'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always': Fans Scream When Watching Their Heroes Back

Recently, the new Power Ranger franchise movie hits the screen. It is a great live-action superhero television series based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise Super Sentai (1975). The latest movie version is titled Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always (2023), which is a 30-year anniversary special.

The anniversary special is meaningful for Power Ranger fans. Fans are all surprised to see the first generation of Ranger actors, Billy Cranston (David Yost) and Zack Taylor (Walter Jones), make a cameo in the special. Meanwhile, we miss the Power Ranger actors who have passed away. Jason David Frank, aka the Green Ranger, and Karan Ashley, aka the Yellow Ranger. All of them are heroes in our hearts.

For other first generation of Ranger actors, the Red Ranger Jason Lee Scott actor Austin St. John was accused of fraud, he could not go to New Zealand to participate in the filming during his bail. For the Pink Ranger, Amy Jo Johnson refused to participate, and in 2017, she also had a cameo appearance with the Green Ranger in Power Rangers (2017).

For the second-generation Power Ranger actors, the Pink Ranger and the Red Ranger come back to the special, we are all happy to see them back! But the Black Ranger and the Yellow Ranger, cameoed in other roles because they couldn't fit in the uniforms.

As for another key character, the evil Queen Rita Repulsa, the actress of the first generation, Machiko Soga, passed away in 2006, so the crew made CG Queen Rita instead of finding a new actress to play the role. Other villains also cameoed in the 30-anniversary special, which makes fans crazily excited. The most thing is, all the Rangers, villains, and even the props have remained authentic way. There's no overdoing in the costume and stage property design. When fans watch it, they feel time goes back to 20 years before.

I know everything about the plot, the 30-anniversary special just like it was back to our childhood. But maybe due to the budget, I give zero points for special effects. I know it is not a tokusatsu movie, but it lacks the vibe of the Power Rangers golden year.

However, the memory and the feelings are priceless, it is quite interesting to watch a group of middle-aged people transform. Justice VS evil is always the best.