First image of Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa

[DefunctTheory]

Spoiler

It's the fictional equivalent of reshooting the Lincoln movie, only now he's a space man from the future, but when he was in the future he was from the past, and now he's here not to Emancipate, but to divebomb rebels in a genetically modified giant bald eagle.

Okay, I actually want this to be a movie now.

...

Me too.

Which means I have to admit this Rita is amazing and I'll buy twenty tickets to the movie please, I guess.

 

[Bilious Green_v1legacy]

Great. Now I have to get my head around the idea that a Power Rangers movie is a thing. Thanks, internet.

 

[zero_traveler]

Media often becomes generational, and that's okay. We wouldn't have Batman TAS, the versions of the X-Men everyone loves, any of the modern Sherlock Holmes versions, etc. without them. For better or worse. I mean, I personally think the Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is among or the best version (and being from where I'm from, I actually grew up on the Mirage comics), despite clearly being aimed at a modern audience.

So maybe this sucks. I don't know. I'm more concerned with what the Power Rangers' costumes look like. I think the tone of the costumes will tell us more about the final product, so I'm going to worry more when I see them.

The problem comes in that in almost all cases, there are Iconic parts to the character design that are just...part of the character.

Batman always has a utility belt of some kind, with a dark, bat themed outfit. (granted, these are huge generalizations)

The X-men all have their little bits and bobs that tell you who they are, like Cyclops' Visor or Storm's arm-cape things and glowy eyes.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are all green, with unique weapons and their respective colored headband. Blue/swords = Leonardo, Red/Sai = Raphael, Purple/Bo = Donatello, and Orange/Nunchaku = Michelangelo.


This "New" Rita Repulsa, if all you had done was show me the Picture and tell me she was a modernized MMPR villain (without telling me which one), I'd have immediately thought it was the minor villain Scorpina, a completely different character from what they are saying she actually is. Because she looks nothing like Rita, and a lot like Scorpina.

Rita had big, crazy hair, a large and arcane looking magical staff, and yes, she had the Madonna cone boobs top. Also, she had a Red and Gold color scheme.

None of us are saying that they had to make her look exactly the same, but this new one doesn't have ANY elements that correlate the two to each other.

 

[Something Amyss]

The problem comes in that in almost all cases, there are Iconic parts to the character design that are just...part of the character.

Incidentally, a couple (like colour-coded TMNT headbands) are not original elements of the character design. Further, since Power Rangers has only really had one incarnation (unless you count the movie), it's hard to argue from tradition at this point.

It's also reducing characters to...well, very little. I would hope there was more to this movie than whether I could recognise Rita by sight for the same reasons I would hope there's more to it than whether I can recognise her without Barbara's "iconic" voice.

 

[Winnosh]

My biggest confusion is Why are they using the Mighty Morphin era of power rangers to do this. I mean just make a bunch of new characters and call them Power Rangers, that's pretty much the draw of the series. Seein what new group is going to be taking the mantle and fighting evil next. It's a show that's endured for Decades, we've got twenty plus years of kids who have grown up with different groups of rangers as their heroes. You pick any group of kids for the past two decades and you'll get lots of different answers to Who are the power rangers.

Bringing back and recasting the originals serves little purpose.

 

[zero_traveler]

The problem comes in that in almost all cases, there are Iconic parts to the character design that are just...part of the character.

Incidentally, a couple (like colour-coded TMNT headbands) are not original elements of the character design. Further, since Power Rangers has only really had one incarnation (unless you count the movie), it's hard to argue from tradition at this point.

It's also reducing characters to...well, very little. I would hope there was more to this movie than whether I could recognise Rita by sight for the same reasons I would hope there's more to it than whether I can recognise her without Barbara's "iconic" voice.

Simplify it further then. (And get way abstract in the process...)

Fruit

The difference is between...

(1)putting a Golden Delicious apple in place of a Classic Red apple,
or
(2)putting a Mandarin orange in place of the Classic Red apple.

Sure, both the apple and the orange are fruit, but an orange is not an apple. In the first example, It's still basically the same thing, it just looks a bit different, but in the second example, you've completely removed all aspects of the original and replaced it with a completely different thing.

 

[Dango]

I don't think they know they're making a movie out of a kids television show. They're allowed to make thing that look fucking dumb.

 

[Something Amyss]

Simplify it further then. (And get way abstract in the process...)

And not really address me in the process. Apparently, your point doesn't actually involve me, so I'm not really sure why you're trying to simplify it. The argument you've made is one I don't really care about, and you've brought up points that aren't mine or even bizarre elseworlds versions of them. You seem to think I'm saying something I'm not, so I'm not really sure I have any input to offer.

I don't think they know they're making a movie out of a kids television show. They're allowed to make thing that look fucking dumb.

Isn't that what they're doing?

Flame boobs seem pretty dumb to me.

 

[Dango]

Isn't that what they're doing?

Flame boobs seem pretty dumb to me.

Yeah, but I think there's a difference the kind of dumb Michael Bay would include in a movie and the kind of dumb that fits neatly into sentai/power rangers.

 

[Something Amyss]

Isn't that what they're doing?

Flame boobs seem pretty dumb to me.

Yeah, but I think there's a difference the kind of dumb Michael Bay would include in a movie and the kind of dumb that fits neatly into sentai/power rangers.

I don't know, she doesn't look all that different from Scorpina (from MMPR/Zyuranger) and Divatox. Hell, she's not even all that dissimilar to Astronema, though that one's the biggest leap of the three.

Oh, and I forgot to address this one before...

Why does she have dirt smeared all over her? Is it from the space dumpster?

Then thousand years without a shower, I'm surprised that's all the dirt on her.

 

[Dango]

Isn't that what they're doing?

Flame boobs seem pretty dumb to me.

