On the Hollywood calendar, January and February are often relatively quiet months as the Powers That Be brace for annual award shows such as the Golden Globes and the Oscars. But as we inch closer to March, we’re beginning to see a marked uptick in new releases, and soon moviegoers will be bidding adieu to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine via Logan. It’s 2017’s second R-rated movie to be lauded with critical acclaim at launch – John Wick: Chapter 2 being the first – but there’s another high-profile tentpole looming on the horizon, and it’s literally worlds away from mutant dystopias and well-tailored assassins.
We are, of course, referring to Power Rangers, Dean Israelite’s (Project Almanac) lavish reboot that takes the core elements of Saban’s color-coded heroes, slaps on a new lick of paint, and catapults them toward the silver screen. Headed up by soon-to-be Stranger Things star Dacre Montgomery – he’ll play the Red Ranger, for those keeping track – Israelite’s reimagining largely takes place in the quaint Angel Grove, where Montgomery and his newfound friends stumble upon an alien spaceship. Cue the inevitable montage in which the teenagers become the Rangers, followed by a meeting with Bryan Cranston’s all-powerful Zordon. There’s a storm coming, he warns, and it’ll take the form of Elizabeth Banks’ sneering Rita Repulsa.
Power Rangers is, at the time of writing, exactly one month out from release. Lionsgate is aiming to jump-start a bona fide film franchise with the release of Dean Israelite’s reboot, and though the movie’s box office return will no doubt be the determining factor, it’ll be fascinating to see how audiences take to such a bold reimagining of the ’90s phenomenon. March 24th is the date for your diaries.
