Home Entertainment Director talks about how POWER RANGERS remake will be 'emotional' and character driven

Director talks about how POWER RANGERS remake will be 'emotional' and character driven

3 min read
0

power-rangers-real-emotion

I was never a huge Power Rangers fan, but from what I’ve seen so far of the new film reboot of the franchise, they are certainly starting to change my perception. A lot of the issues I had with the original TV series and its subsequent movie was just the whole childishness and shallowness of it (yes, it was a kids show, but as a kid, even I felt too old for it) and the cheapness of the production rather than the actual story’lines themselves. And it looks like they have certainly been fixing all those issues and looking to create something that is a lot darker and a whole lot deeper as well.

The reboot’s director, Dean Israelite, spoke a little more about this topic with The Hollywood Reporter, particularly on how he intends to appeal to both original Power Rangers fans who are now a lot older and to new fans alike:

“What I’m proud of, and what’s exciting to me, is that it’s a real character driven movie. There’s real emotion in this film, and I think people will be surprised by it. I don’t think this movie is just one thing — I think it doesn’t have to be grim, I think it should be fun, and it should be adventurous. I think this movie hits those different notes well, and this property is so ripe to mix all those things together.”

power rangers

Character development in any movie is obviously a huge plus and hopefully it will be done right here. I love that he wants to ensure though that the film is not just deep, but still maintains a fun and adventurous tone as well. A formula that few have successfully managed to keep together, so he has a lot to live up to with his words. One of the aspects of the original TV series was also the humour, and Israelite spoke about how Elizabeth Bank’s witchy Rita Repulsa will still have this intact:

“I think it’s a case of taking the characters to places that they had never been before, but had maybe needed to go. With Rita, she still has the madness and humor that made her work so well in the series, but there’s something more. Elizabeth Banks is perfect in the role, because she can balance the humor and the drama the character needs in a way that almost no one else could.”

He also hinted towards wanting to try and keep the story grounded through it all, without letting all the big sci-fi elements get in the way of telling the story:

“I mean, I think the guiding light for me was, how do I take the spirit of what was, for me, a fun and heartfelt show and make the characters come to life in a way that gives nuance and complexity to them, and gives a lot of emotion to them. That was one guiding principle for remaking the show. The other was to make it grounded and real, and make it feel real and relatable even though the adventure was epic. I thought if I could do that, and maintain the fun of the show, I could bring it to life in a whole new way.”

I was still in two minds about whether I wanted to watch this film, but if Israelite can pull off what he is saying, it should definitely be a worthwhile experience.

He also provided an update on the current development of the film saying they are “deep into the editing and visual effects process,” so they’ve still got quite a lot to do “in order to get everything perfect in time for the release.” Power Rangers will hit theaters on March 24, 2017.

We also have some new images from the film below, which try and highlight the grittier and more grounded approach the director has been talking about.

Last Updated: October 11, 2016

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

Best comic book covers of the week – 17 May 2021

From the streets of Gotham to the far reaches of the Multiverse, these are the best comic …