Top 20 Power Rangers FAILS
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the biggest blunders across the entire “Power Rangers” franchise. Some spoilers may be ahead. Is there a Morphinominal fail we missed? Let us know in the comments!
#20: I'm Dreaming of a White Ranger
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“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” (1993-95)
In this holiday episode, the Power Rangers have to rescue Santa’s workshop from Rito and Lord Zedd. How would you expect this Christmas-themed “Power Rangers” episode to go? Well if you expected awesome action with the Rangers in their morphed glory then we’ve got news for you. Sure, this isn’t a terrible special as it has lots of charming moments. But the lack of the iconic costumes and awesome weapons in favor of snowball fights really hold the special down. Also the plot with Zedd wanting to have the elves make brainwashing toys is definitely an inspired choice. This Christmas special ultimately reminds us that the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are the coolest when they actually get to do some mighty morphin.
#19: The Lackluster Crossover
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“Power Rangers: Clash of the Red Rangers - The Movie” (2011)
A crossover between the RPM Power Rangers and the Samurai Rangers should have been an exciting spectacle for the fans. Unfortunately this movie really skimped on that whole concept. The only real crossing over is with RPM red ranger Scott who gets transported into the world of the samurai rangers. Hardly anything else from the RPM side meets up with the samurais besides Scott and evil Venjix’s general Professor Cog. Having Power Rangers from different shows meeting up can be epic, but unfortunately this “team-up” fails to do more than just the bare minimum.
#18: Uninteresting Morphers
“Power Rangers Jungle Fury” (2008)
Power Rangers are defined by their morphers. These stylish gadgets turn everyday average joes into the colorful heroes we love. So with something that’s such a revered staple of the franchise, it’s sad that the morphers in “Jungle Fury” were so lackluster. The show’s morphers were called “solar morphers” and they were essentially just a pair of glorified sunglasses. These weren’t exactly fan favorites and we can see why. They looked like something you’d regret buying at Sunglass Hut. We’re not saying they needed to make them completely over-the-top like flip phones or belt buckles, but there was barely anything that made them actually stand out. Hopefully these morphers are good at shielding the wearer from the shade we’re throwing.
#17: The Unlikable Red Ranger
Top 10 Power Rangers Fails
“Power Rangers Mystic Force” (2006)
Given they’re usually the leaders of their respective teams, red rangers are incredibly important fixtures of the “Power Rangers” franchise. But not all red rangers have been hits. Nick Russell from “Mystic Force” happens to be one of the most disliked red rangers of all. Belonging to a magical lineage and fated to become the “light” against all darkness, Nick was destined for a lot. But this chosen one ultimately fell flat. He was often lazy, reckless, and kind of a big jerk, not exactly qualities that your savior should possess. The Power Rangers don’t need a leader who’s perfect. But they should have someone who’s heroic and always willing to lead by example, and Nick didn’t exactly fit that bill.
#16: Morpher Mistake
“Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue” (2000)
Remember folks, continuity is important! In “Lightspeed Rescue”, the Titanium Ranger Ryan Mitchell who was taken in by Diabolico believes his real dad abandoned him. But when Ryan learns that Diabolico essentially stole Ryan from his dad, the news horrifies him. Caught in a whirlwind of emotions, he lets his morpher sink to the ground. The entire scene is a dramatic one, but a production error in the immediate aftermath unintentionally contradicts it. When he goes to face his demonic captor, the morpher is still on his wrist. Sure they make being separated from the morpher an interesting plot point in later episodes, but this mishap is hard to ignore.
#15: Throwing a Child Into the Mix
“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” (1993-95)
Sure, insert a kid into the middle of a battle, that won’t turn any heads. When the Megazord clashes against Ticklesneezer, a child nearly the same size as the Megazord appears next to it. The explanation? “Mighty Morphin” extensively used footage from “Zyuranger”, and in this case, the Sentai material used had a story beat involving a kid turning into a giant. But that plot wasn’t carried over for this “Mighty Morphin” episode. So this editing botch kind of makes it look like there’s an unsupervised gigantic child with front row seats to a dangerous fight. They probably should have fixed that up in post…
#14: A Show About Outer Space That Didn’t Do Anything Cool With the Concept
Top 20 Best Power Rangers Series
“Power Rangers Lost Galaxy” (1999)
With a name like “Lost Galaxy” this show could’ve—you know— placed the Power Rangers across the galaxy battling exciting intergalactic threats and hopping planets. But this series did hardly any of that. It’s actually a lot like “Time Force”, the “Power Rangers” time-travel show with barely any time-traveling in it (xref). What is it with these “Power Rangers” shows and false advertising? All “Lost Galaxy” really did was follow the Rangers on a space-station/colony called Terra Venture. Having it take place there is fine, but not really enough to justify all of the “galaxy” branding. The marketing for this show was truly a failure of cosmic proportions.
