Command Center Commentaries: Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie

Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (1997)
Starring: Jason David Frank, Johnny Yong Bosch, Blake Foster
Directed by: David Winning


It's that time again where I cross my TV blog with my movie blog. The only other Power Rangers film to take place so far (and yes, I know we have a Power Rangers reboot film on the way next year), Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie took place between the seasons of Power Rangers Zeo and Power Rangers Turbo. Yes, unlike Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, this one takes place in continuity with the show and the budget reflects that. They're in spandex, not armor, and the film has a much larger scale in locations, and story ideas. That being said, this movie isn't treated with fond memories by many fans or causal moviegoers. It's straight out of the '90s with the idea of being extreme (or Xtreme, since that's how all words were written in the late '90s) and made a number of creative decisions between Zeo and Turbo that nearly killed any of the momentum previously created by the iconic Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series. So let's get a brief look at why Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie was the beginning of the end of the childhood memories Power Rangers had for many people.

Get a good long look at these 4 Power Rangers legends, because they take a back seat to our new Power Ranger. Justin, played by Black Foster, is a little kid who becomes the Blue Ranger after Rocky is injured practicing for a karate tournament. I really wish I was making that up. I think the showrunners thought this was a good idea because kids would look at Justin and live vicariously through him. The big problem is that the kids I knew at the time watching Power Rangers dreamed of growing up to become a Power Ranger, not become one at their current age. The Power Rangers are supposed to be role models for us to aspire to be and when you have one that is our age thrown into the mix, you begin to find him really annoying, almost like that kid in your class that has that really cool thing that you don't have.

When we last left the villains on Power Rangers Zeo, we were teased that Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa were returning with a proclamation of "We're Back!" We get them in the form of a very small cameo "in favor" of some horrible villains that end up remaining with us for the remainder of Power Rangers Turbo. They're evil space pirates, led by Divatox. Divatox, played by Hilary Shepard Turner, is a HORRIBLE main villain. She is more obnoxious than Rita's ever was, nowhere near as menacing as Zedd, and doesn't have the resources that the Machine Empire had. The only thing that Divatox is remembered for is her outfit that knew how to accentuate her huge...tracts of land.

Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie was originally cut at 3 hours and probably would've told a more cohesive story in transitioning us from Zeo to Turbo. One thing the original cut would've had was a scene where Divatox is able to destroy the Zeo powers in a fight. That would have really helped boost her credibility and would've explained why these Rangers can't use their Zeo powers. Instead, their powers are "upgraded" from an ancient crystal to fast cars. This film was meant to show the transition between seasons and the transition doesn't really succeed on any level. The film can definitely be considered a failure and its no surprise how Power Rangers was never able to get another film release until recently. The only reason this film won't have a lower rating is because I do have fond memories of watching this on VHS over and over again when I was a kid. I didn't know better at the time, but I do now. This movie is junk, but it's Power Rangers and I'm a fan so I can't help but have a soft spot for even the junkiest of Power Rangers stuff from my childhood. Power Rangers seasons that came past my time are a different story, so don't be surprised when I'm harsher on later seasons than I am with those that came out when I was younger.


Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Childhood nostalgia aside, I can't help but acknowledge that Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie is a step in the wrong direction. Having a kid become a Power Ranger, changing from ancient powers to cars, and the new villains don't really work well as stuff to be introduced in a pilot film for a new season of Power Rangers. Only check it out if you can't stand the transition from the last episode of Zeo to the first episode of Turbo and you need to know what happened.

Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie and movie images are copyrighted by 20th Century Fox