Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always hits Netflix on 4/19/23.
Our score is 7.5 out of 10 lightning bolts.
How did we get here? Let's start.
Once and Always is a story about grief-stricken revenge that only scratches the surface of what a rabbit hole one can fall through. After the death of a fellow ally and hero, the team of Rangers has no time to grieve as Rita Repulsa is back and deadlier than ever. This film/special moves at such a breakneck pace, you don't have time to digest what's going on. Some scenes don't have the breathing room to feel the weight they're trying to convey. Character(s) arcs are introduced and then dropped, characters are introduced with major plot holes, and tones are all over the place. With that all being said, it manages to tell a somewhat complete story that's self-contained.
The newcomer Charlie Kersh (Mhin) does a lot of heavy lifting with the story and beats that she has to carry. The emotional weight of her introduction into the world of power rangers is brushed over so fast, it's almost pointless to even have her in the film. Sorry, not sorry. Her character literally could be removed and the story would still flow to the same conclusion.
The action has upped the stakes this time around when the Rangers battle. They battle with cause and importance. We the viewers don't know if they will win once a battle starts. That is a first for fans of the franchise. The overall cast does their best with the material given. Granted, it's Power Rangers. A show made for viewers 7 years old and younger but older audiences will and can appreciate sitting down and loading up Once and Always as a family.
The reveal of the birth of "Robo Rita" is well-fleshed and interesting. It opens doors to potentially bring back more villains with the tech used.
After watching and enjoying Once and Always, we at GlobalNerdz want more.
Personal Pros.
Teleportation visuals. Fight choreography. Rita Repulsa. Zack & Billy. Weapons call. Moon palace battle.
Personal Cons.
Zord visuals. Pacing. Plot holes. Runtime.
SCORE: 7.5 out of 10
Together We Are More!
Go! Go! Power Rangers!
It's Morphin Time!
