Teenagers... With Attitude!?

The new Power Rangers movie is fine. It's pretty good even. If you want a modern tale of Breakfast Club-like diversity with DCU style cinematography and imagery choice, dealing with the current social and economic issues facing kids (in this case autism, caregiving, helicopter parents), then you're all set.

But if you want those things, you'll get them more and better just watching Chronicle.

This isn't a callow observation. The first half of the movie was pleasant reminiscence of the exact same style in Chronicle, and since I liked both movies, it's just fun to have more of. But a good reminder to go watch Chronicle.

Really all you get from Power Rangers above that in Haim Saban fan service, and Rita Repulsa.

The fan service is real. And not even inelegant. Of particular note was the reinterpretation where Zordon is semi-villainous, and Rita is a rogue Green Ranger, who has some pretty legitimate grievances against Zordon, that parallel the modern day Ranger's own problems with him and team building.

And Rita, cartoonish as ever, drips with a visceral intimacy. Low bar, but she's still a more engaging villain than anyone in the MCU. So if Enchantress and Harley Quinn weren't enough for you, you can buy the ticket to see this weird combination of them.

Logan: Review

Logan, the final Wolverine movie, was first introduced with a tone-perfect trailer that matched Johnny Cash music to the painful decay of an old warrior, called into battle one last time to protect a young girl. It hit the cultural moment just right, and like many trailers, worked well as a movie all by itself.

The actual movie was completely different from this. Full spoilers below the cut.