Our First ‘Power Rangers’ Trailer Is Deathly Serious
This weekend, New York Comic-Con has come bearing gifts for Power Rangers fans. As if the brand new character posters released on Friday weren’t enough, LionsGate has also given us our first theatrical trailer for the movie, providing some much-needed background on the assembly of the current Power Rangers team — and one quick look at Elizabeth Banks’ Freddy Krueger-like Rita Repulsa as well.
The first trailer is a pretty safe choice by Lionsgate. Not only does the trailer avoid showing any of the Rangers in costume — they are only just discovering their powers as a ragtag group of high school delinquents — it also errs on the side of very serious superhero fare. If you knew absolutely nothing about the Power Rangers franchise and I told you this was the newest addition to the DC Cinematic Universe, you’d have no reason to not believe me. It’s kind of fun to compare the tone of this trailer to that of the original 1995 Power Rangers movie release; that trailer may be pure cheese from start to finish, but you can’t deny it’s considerably more in line with what Power Rangers has to offer.
It’s important to remember that the first teaser trailer is always designed to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. This is still the movie where Elizabeth Banks plays an evil space witch, Bryan Cranston’s floating face is their mentor, and Bill Hader is a panicky helper robot, so subsequent trailers and teasers will undoubtedly target the lighter side of the series. For now, Lionsgate seems to be angling for as much of the generic superhero crowd as humanly possible, pulling in people whose only point of reference for Power Rangers is that show where people in pajamas have slap fights with giant lizard men. It may not please hardcore fans, but it’s smart marketing.
For the non-hardcore fans, here’s the full synopsis for the movie:
Saban’s Power Rangers follows five ordinary high school kids who must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove — and the world — is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discover that they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so they will have to overcome their real-life issues and band together as the Power Rangers before it is too late.
Power Rangers will morph its way into theaters on March 24, 2017.