The promotional rollout for the new Power Rangers movie continues to be an incredibly mixed bag. As high as the anticipation is for the movie due out in March of 2017, it seems that Saban and Lionsgate aren’t completely sure about what their target audience wants to see when the Mighty Morphers head to the big screen next year. The first image of the new costumes, while futuristic in an intriguing “Pacific Rim meets Avatar” way, got fans excited about the project…until everybody had the chance to take a closer look at the new style. Not only did the girls’ costume have “boob armor” which is unnecessary and borderline insulting to female fans, but the new designs are almost too intense to belong to a bunch of teenagers.
After all, they’re fighting aliens with gumption, problem solving skills, and minimal training when they are each first chosen so having intricate militaristic suits seems at odds with the lighter moments that could be found in the original series. Which, if that tracks, means this reboot might be going too far down the “dour ‘adult’ reboot” path and include no levity at all. Then, Elizabeth Banks and Bryan Cranston were both cast as Rita Repulsa and Zordon, respectively. Which is exciting! Both actors are great and entertaining to watch. Then, the first look at the updated Repulsa costume was released and fans were filled with mixed feelings once again.
Now, in advance of the Power Rangers panel at SDCC this weekend, the studio released a new image of the fierce five teenagers. After the first promo photo and the set of stylized character posters, this is the first photo where both the characters’ faces and their uniforms are visible which gives a sense of how they will actually look in the movie. It humanizes the characters and gives fans the chance to ponder about what they might be thinking as they prepare to fight the bad guys.
In comparing the two costume photos, some presumptions can be made about the Rangers‘ helmets. The first detail is that we are a far cry from the stretch spandex that was ubiquitous during every Halloween in the 90’s and early aughts. That stuff was suffocating and unflattering, so the upgrade to more firm materials is for the best. The second is that from this angle the helmets look to definitely function the same way as motorcycles and visors do, with the top part retracting and sliding over a person’s cranium. This feature is one of the best upgrades that the movie could have made, and will pay off in the action scenes during the movie.
Instead of waiting until the action halts to remove their masks and take a breather, the Rangers can shift them up and down as they run and fight which allows audiences to better connect with each actor and emotionally invest in the story. Of all the changes that are being made, this may be the most promising one yet since it means that the filmmakers at least have a sense of the audience’s priorities and memories of the original and popular show. With an SDCC panel imminent, a trailer will probably be next. Even if it is – as expected – only a brief teaser, fans should be ready to get a better sense of the story and each young actor’s presence on screen. Let’s hope that release, like this one, is another uptick in the teaser materials as the reboot’s release gets closer and closer.
(via ScreenRant)
