So I went and saw this movie last night, mainly because I have a huge crush on Naomi Scott, and I gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised at just HOW BLEEPING GOOD the movie was.
It was definitely more serious in tone than the original shows, but retained enough of the lighthearted campiness and cheese from the show to keep it fun and interesting. None of the characters felt like cardboard caricatures, but instead felt like real, developed people.
Dacre Montgomery's Jason Scott was a perfect leader who grabbed the role by the ears when the time came. He didn't really come across as a reluctant leader, and at the same time didn't seem like an overbearingly leadery-type guy. When the time came, he had confidence, not arrogance.
Naomi Scott's Kimberly Hart was a nice, welcome refreshing of the Amy Jo Johnson version, retaining a lot of the basics (such as being popular) while also embracing some of the darker side of that popularity with her backstory. It's telling about the character that even though she was a teenager and popular, she felt truly awful over what she had done. Of course, that didn't stop her from feeling a sense of satisfaction when the other two popular girls got their comeuppance in both the cafeteria and the final battle.
RJ Cyler's Billy Cranston played a pitch perfect version of a hyperintelligent kid on the autism spectrum. It never felt forced, nor did it feel like he was going over the top with it. He was awkward and unsure of himself when the character needed to be, and like many people on the spectrum, once they find their niche, he was able to focus intensely and get the job done.
Ludi Lin's Zach Taylor was a nice one. A kid with a very sick mother who masks his fears and doubts about life with bravado and reckless behavior, he did so with a grace and humor where most people would have just collapsed.
Becky G's Trini Kwan was an interesting character. The ultimate outsider, Trini is always the new girl at school (three schools in three years), has no friends because of it, has an overbearing helicopter mother (sweet ***** that woman would drive me to drink... what kind of psychopath keeps medical urine collection cups at home?), and might possibly be gay. Now she has superpowers, which further isolates her. She's so used to be alone that she prefers it, so when she meets the other four, she really wants nothing to do with them. Not out of dislike, mind you, but because she's scared of making friends only to have to abandon them with the inevitable move that she has come to expect.
Bryan Cranston's Zordon. Nothing needs to be said on this matter.
Bill Hader's Alpha 5. Normally, I want to claw my eardrums and eyeballs out with a rusty melonballer whenever Bill Hader is on screen and/or talking, but I honestly think he found the one good role for him, which is saying something.
Elizabeth Banks' Rita Repulsa proves once again that the actress is perfectly willing to make herself look like a bag of smashed buttholes in order to make a role good. And she did both, in spades. Truly living up to the "Repulsa" part of her name, Rita was downright hideous at first, and even at her best looking, there was still something repulsive and off-putting about her appearance. It helped that she played the role with some serious creepy vibes, establishing Rita as a credible threat to the Rangers instead of the cackling megalomaniac we saw in the show.
