Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Double Feature

Twentieth Century Fox | minutes | | | Standard DVD reviewed by: Fusion3600

In the first film, an excavation team uncovers a long buried relic, which happens to house Ivan Ooze, a mean fiend who wants revenge on Zordon. When Ivan begins to produce a strange, mystical ooze and sells it to kids, the rangers can see the results, brainwashed parents who serve as Ivan's slaves. Since Zordon has been injured by Ivan's powers and the rangers can do little to fend him off, they end up with their powers missing, which is not good in the least. But when the rangers take a trek to a distant realm, they discover some new skills and some old ones they never even knew they had. Even with these new powers however, can the rangers defeat Ivan, restore order to Angel Grove, and revive Zordon? In Turbo, a band of rangers old and new face another adventure, as they are called upon to protect Lerigot, a magician. Lerigot is wanted by an evil race of aliens, who seek to use his powers to further their plans, which include the destruction of the rangers' home planet and more. This will take all their skills and perhaps even some help from friends, both old and new, but perhaps once again, the rangers can save the afternoon.

This is another of Fox's double feature release and this time, you can pick up Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie and Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie in one fell swoop. I was pleased with the audio/video and while the extras are slim, two films for the price of one is a lot of value no matter how you look at it. I know these films have passed their primes and look more dated than ever, but I find them to be fun and even if campish, decent enough in the end, if taken for just what they're supposed to be. I always thought the television was amusing and even though aimed at kids, it had some charm and good fight scenes, stacked against other afternoon shows. I guess I just like the strange costumes and bad one liners, because I liked both of these films a lot, although the first is much better than the sequel. The once powerful draw of the franchise has all but died out, but now we have this terrific, low priced double feature to own, which will forever keep those morphin memories alive. With both films present and in fine form, I think this release is well worth a purchase, so if you're at all interested, take advantage of the value and add this one to your collection.

Just like the television series, the casts change between the two films, but a few faces make double turns. As you can imagine, good acting is in short supply in these two flicks, but I feel the performers come through, at least to the level of the television show. I mean, I don't think anyone should be let down by these folks, as you should know this more about cheese laden lines that classical performances. So when you look at the work from the right level, the kids all turn in solid efforts and the bad guy, well he is a cliched baddie, just as it should be. And as is usually the case, the villains steal the show here, in the form of Paul Freeman's Ivan Ooze in the first film. Freeman (The Long Good Friday, Double Team) delivers his lines with the gusto needed and comes as mean, but also humorous at times, which is all we could ask for in this case. The casts here also include Jason David Frank (MTV's Undressed), David Yost (Ladykiller), Steve Cardenas, Amy Jo Johnson (Without Limits, Cold Hearts), Johnny Bosch, Karan Ashley (Unto Thee), Catherine Sutherland (The Cell), Blake Foster (Above Suspicion), and Nakia Burrise (Under Wraps).

Both of these movies are presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfers, as they were shown in the theaters. I was pleased with both images here, but I do think the second film has more gloss, which just makes it seem more refined. The first films looks good and better than expected, but pales a shade when compared to the sequel. The colors look bold and bright, but never bleed and flesh tones seem natural as well. The contrast is smooth is both cases also, though perhaps a little sharper in the sequel, though not by much. In the end, both transfers look terrific and do the material justice, but the sequel looks a little better overall.

Each of the films has been given a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, so all the zaps and whams come across better than ever. Of course, these movies don't offer the chance for the speakers to overload, but the surround use is impressive, especially when the action heats up. The music also lights up the surround channels, but the fight scenes prove to be the finest portions in terms of audio presence. But the rest of the films also sound good, just not as immersive or dynamic, but that is to be expected, as far as I am concerned. No issues with the vocals either, as dialogue comes across in crisp form at all times, with no traces of volume problems. Each film is also given a 2.0 surround track and English subtitles, but just the first film has been graced with a French 2.0 surround option.

This release includes a brief featurette and theatrical trailer for each film, so two trailers and two featurettes total.