Power Rangers
Admittedly, we’re not sure if too many people outright hated Power Rangers – though no doubt some old school fans did – but it was met with a collective shrug from most viewers. Due to a slightly surprising lack of interest, the film flopped at the box office and all talk of future installments has since stalled.
Which is a bit of a shame, really, as there’s much to like about the reboot. Director Dean Israelite was definitely right in approaching the franchise from a character-led perspective, eschewing the more toyetic approach of the classic children’s show. The central young cast are also all very talented, with particular highlights being RJ Cyler, Dacre Montgomery and Naomi Scott.
For Power Rangers fans, it was also intriguing and exciting to see the classic mythology shaken up and portrayed in fresh ways. There was more than enough promise in there to fuel a few more films, which no doubt would have tweaked the formula to make up for the flaws in this origins story. Hopefully Lionsgate and Saban come up with a plan to salvage the franchise soon, as we’d love to see more.
Daredevil (Director’s Cut)
Back when Ben Affleck was first cast as Batman, many pointed to his first foray into costumed crime-fighting as evidence that he was a poor fit for the part. In fact, the actor later said himself that he was partly playing the Dark Knight to make up for his disappointment with 2003’s Daredevil.
It’s unfortunate that he doesn’t have more faith in his own work, though, as Daredevil really isn’t that bad… as long as you watch the director’s cut over the original theatrical version. Which is funnily enough something you can say about Affleck’s debut as Batman, too (more on that later).
In this case, the extended edition from director Mark Steven Johnson reinserts 30 minutes of deleted material, including whole subplots absent from the theatrical cut, which really helps reinstate the noirish feel of the acclaimed Frank Miller comics. It’s still a bit dumb and pretty dated (particularly the soundtrack), but it’s a decent stab at bringing the Man Without Fear to the big screen.
