5510 replies to this topic

[HellCat]

*standing at back of room, waving sword* Rrr, with Kalidor distracted with agony, this is the perfect time to send down the Putty Patrol to steal the Allspark server!

[Sabrblade]

The problem is that the show is just SO dull. I mean, I understand these shows have formulas to them, but this is taking that to the extreme.

This is exactly how I felt when rewatching seaosn 1 back in 2010. It was nowhere near as engaging as I found it to be back when I was little. Not even nostalgia was enough to get me as invested in it as I used to be.

Still, as others have said, the "Green With Evil" five-parter did step up the game for this show, so you'll have to see it for yourself to decide how you feel about it.

The random stock footage from JuuRangers (or whatever) doesn't help. Here's the run down

- Some nonsensical event or situation occurs at the local juice bard/gym
- Rita mocks them for their stupid event and decides this is the perfect time to take over the world
- bullies Finster into making 'the perfect monster' for whatever non-situation exists
- monster gets sent to a random dump or quarry in some stock footage.
- idiot robot freaks out and tells them to go there
- stock footage power rangers defeat the monster, it grows big, they call the zords and defeat it again
- Rita grates on about how her plans have been ruined
- The finish whatever nonsense they were doing at the juice bar

That's not even taking into account the Bulk and Skull shenanigans... this is EVERY EPISODE. There's literally no point to anything anyone does.

How this show ever got popular is beyond me.

I guess it's because there wasn't really anything that much like it before back then, and so the U.S. just ate it up.

But, don't go dissing Bulk and Skull, as they remain the best thing about season 1.

On the other hand, someone pointed me towards the JuuRangers show and that's actually not too terrible. But I've only watched a few episodes of that.

Zyuranger, dude. Pronouced like "Juu" but spelled like "Zyu".

[HellCat]

I think it might well be a case of 'You had to be there'. I was born in 1986 and remember growing up with MMPR-early Turbo. What I saw in the show and the memories I have of enjoying it is something I don't think can be transfered in the exact same way as the older ones here who grew up with the G1 Transformers cartoon and comics.

[Fortress Ironhold]

The formula starts to break down around the start of season two, as we're introduced to more complex plots with higher stakes and one of the most menacing villains that was on Saturday morning television at the time.

But the fully serialized "In Space" season is the best in my opinion.

Time Force and Lightspeed Rescue deserve some love, too.

The former proved that smart writers could pull off "dark" even in a kids' series, while the latter had some surprisingly intelligent episodes in the mix.

[Sabrblade]

I think it might well be a case of 'You had to be there'.

But I was there.

Well, okay, technically In Space was my first series, but they showed MMPR season 1 constantly in the "Power Playback" reruns at the same time, and I watched/enjoyed those just as much as the In Space episodes. In fact, the second Power Rangers episode I ever watched was a MMPR season 1 episode (it was either episode 1 or episode 4, as it had a Megazord vs. Goldar fight); the first being the In Space crossover with the Ninja Turtles.

The formula starts to break down around the start of season two, as we're introduced to more complex plots with higher stakes and one of the most menacing villains that was on Saturday morning television at the time.

But the fully serialized "In Space" season is the best in my opinion.

Time Force and Lightspeed Rescue deserve some love, too.

The former proved that smart writers could pull off "dark" even in a kids' series, while the latter had some surprisingly intelligent episodes in the mix.

IMHO, the era of In Space through Time Force was when the show was at its highest level of writing, with all four of those series being exceptionally good in a consecutive flow. It was Wild Force that felt a bit like a step down. Don't get me wrong, I'm one of those who LIKES Wild Force, but I will admit that the preceding four series were better than it was.

Since that era, the show has never reached the same level of quality while keeping it after one or two series. Dino Thunder was big improvement over Ninja Storm, then SPD took things to an even greater level, then it fell back down again with Mystic Force, and kinda stayed down at that level until RPM took things back up a few notches.

Then came MMPR 2010. And now we got Samurai and Super Samurai.

[ultra magnus13]

I was born in 84 so I think I was pretty close to the target demographic when the show started, and I remember when it first came out. I remember seeing the commercials for it and thinking it looked like a really terrible live action Voltron. The show was hot garbage. Always has been.

