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This is my seventh favorite entry in the Power Ranger franchise. It's also one that's under the radar as this is one that doesn't really get talked about that much and has been forgotten. Once again the franchise gets into fantasy, I do like the story/plotline it's kind of "Power Rangers" doing "Once Upon an Time" well sort of but some of the format of it is similar on the fantasy realm and reality realm coming together, as well as the use of new main villains entering on part of the season. Strangely I also can't help but think this is part of what the final season of "Once Upon a Time" should have been but failed.
I really like the production value; the costumes are interesting looking as they have capes which makes sense as their magicians. Though as usual it's those helmet that impress me the most, really like how each visor represents the type of magic they weld. The weapons are cool also, they are armed with magic staffs, but they also double as axes as there is a double blade in one end of the staff which makes it both a magical and practical weapon.
The action is very good as usual, this show surprising has some of the best battles from the franchises I've seen as some of them are just well choreographed. Like the visual and practical effects from the zords which are all uniquely designed and have the usual cool combinations. But I really like the magic effects and seeing them use magic against the monsters.
I like that here instead of just one main villain, you get three main villains whom come at different parts of the show which I think is cool because it keeps the show fresh and actually did help in advancing the intrical plotline. Even like how the plotlines develop and there are some twists in them, well they might not be much of a twist as you might be able to easily predict what will happen ten or twenty feet away; though that could just be me as I've seen my share of cliffhangers in a show. But that didn't make it any less intriguing as you could say it's still suspenseful as we have yet to see the reveal.
But I also like the concept itself which in a way predates the TV show "Once Upon a Time" on having the fantasy world correlate with our modern-day reality. I always thought that was cool as that was something rarely done in the fantasy genre at the time. Music is solid, the theme has sort of a hip hop style to it, which I don't mind it was something a little different and fun to listen to.
Characters are pretty good even some of the supporting characters who are well rounded and developed which rarely happens in "Power Rangers" and in any show at the time.
Three I like are Nick who is the Red Ranger and another of my favorite Red Rangers, like most has the qualities of a leader. However, what really makes him stand out for me is he has this ongoing storyline with him that intriguingly develops.
Xander Bly the Green Ranger he's another of my favorite Green Rangers, like the actor that plays him he sort of looks like James Franco when he was that age (James Franco in a Power Rangers show that would have been something). He's my favorite character in the show as he's pretty much true to his last name as Bly rhymes with Sly.
I like that he's kind of cool but a bit of a dork at the same time as he's always trying to be a smooth talker but is overconfident which is why most of the time whenever he tries to open up negotiations or talk his way out of something he always falls flat. However, he constantly does this as practice because he's a guy with big dreams of being a manager of a business, maybe even one of his own somewhere along the line.
But I like that he doesn't let that ambition become a selfish one as he really does care about his friends and does what he has to help them, after all every manager needs happy customers and most importantly good employees and friends to do good business.
Chip Torn the Yellow Ranger another one of my favorite Yellow Rangers and another of the male ones. The actor that plays him is solid as well sort of looks a bit like singer Rick Ashley (I said a bit, has the same hairstyle and color). His character is interesting as he's sort of a fantasy enthusiast but also childlike as he's still into certain things not exactly grown up like in one episode, he mentions having a cape.
His character is sort of on the ill confidant side as he's can be a little frightful sometimes. Though I feel that sort of what makes him human because when you think about how confidant would you react if you ever saw a monster about to attack you. But what I like about him is despite this, he has the will to fight on because he knows it will never go away unless he and the others vanquish it.
Even supporting characters as actually have development themselves which is interesting as it's never really been done in the show. Supporting character in the franchise in fact in most shows are two dimensional characters we see and hear but never entirely know, and sometimes are just simply by their nature background ornaments to fill empty space; this make the characters on both counts non-essential to the story.
Here in this show it's not the case, as we see each of the supporting characters are actually three dimensional and actually are essential to the story as they contribute something to the ongoing plotline.
Even like how some of them consist of alumni that were in a previous series or go on to another series afterward. Like John Tui whom of course was Kruger from "Power Rangers S.P.D." Then there's Antonia Prebble whom was in an episode or two of "Power Rangers Dino Thunder". Holly Shanahan who would afterward go on to be in "Power Rangers Jungle Fury" as Camille, she is most surprising here as she looks even sounds radically different in this show, didn't even know it was the same actress.
I'll describe a couple of supporting characters I really like. Toby is fun, just like Ernie in the original "Power Rangers" he's sort of the Earth Father figure. He's the kind of boss that we wish we had or should have more of. He's a person that owns and runs a music store which is cool, I like music stores and these days their almost hard to come by which makes seeing this store all the more special. What I like is that the guy is kind of cool but he's a bit of a dork at the same time as he's not very smooth. I like that he a person that wants to have a good time and everyone else around him, and that he's also spontaneous just loves and isn't afraid of trying new things out which I can emphasize with as I do that myself.
Dargon, his character I know is sort of a subordinate villain but he's a rather interesting one as he's doesn't seem like a villain at all but more like someone that is just fighting for the wrong team. Like the design of his character which is cool as he's designed as a knight. Really like how he believes in honor and despite his plight in destroying the Rangers and helping the evil organization he works. There is also ongoing development with him just like his motives he's enigmatic but the enigma begins to clear up as the show goes on.
Though this show does miscast a spell or two; my main problem with it is that it has a balancing issue. The focus and even development of the supporting characters is one of the shows strengths but is also a weakness at the same time as this sometimes makes the Rangers themselves into second string characters. Don't get me wrong I like it when supporting characters sometimes take center stage to show the main characters are the only ones that live in their world, but this show is called "Power Rangers Mystic Force" so it's still the Power Rangers show.
Also, if there is one character I could of done without is Clare (Antonia Prebble). I know she's sort of like who Alpha is to Zordon but I honest didn't care about her let alone she wasn't very useful, she's one of those characters that were just there to fill empty space in. There is this ongoing plotline of her as a sorcerer's apprentice but that really didn't do much for the show and wasn't interesting. It's a fantasy plotline I've seen done in dozens of other fantasy stories but better and actually interesting.
Overall, this is a solid volume in the franchise that like any spell in a spell book is worth a look.
Rating: 3 and a half stars
score 9/10
hellraiser7 27 April 2020
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw5683346/ |
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9-12-2020 03:28:09