The mid-90’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are back and it’s hard to avoid them thanks to Lionsgate’s clever marketing campaign. Their bold colours have returned but their Spandex costumes have been side-lined in favour of costumes that are visually appealing and look more futuristic.

Unlike its 1995 predecessor the reboot has a credible behind-the-scenes team. Dean Israelite takes the role as director, and John Gatins (Kong: Skull Island) teams up with Matt Sazama (Gods of Egypt), Burk Sharpless (Dracula Untold), Michele Mulroney (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) and Kieran Mulroney (Junk) on writing duties. John Papsidera, who was previously in charge of casting Alice Through the Looking Glass and Independence Day: Resurgence, cast up a storm bringing on board Bryan Cranston (Kung Fu Panda 3) and Elizabeth Banks (Zack and Miri Make a Porno).

Cranston plays Zordon of Eltar, a wise galactic sage who fought for the side of good as the original Red Ranger until he sacrificed himself to defeat rogue former Green Ranger Rita Repulsa, played by Elizabeth Banks. Sixty-five million years later he becomes a mentor to the new team, his essence staying conscious as it’s attached to his spaceship’s Morphing Grid. Instead of a floating, blurred mess in a jar, the updated Zordon head moves freely across the ship, created by what seems like a generated computer code wall.

We are introduced to the new Rangers in a breakfast club style intro. The new Rangers are Jason Lee Scott (Dacre Montgomery), a disgraced former high school quarterback who has been kicked off the team following a prank gone wrong and a run-in with the Angel Grove law that ends in tears with his car flipping over several times.

Then we have Kimberly Hart (Naomi Scott), another misfit and a former cheerleader, Billy Cranston (RJ Cyler), an autistic kid who blew up his locker by mistake, Zack (Ludi Lin), who has to look after his dying mother and doesn’t seem to attend school, and finally Trini (Becky G.), who’s generated the most pre-release publicity for being an LGBT character but unlike Beauty and the Beast all the press surrounding the character has been positive. These minor changes to the characters of Billy and Trini are noble attempts at dealing with real issues, and while criticised by other journalists I didn’t see the need for the film to overemphasise these issues. The viewers are given depth and soul to each character, which I’m sure, will be built upon over the six movie arch franchise, so Trini’s sexual persuasion dropped in during a heart-to-heart was noted, but we live in 2017 and do we really need to go the Dawson’s Creek route with it? The same with Billy’s autism; although his mental condition is present he is still a human and he should not be defined by the illness alone. The set-up here in my opinion makes a decent teen movie, without the angst. All the ingredients are there, which no doubt will flower in the future storyline with greater consequence and impact.

After the new Rangers realise they are now superheroes we get a Rocky Balboa segment that

slightly derails the momentum the film had built up. The main issue for me was that the training

montage went on for far too long. While on the subject of the movie’s downfalls one of my other