[Shadewing]

I think it might well be a case of 'You had to be there'.

But I was there.

Well, okay, technically In Space was my first series, but they showed MMPR season 1 constantly in the "Power Playback" reruns at the same time, and I watched/enjoyed those just as much as the In Space episodes. In fact, the second Power Rangers episode I ever watched was a MMPR season 1 episode (it was either episode 1 or episode 4, as it had a Megazord vs. Goldar fight); the first being the In Space crossover with the Ninja Turtles.

The formula starts to break down around the start of season two, as we're introduced to more complex plots with higher stakes and one of the most menacing villains that was on Saturday morning television at the time.

But the fully serialized "In Space" season is the best in my opinion.

Time Force and Lightspeed Rescue deserve some love, too.

The former proved that smart writers could pull off "dark" even in a kids' series, while the latter had some surprisingly intelligent episodes in the mix.

IMHO, the era of In Space through Time Force was when the show was at its highest level of writing, with all four of those series being exceptionally good in a consecutive flow. It was Wild Force that felt a bit like a step down. Don't get me wrong, I'm one of those who LIKES Wild Force, but I will admit that the preceding four series were better than it was.

Since that era, the show has never reached the same level of quality while keeping it after one or two series. Dino Thunder was big improvement over Ninja Storm, then SPD took things to an even greater level, then it fell back down again with Mystic Force, and kinda stayed down at that level until RPM took things back up a few notches.

Then came MMPR 2010. And now we got Samurai and Super Samurai.

Wild Force is kinda the first of the Disney series, its sorta half and half, iirc. If so, that might explain the 'downgrade'.

Samurai is the result of Saban rushing a product out to fill their contract with Nick. They've admitted that roundaboutly, in there comments about how Megaforce has had much more devolpment time. So I think the next series should be a better measurement for if Saban still has it, since Samurai is their first series in a while, and even Disney's first true series, Ninja Storm, wasn't great either (though I like it alot) but got better with Dino Thunder and SPD was also really good for all its flaws.

[Fortress Ironhold]

I couldn't make it through the first episode of Wild Force; I found the set-up rather contrived (a pilot goes missing during a training run and nobody bothers to ask questions?), and that just bugged me too much to focus on anything.

It wasn't until after the re-runs started airing on ABC Family that I even began to really watch anything.

[Sabrblade]

Wild Force is kinda the first of the Disney series, its sorta half and half, iirc. If so, that might explain the 'downgrade'.

Not just "kinda", it was very much the first Disney era series, as it was made under their authority, but with the same studio and production crew as the previous Saban-made ones. Though, what happened was that Disney allowed the first half to air on Fox, while the second half would air on ABC. Ninja Storm was the second of the Disney series, but the first to be relocated to New Zealand (where Power Rangers is ironically banned from airing in. Go figure).

Edited by Sabrblade, 06 August 2012 - 10:51 PM.

[Swampflight]

Dont really have anything bad to say about the series but if you want to get a good laugh,check out an episode of "Dynaman" on Youtube.It was a parody of the Power Rangers that was part of the show broadcast in the 80's on the USA Network called "Night Flight".

[Luke]

I couldn't make it through the first episode of Wild Force; I found the set-up rather contrived (a pilot goes missing during a training run and nobody bothers to ask questions?), and that just bugged me too much to focus on anything.

I submit to you that if suspension of disbelief for real-world situations in Power Rangers is the point of being "rather contrived", the property is probably not for you.

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

I'm still curious how far in Kal was with that other statement, so we could tell him whether it gets better or not.

When does it get better in season 1? Back when the 2010 reversion aired, I watched all of that, and then continued watching the first season online from where the reversion left off. And, even with such multi-parters as "Green With Evil", "Island of Illusion", "The Green Candle", "Doomsday", and "Return of an Old Friend", it never got better. Out of ALL of those season 1 episodes I watched, only ONE episode ever really reached any levels of "awesome", and that was "Return of an Old Friend Part I", with Part II going back down to the same level of "okay" as the rest of the series.