#13: Originally Producing the Movie Costumes without Visors
“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie” (1995)
The 1995 “Power Rangers” movie had an infamously turbulent production history. Even the choices that ultimately improved the movie had some unwanted side effects. When the fight scenes were filmed, initially the helmets didn’t sport the iconic visors or mouthplates. Since the entire thing looked pretty odd to say the least, they thankfully decided to correct this fashion fail. Unfortunately though, production in general had experienced many delays. So the addition of new reshoots that they had to do certainly didn’t help things. We’re glad that they never went with the original visorless footage. But the reshoots were one of many issues that made the movie such a production nightmare.
#12: Goldar’s Mask
“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” (1993-95)
Mobility in costumes is very important. Sure you could have some incredibly rad designs but what good are they if the actors can barely work with them? Such is the issue with Goldar’s mask. In the first season of “Mighty Morphin”, the villain’s mask proved to be a real challenge. The only portion capable of any movement was the jaw’s upper half, and even that wasn’t always guaranteed. With so much difficulty the mask proved to be, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they went back to the drawing board. By season two the mask was replaced completely. Given all the trouble it caused, it looks like retiring it was for the best.
#11: The 2017 Movie Reboot
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“Power Rangers” (2017)
With the craze of superhero movies and other franchise films taking over, it only seemed fitting that Saban would try to corner that market too. They took a gamble and brought the “Power Rangers” to the big screen in 2017. They hoped to use the movie as a launching pad for an entire new wave of “Power Rangers” movies. Unfortunately this didn’t really work out when the 2017 movie tanked. The reimagining fell short due to a variety of issues, like the limited budget, which meant less screen time with the iconic weapons and only having one big action sequence. We’re all for more “Power Rangers”, but the blockbuster-esque 2017 reboot just missed the mark.
#10: Green Ranger's Shield
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“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” (1993-95)
When watching a mash-up of footage from Power Rangers and Super Sentai, fans can usually overlook the differences… unless it’s a glaring prop error. While most of the props and costumes were shipped from Japan for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, American prop makers were left to make a substitute shield out of thin cloth. This not only made it painfully obvious which scenes were American-filmed, but the shield in the U.S. version also looks like it can barely protect Tommy at all. Later, they mercifully remade the shield with the proper material for Green Ranger’s return in Dino Thunder… However, they also altered his helmet by adding a silver stripe. So, they fixed one aesthetic issue, but created another.
#9: The Abrupt Shift From Zeo to Turbo
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“Power Rangers Zeo” (1996), “Power Rangers Turbo” (1997)
Moving from one season to another can feel like a natural progression if done right… unfortunately, that was NOT the case for the Zeo-Turbo transition. The gap between the finale of Zeo and the Turbo movie brought with it unexpected visual changes, continuity errors, and unfulfilled promises from the finale. Perhaps the biggest question left unanswered was: why was it necessary to trade in the Zeo powers for the Turbo ones? There were rumors about a serial called “Scorpion Rain” that would’ve supposedly answered some of these questions, but it was debunked as a hoax. And sadly, this sudden move wasn’t the LAST hasty change made in Turbo.
#8: Jennifer L. Yen as Vypra
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“Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue” (2000)
Arguably, the weakest links in Lightspeed Rescue were the villains. But, while most of them could at least act, there was one notable exception: Vypra. Sure, actress Jennifer L. Yen definitely LOOKED the part; however, her skills as a thespian were another story. In nearly all of her scenes; her inflection is all over the place and she delivers her lines with very unconvincing enthusiasm. In fact the only time it looked like she could actually ... act was when her character was being killed off. Even when she returned as a zombie, her performance was deader than she was. This wasn’t the last character fans felt was miscast, but it did prove the consequences of playing a part without any real passion.
#7: The ‘Peace Conference’ Incident
Top 5 Facts About the Power Rangers
“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” (1993-95)
Jason, Zack, and Trini were originally slated to appear in the 1995 movie; however, with the show’s rising popularity, their actors hoped Saban would go union so their salaries could improve. Saban didn’t concede, so the three walked offset halfway through filming the season. And, their departure didn’t go unnoticed: they rarely appeared unmorphed outside of stock footage or body doubles, and stand-in actors provided their morphed voice overs… or tried to anyway. Eventually, the three rangers were shipped off to a ‘Peace Conference,’ and replaced by Rocky, Adam, and Aisha. And while unfortunately Trini never returned, Jason did make a comeback in Zeo and Zack would return decades later in the “Once & Always” Netflix special.
