Mighty Morphin Power Rangers the Movies: The First Fight

Like most children of the 90's, I loved the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure where the exact appeal came from. Maybe it was the cool costumes, the "badass" girls, the epic adventures, or the cute boys, but something about the series drew me in and kept me watching every time it was on the television. Naturally, when the movie came out, I was ecstatic.  Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The Movie was released in 1993. While quite young at the time, I still remember watching it over and over on our "high-tech" VHS player. As an adult, I still think it's pretty entertaining, if only for nostalgia. 

The fight I am reviewing is the first fight to take place within the movie. I had a lot of fun watching it and I think you will too. Without further ado, the fight scene:

This fight makes me smile. While I have criticized fights for being "cheesy" in the past, I have a deep appreciation for this one because, at the time, it was seriously epic. Sure, they switch the camera angles often. Sure, it's dark which helps cover any potential shortcomings of the fight choreography. Sure, some of these moves are impossible to perform without some sort of rig attached to you.

However, you have to take into consideration the "lore" of the film. When these teenagers morph into Power Rangers, their natural abilities are enhanced. So, in addition to being decent enough fighters/acrobats as regular people, the Power Rangers are super-beings. For this reason alone, I feel that you have to ignore some of the "cheese".

For example, at 3:18, the White Ranger jumps off of some sort of container, keeps himself fairly perpendicular to the floor, and stomp kicks his opponent over 30 times in the chest. Could this move possibly be achieved in real life? Maybe, maybe not. One thing is certain. The speed and specific trajectory of the White Ranger makes this move look pretty hysterical. This along with the random flips that occur at around 3:53, make certain parts of the fight scene a bit over the top.

Aside from the cheese, there's a lot of really incredible fighting going on. My favorite instance is when the Pink Ranger pulls out her "whip-like" weapon and does a short fight segment right around 2:58. I will admit, being that the whip is my favorite weapon, I am biased. I love seeing the whip used as a weapon in fights; especially when it is done well.

When I saw this portion of the fight, I was pleased to say the least. I think the thing that makes it so interesting is that the weapon itself is like a hybrid between a whip and retractable power cord. Because of the added "electric" and retractable nature of the whip, there are many new things this whip can do that other whips cannot.

Specifically, in this fight, you see the Pink Ranger "shoot" her whip into the chest of her opponent. Because the whip had the capability to shock whoever touches it, this renders her enemy incapacitated.  I also can't help but appreciate that the Pink Ranger looks incredibly strong and tough while using the whip. It is common practice for the Film Industry to use the image of a woman with a whip as a sexual symbol of authority. Here, the Pink Ranger just looks like she is fighting and ready to kick-butt.


While this fight is about 20 years old, it's a very interesting case study. the phrase, "an oldie but a goodie" certainly applies here.