Post by nopersonality on May 10, 2011 14:38:09 GMT -5
Now, me and Patface were talking about this and it seems we were both Power Rangers kids. But, I think we both know it was kind of an embarrassing show to admit you liked. Unless you hung out with friends as geeky as I know I was as a kid, nobody would understand why you liked it. Anyway, I've been re-watching the show and... well, it's every bit as bad as everyone says it was. I mean, don't get me wrong- I still love it. Because it was an innocent and harmless part of my childhood (a really screwed up childhood with few great spots). And because the music is still kinda good (except for the fake stuff they would play when they were all hanging out at the school or at The Juice Bar), the costumes looked great and still do, the monsters were awesome (well, half of them), and the action scenes were sometimes pretty exciting. There's just one serious problem with the show (and it's a huge one) - the human characters were so unbelievably cleancut and "goody good" that they didn't resemble humans at all. That and, because they were such bad characters, the writing stunk as well.
And this is why I'm posting this YouTube-uploaded copy of the show's original Pilot episode which never aired on the Fox Kids! / ABC / whatever 1993-1995 series. It finally did air on a making-of special sometime several years after the 2 theatrical films came out, though.
But anyway... the differences between this version and the version that aired on TV are astounding. Pay close attention- this version is WAY BETTER! First of all, this doesn't pull ANY punches in any way. When Jason, Zach, etc(.) get in a fight with Bu(u)lk and his goon friends... they ACTUALLY hit them! HARD! The punches and kicks look REAL. The same is true for the Putty Patrol fight scenes. Second of all, the show isn't squeaky clean, morally, anymore. Zach actually grabs Jason's butt. Bulk's friend actually grabs Kimberly and Trini in a fairly suggestive way as well. And while Zach tries to distract Bulk, Bulk calls him a "sissy." Sure, the show we all know was never very politcally correct- but I don't believe they ever allowed the bullies to use that word. Then, near the end of the pilot, Billy pulls a groin muscle. Later, when we meet Zordon (or Zaltar as he's known here), and he tells Alpha to beam to him a group of 5 teens, listen to the words he uses to describe them. He's not telling Alpha to get him the Honor Society, the 5 best students or most moral and clean teens- he wants more realistic kids. Next, look at the camera cuts. Especially in the moment where Kimberly drops the bowling ball. That's downright... ARTISTIC!
Speaking of artistic... well, look at the old Command Center. Does anyone really think the version they used on the show rather than this pilot looks better? This one is WAY more colorful! Especially in the second video- watch the Zaltar closeups when he says "Luck had nothing to do with it..." Oh, and the moment where Jason calls his zord. Beautiful! Do you think I'm finished yet? Oh no, there's more. The writing!! This version of the show is actually... FUNNY! Since they're not overly concerned with making the Rangers look squeaky clean and since they can't beat the Putties without Morphing first, well... look at how helpless they are! They're so kind of scared, that they actually scream for help. I actually laughed at this moment. I had help of course, go to the end of the first video and watch Kimberly's scream (around 8:40). It's fucking hilarious.
Lastly... well, there are a few things that are weaker in this version, if you can believe it! #1 obviously is that the show's Trini (Thuy Trang) was a lot more memorable than this actress. #2 is that Alpha looks like crap. #3 is that the teleportation sequences on the show were better than this weird distorting suck effect. And #4... well, could Billy be any more weak and gay? Not only was his look on the show sexier, but he didn't just sit there and shout out one-liners. Other than these things however, the pilot version is actually a pretty OKAY show. And since it's the only semi-mature episode of the Power Rangers, it's worth a look. I hope you all check it out if you haven't already seen it.