I didn't get to continue watching into season 2 due to my life becoming busier at the time, but I do own the "Best of Power Rangers" DVD that contains the "White Light" two-parter, and watching that showed that that two-parter was FAR less cringeworthy than the content of season 1.

Oh, right, I keep forgetting it isn't the Time Life set he's got...

Sorry; ever since I laid eyes on that, it's like the other ceased to exist.

Yeah, no... MMPR does get better, but aside from a few multiparters, the first season is overall pretty unremarkable.

There's continuity between episodes, a more daring, longterm scheme from Rita and even a pretty awesomely hilarious break in the formula (after they combine into their Megazord to fight the Dragonzord, Tommy basically jumps into the cockpit and kicks them all out because HUG YEAH! TOMMY!).

Not saying it'll turn you into a fan, but you might find it more watchable.

Wasn't Dragonzord; much to my dismay at the time, it didn't appear until the fifth and final part. I think they were just fighting giant Goldar and Scorpina.

That said, I was kind of "meh" on the series up until Tommy showed up. I liked it, but none of the original five really connected with me; I think I defaulted to Jason, because he was the leader with the sword and Tyrannosaur.

Tommy was a definite game-changer; the show still had formulaic cheese, but he really added a cool factor which kept me watching far, far, far longer than I might have otherwise.

--LBD "Nytetrayn"

[2019]

I couldn't make it through the first episode of Wild Force; I found the set-up rather contrived (a pilot goes missing during a training run and nobody bothers to ask questions?), and that just bugged me too much to focus on anything.

I submit to you that if suspension of disbelief for real-world situations in Power Rangers is the point of being "rather contrived", the property is probably not for you.

I always wondered, what would be the proper real-world military response to an evil space witch attacking a city in southern California with giant monsters?

Five teenagers with attitude, of course.

[Fortress Ironhold]

I couldn't make it through the first episode of Wild Force; I found the set-up rather contrived (a pilot goes missing during a training run and nobody bothers to ask questions?), and that just bugged me too much to focus on anything.

I submit to you that if suspension of disbelief for real-world situations in Power Rangers is the point of being "rather contrived", the property is probably not for you.

I always wondered, what would be the proper real-world military response to an evil space witch attacking a city in southern California with giant monsters?

Time Force did a pretty fair job of showing a PMC handling matters; said PMC even fought some of the weaker dudes to a draw.

[Sabrblade]

I always wondered, what would be the proper real-world military response to an evil space witch attacking a city in southern California with giant monsters?

Five teenagers with attitude, of course.

Or rather, "five overbearing and over-emotional humans", as the actual episode said.

Yet, an even more accurate description would be "five pro-environmental, charity-obsessed goodie-goods". Makes the comparisons Tommy makes between his old MMPR team and his new team in Dino Thunder all the more amusing.

Edited by Sabrblade, 07 August 2012 - 04:53 PM.

[2019]

No clue what you're on about dude I stopped watching power rangers at age 7.

[Sabrblade]

No clue what you're on about dude I stopped watching power rangers at age 7.

Funny, that's about when I started.

[HellCat]

Don't make me relate the tale of how I realised I was a huge nerd when I was the only one still watching it into middle school

[Spectre]

I couldn't make it through the first episode of Wild Force; I found the set-up rather contrived (a pilot goes missing during a training run and nobody bothers to ask questions?), and that just bugged me too much to focus on anything.

I submit to you that if suspension of disbelief for real-world situations in Power Rangers is the point of being "rather contrived", the property is probably not for you.

As is always the case with FI, suspension of disbelief does not apply to any situation which remotely involves the military.

Because yes, showing extended scenes of the military investigating the missing pilot is exactly the kind of thing you'd expect to see in Power Rangers.

Edited by Spectre, 07 August 2012 - 06:45 PM.

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

Yet, an even more accurate description would be "five pro-environmental, charity-obsessed goodie-goods". Makes the comparisons Tommy makes between his old MMPR team and his new team in Dino Thunder all the more amusing.

What did he say? It's been a while, and I've forgotten.

--LBD "Nytetrayn"