Jason, Kimberly, Trini, Billy and Zack are five unassuming teenagers from Angel Grove, but together they are more – together, they are the Power Rangers.
Yes, Lionsgate’s lavish reboot is little over two weeks away and to celebrate, the studio has rolled out a fresh wave of pictures (via RangerCrew, Angry Asian Man and CBM) designed to spotlight those five fresh-faced heroes, Angel Grove, and the oncoming Rita Repulsa. Brought to life with manic glee by Pitch Perfect stalwart Elizabeth Banks, Rita is arguably the most iconic villain from the Power Rangers vault, and her arrival in Angel Grove portends all kinds of trouble for the Rangers and Bryan Cranston’s sage-like mentor, Zordon. Together with the radically different Alpha 5 (Bill Hader), Zordon will coach the Rangers during their training process, as they wrangle with their newfound abilities before going on to control their respective Zords.
Because make no mistake about it, when it comes to eye-popping CGI, Power Rangers is packed to the rafters. Eager to draw attention away from the spectacle and more toward the intimate character interactions, the film’s latest clip (see above) narrows the focus down to the Red and Pink Rangers – played here by Dacre Montgomery and Naomi Scott, respectively – as they mull over their futures. Ludi Lin (Black Ranger), RJ Cyler (Blue Ranger) and Becky Gomez (Yellow Ranger) complete the core ensemble cast.
On March 24th, Lionsgate and director Dean Israelite will assemble the Power Rangers for better or worse – better being the beginning of a newfound franchise; and worse being a lackluster cinematic dud that’s swept under the shadow of Sony’s Life. Let’s just hope it’s the former.