#6: Kalishplosions
“Power Rangers” Disney Seasons (2005-09)
Did you ever notice that, starting with Power Rangers SPD, the explosions in the show suddenly started becoming gigantic and less practical? They’d erupt way behind their targets, sending them into the air unrealistically, then the shot would be repeated again zoomed in. This is a case of the Kalishplosions; a process named after then-executive producer, Bruce Kalish. What’s worse is that this increase in over-the-top explosions coincided with the reduction in the number of unique martial arts fight sequences the series was known for – likely to tone down the violence. But in doing so the fight scenes became incredibly repetitive, to the point where they were a mangled mess of laser blasts flying everywhere and hitting nothing.
#5: Justin as the Blue Ranger
“Power Rangers Turbo” (1997)
A pre-teen fighting alongside teens with attitude… not exactly a perfect match. At the time, Power Rangers was losing at the ratings game, so the studio thought it’d be a good idea to bring in a younger Ranger to appeal to a newer audience. Enter Justin; a pre-teen genius taking on the mantle of the Blue Ranger after veteran Rocky injured his back. Justin himself actually made a decent Ranger, taking action the minute trouble arose; however, someone his age seemed out of place with the rest of the Rangers and his central episodes tended to feel silly and pandered to younger audiences. Needless to say, this audience-grabbing experiment was a washout.
#4: Over Ambitious Operation Overdrive
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“Power Rangers Operation Overdrive” (2007)
If you can get past the abysmal theme song, there’s no turning back. Originally, the plan for Operation Overdrive was for a grandiose and adventurous season, similar to its Super Sentai counterpart: “Boukenger.” Unfortunately the low budget caused a lot of cut corners that affected almost every aspect of the show: according to fans, the season’s pacing was off the wall, the potential for the multiple villain factions was wasted, and many of the main characters were incredibly unlikable. Not even a crossover with fan favorite past Rangers could redeem the season, as the special made the legendary heroes look incompetent compared to this unlikable team. Seriously, go watch those episodes again; the Retro Rangers don’t kill a single monster.
#3: The 20th Anniversary Seasons
Top 10 Power Rangers Series
“Power Rangers Megaforce” (2013), “Power Rangers Super Megaforce” (2014)
Considering it was a 20th Anniversary season, Megaforce ultimately failed to celebrate the occasion. To start, they split the season in half so that, by the time the actual anniversary content came into play, it was a year too late. As for the actual series, fans are quick to point out that our “heroes” lacked any depth or backstory, and their acting was extremely bland, with Troy, the Red Ranger, easily being the worst of the bunch. They may have had a much better season planned, but executive meddling thwarted those plans. Leaving fans with two seasons filled with shallow and out of touch fan-service, rather than telling an actual story.
#2: Driving David Yost Away
“Power Rangers Zeo” (1996)
Billy is one of the most iconic Blue Rangers, and the longest-lasting member of the original five, eventually stepping down and becoming a tech assistant in Zeo. But, near the end of the season, he departed the show a few episodes after his actor, David Yost, resigned. There were rumors about a pay dispute, but the real reason was actually much worse: Yost has since claimed he was regularly harassed by several crew members about his sexuality, with some even deeming him “unworthy” of being a superhero. As a result, Yost opted to walk, and wouldn’t return until the 30th anniversary special “Once & Always”.
#1: The Legendary Battle
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“Power Rangers Super Megaforce” (2014)
Since the beginning of Megaforce, Power Rangers had been foreshadowing a legendary event for the finale; an epic battle featuring every Ranger from the previous two decades. For the next two years, fans endured what they called lackluster writing, bland characters, and dissatisfying tribute episodes with only TWO veteran appearances. Finally, the big battle arrived, and boy was it a letdown. A handful of veteran Ranger actors actually accepted the last-minute invites, and only a fraction of them had any dialogue at all. And sadly, the battle itself is just as disappointing, with a heavy reliance on stock footage, the Megaforce Rangers’ annoying commentary, and aggravating plot holes. To sum it all up: It was a battle that was hyped up for 2 years, and it barely lasted 2 minutes. Talk about a Super Mega Fail!
