the gym, where Tommy (the red ranger), Adam (the green ranger), and Rocky (the blue ranger), are practicing for a tournament to win some money for the shelter. Rocky injures his back trying to do a spin-kick and is taken to the hospital. Later at the hospital, a kid named Justin sneaks in to say hello, but hides under the bed when the other Rangers come in. They are summoned by Zordon, and Justin sees them teleport out, and learns their secret. The Rangers teleport to the Power Chamber and Zordon informs them that Lerrigot is in Africa, and that he needs to be brought back to the Power Chamber. So, Tommy and Katherine make their way to Africa via teleportation, and search for Lerrigot. But, Katherine is attacked by a snake and gets knocked off the side of a cliff. She tries to morph into Zeo Ranger 1, but apparently the Zeo powers aren't waterproof because she doesn't finish morphing when she lands in the water. Tommy leaps in, and helps her out, but she damages her leg. So, eventually, they find Lerrigot, and Tommy somewhat resembles a live action Tarzan for some reason. Guess it's the hair. Lerrigot is brought back to the Power Chamber, but Divatox contacts the Rangers to let them know that they have Kimberly and Jason (the original Red and Pink Rangers), and Lerrigot's wife and son. They do this so they can set up a trade to get Lerrigot. They meet, but Divatox doesn't hold up her end of the bargain. For the record, Kim and Jason are captured because they are two pure souls that Divatox can sacrifice to the Demon Maligore. Anyway, in order to pursue Divatox, Zordon equips the Rangers with new zords and powers. To be honest, the original cut of the movie was over three hours long and it did explain things much better (like why the Rangers switched to the Turbo powers) but it was cut for time. We see their new zords, and the team slaps a table and gets their Turbo powers. Them getting the Turbo powers is so underwhelming compared to the other times they got new powers in the past. So, yeah, they get their new powers and in the scene right after that they power down. I'm not kidding. Thirty-eight minutes in and they only morph once. But, I have to admit, it kicks ass to hear the Turbo music while they're driving off. With how much I hate Turbo, the music remains awesome. So, they go to a ship they can use to pass into the dimension where the island is hidden, and the Blue Ranger's car pulls up. It turns out that Zordon recruited Justin as the new Blue Ranger. Yes, you read right. Why did he pick Justin, a twelve year old kid, when there were better options? Like Tommy's brother (introduced in Zeo) who knows martial arts, and the Rangers Secret identities. Oh, and he isn't twelve! Anyway, they get on the ship, the have a monster battle during the night, and make it into the dimension which is referred to as the Bermuda Triangle. Divatox also gets through.
Then, when they get onto the island, after an hour and ten minutes, we finally see the Rangers morph. And since he's a kid, Justin gets a growth spurt in his suit. Yeah, whenever he morphs be grows twice his size. The Rangers rush into the cave to stop the ceremony, but Divatox manages to release Maligore after briefly turning Kimberly and Jason evil. The Rangers summon their zords, which again: are cars! And they defeat Maligore in about five minutes. And to close out the movie, we see the team competing in that tournament that only got mentioned in about two minutes of screen time. The team for Angel Grove wins and they all live happily ever after: until the actual show begins and the whole thing starts all over again. This movie has its flaws but it's still entertaining to Power Ranger fans. And it's entertaining to me, even though Turbo is one of my least favorite Power Ranger seasons. If you want to watch a series of Power Rangers centered around cars, go watch Power Rangers RPM. It's better than Turbo, and this movie is a 2.2 out of 5 in my book. So it's bad, but not horrible. It's entertaining, but still isn't that great, like the first Power Rangers movie.
So have you seen the Turbo movie? Have you seen the Turbo show? In fact, which season of Power Rangers id your favorite? Comment below, let me know. And as always if you liked what you've read here and want to read more, check out my other works to see more. Bye-Bye.
Or in this case, Shift Into Turbo! I may hate the season, but the theme rocks. Later days.