Yeah, but I think there's a difference the kind of dumb Michael Bay would include in a movie and the kind of dumb that fits neatly into sentai/power rangers.

I don't know, she doesn't look all that different from Scorpina (from MMPR/Zyuranger) and Divatox. Hell, she's not even all that dissimilar to Astronema, though that one's the biggest leap of the three.

Eh, I know it's subjective, but this Rita Repulsa kinda looks to me like something that would be in a western RPG like Skyrim. You know, there's consistently in color etc. As a design it makes sense. When I look at something like Scorpina's helmet though, I think "This is dumb, who designed this? It just looks like a metal, jumbled mess." The costume above looks kind of cool, someone could wear it and you could take them seriously in the context of a fantasy movie. Old Rita Repulsa is just over designed and hard to take
seriously.

 

[Something Amyss]

Eh, I know it's subjective, but this Rita Repulsa kinda looks to me like something that would be in a western RPG like Skyrim. You know, there's consistently in color etc. As a design it makes sense. When I look at something like Scorpina's helmet though, I think "This is dumb, who designed this? It just looks like a metal, jumbled mess." The costume above looks kind of cool, someone could wear it and you could take them seriously in the context of a fantasy movie. Old Rita Repulsa is just over designed and hard to take
seriously.

Personally, if they are going the Dragonzord theme route, I'm cool with it. In fact, in that light, it'd be kind of cool. The original plot had issues because Burai wasn't originally one of Witch Bandora's minions. Making Rita some sort of dragon witch is cooler than trying to reconcile the weirdness introduced by the edited footage and story changes.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Great. Now I have to get my head around the idea that a Power Rangers movie is a thing. Thanks, internet.

It is a pretty weird choice, isn't it?

I thought the Power Rangers had been reduced to (Or have always been) Saturday morning filler.

Hollywood has either been reduced to digging really deep into the franchise pile, or I'm old enough and hermitish enough to be completely out of touch.

...Ok, maybe that second one is a given.

 

[Josh123914]

Looks like Poison Ivy as done by Super Serious Zack Snyder.

Also inb4 accusations of racism for Hollywood whitewashing a lead role for Asian actresses again. Would've been funny as fuck though if they just took the old 90's costume and left it outside the casting studio with the instructions for auditions be: Must fit in this, and play a crazy psycho *****.

 

[ccggenius12]

My biggest confusion is Why are they using the Mighty Morphin era of power rangers to do this. I mean just make a bunch of new characters and call them Power Rangers, that's pretty much the draw of the series. Seein what new group is going to be taking the mantle and fighting evil next. It's a show that's endured for Decades, we've got twenty plus years of kids who have grown up with different groups of rangers as their heroes. You pick any group of kids for the past two decades and you'll get lots of different answers to Who are the power rangers.

Bringing back and recasting the originals serves little purpose.

I want to believe they've chosen to adapt the original because someone in production was jonesing to bring Bulk and Skully back to the big screen. Presumably they will cast Seth Rogan and Shia Labeouf to ensure they're as annoying and one-dimensional as possible.

 

[Sean Renaud]

Did Jade escape Mortal Kombat while nobody was paying attention?

I don't know why they would bother with Elizabeth Banks to begin with, she's hot, she's a good actress and all that but Rita was an over the top comical sorceress. Personally I would have cast Sarah Silverman.

The thing is Rita (regardless of the actress beneath the costume) was never sexy in the least. She was a cartoon character brought to life. There is more than enough sexy floating around and if you needed eye candy bring in Scorpina right out the gate. It's not like her addition to cast originally marked this massive shift in the universe. She was just someone that Rita called up on Space Skype to come help. Her being there at the start with (or instead) of anybody else wouldn't hurt anything. Hell I'm not sure a modern audience would let Skoot and Baboo or whatever those two were called slide.

Still she doesn't look bad she just doesn't look like Rita. But hey Apocalypse looks like Ivan Ooze so maybe the this whole all movies are a combined universe is starting to take hold.

 

[IOwnTheSpire]

Eh, I know it's subjective, but this Rita Repulsa kinda looks to me like something that would be in a western RPG like Skyrim. You know, there's consistently in color etc. As a design it makes sense. When I look at something like Scorpina's helmet though, I think "This is dumb, who designed this? It just looks like a metal, jumbled mess." The costume above looks kind of cool, someone could wear it and you could take them seriously in the context of a fantasy movie. Old Rita Repulsa is just over designed and hard to take
seriously.

Personally, if they are going the Dragonzord theme route, I'm cool with it. In fact, in that light, it'd be kind of cool. The original plot had issues because Burai wasn't originally one of Witch Bandora's minions. Making Rita some sort of dragon witch is cooler than trying to reconcile the weirdness introduced by the edited footage and story changes.

There are rumors that Zordon is the original Red Ranger, and some have speculated, based on this photo, that Rita is the original Green Ranger. I'm fine with this if that's the case, assuming they plan to introduce the new Green Ranger in a possible sequel.

 

[Something Amyss]

There are rumors that Zordon is the original Red Ranger, and some have speculated, based on this photo, that Rita is the original Green Ranger. I'm fine with this if that's the case, assuming they plan to introduce the new Green Ranger in a possible sequel.

I didn't know the Zordon rumour, but basically, yeah.

 

[Captain Marvelous_v1legacy]

I'd say that my biggest problem with this is that if you didn't tell me it was Rita Repulsa, I wouldn't know. If this is supposed to be banking on my nostalgia it is failing spectacularly. If it isn't, then whatever.

Her name doesn't fit her appearance, though. There's nothing repulsive about that!

 

[Raika]

Are you sure this isn't just a rejected costume for one of the Hunger Games flicks? All I see is one of Effie Trinket's infinite number of fashion disasters.