Power Rangers – Primary Ignition

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Secret Santa” Review

Posted on 12/25/202112/25/2021 by Rob Siebert

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
TITLE: S28:E22 – “Secret Santa”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Guy Langford, Maiya Thompson, Johnny Hartmann
DIRECTOR: Catherine Bell-Booth
ORIGINAL U.S. AIR DATE: October 15, 2021 (Netflix)
SYNOPSIS: Javi and Solon must stop an explosive in Dinohenge.

New around here? Check out the Power Rangers review archive.

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I keep wanting to refer to Javi as Chance, as that’s his actor’s first name. It also happens to be a more interesting name. So if that accidentally happens here, you know why.

These Christmas episodes have been par for the course since Nickelodeon purchased the brand. They’re almost entirely skippable. But occasionally they’ll deliver something cool. Bulk and Spike meeting the Samurai Rangers, Peter and Yoshi Sedarso working together in an episode, etc. I don’t know that I’d necessarily put this one in the cool category, mostly because “Secret Santa” doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. It’s got elements of a clip show, obviously. But it also kind of does its own thing. It’s an anomaly that way.

Of Amelia and Ollie, Javi says “She knows just how to push his buttons.” We’ve reached the point where if those two don’t get together next season, I’m going to be pretty disappointed. It’s a Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in Spider-Man: No Way Home type situation.

So Santa has a direct line to the Power Rangers, eh? Considering how often we’ve seen Santa on this show over the years, that’s actually pretty believable…

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Power Rangers, Television

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Void Trap” Review

Posted on 12/11/202112/05/2021 by Rob Siebert

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
TITLE: S28:E21 – “Void Trap”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson
DIRECTOR: Michael Hurst
ORIGINAL U.S. AIR DATE: October 15, 2021 (Netflix)
SYNOPSIS: The Rangers use Ollie’s mother to set a trap for Void Knight.

New around here? Check out the Power Rangers review archive.

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Now seems like a good time to talk about Shavaughn Ruakere, who plays Dr. Akana. Like a lot of Power Rangers actors, she’s appeared on the New Zealand soap opera Shorthand Street. She also made it to the finals of New Zealand’s incarnation of Dancing with the Stars. She’s a fine addition to the cast, and takes center stage in this episode.

When the plan goes awry and Dr. Akana is lost in another dimension, Ollie almost immediately blames Zayto. I liked that. A very natural and human reaction. It seems extremely obvious (and it is), but that kind of thing might have been absent in past seasons. And it was Zayto’s idea, after all.

Actually, considering this is essentially the season finale (Does the Christmas episode count?), it’s interesting how Ollie-centric “Void Trap” is. Historically, finales are typically the Red Ranger’s time to shine. That’s a little shake up I’m glad to see.

Zayto destroys Reaghoul using the T-Rex Cosmic Megazord. I’d be down about that, if Reghoul’s whole thing wasn’t resurrecting the dead. Plus, this was an episode where Boomtower got yet another go-around. And this is the season that brought friggin’ Lord Zedd back. If they want to bring Reaghoul back, they can bring him back. Even if it’s down the road in another series.

After Void Knight’s machine is destroyed, the Rangers lose their connection to the Morphin Grid and demorph. Thus, Dr. Akana sees that Ollie is the Blue Ranger. I really wish she’d have said something like, “I knew it was you!” It’s not like there was a shortage of clues. There was no subtlety in Ollie’s Ranger game…

The fight that the unmorphed Rangers have with Void Knight and his forces is short but sweet. When they get the actors mixed in with the fantastical Sentai elements, it’s generally a plus. And doing much of their own choreography too.

Seeing Amelia briefly cross swords with Void Knight (shown below) was cool. She might be the best developed character on the show. So it’s nice to see her get a moment like that.

“Void Trap” goes to the trouble of severing the Rangers’ connection to the Morphin Grid, only to give it back to them moments later. Not to mention the dinosaur statues being magically rebuilt after Ollie destroyed them. That all feels a little clumsy. But it justified the unmorphed fight sequence. So I’ll give it to them.

The Green Morphin Master is the one who restores the Rangers’ powers. Again I must ask, why the green one, specifically?

One of our closing shots is of Santaura, Void Knight’s…wife? Girlfriend? It would have been really awesome if her eyes had popped open at the end there. Then again, that implies she’ll be the villain next season. I doubt that’s the case.

“Void Trap” is atypical as far as season finales, or perhaps mid-season finales go. That’s not a bad thing, however. The fight between our heroes and our villain is smaller in scale, yet more personal.

Still no sign of Lord Zedd. But there’s still plenty of time…

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Power Rangers, Television

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Waking Nightmares” Review

Posted on 11/27/202111/10/2021 by Rob Siebert

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
TITLE: S28:E20 – “Waking Nightmares”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Guy Langford
DIRECTOR: Michael Hurst
ORIGINAL U.S. AIR DATE: October 15, 2021 (Netflix)
SYNOPSIS: Zayto and Aiyon must face their nightmares to retrieve new zords.

New around here? Check out the Power Rangers review archive.

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

We open on Aiyon having a nightmare about the final battle thousands of years ago. We then see him take a brief walk through Dinohenge, where he runs into Zayto.

Random: Does Dinohenge have a kitchen? How about a laundry room? It Zayto and Aiyon obviously live there, so it must. Is it weird that I want to see them?

That same night, Mucus has a dream where Area 62 becomes a disco dance club. Pure, unfiltered Power Rangers silliness. Or perhaps, in more adult terms, a Power Rangers themed acid trip.

Aiyon says that combining their two new Dino Keys can form the Cosmic Dino Key and open “portals to anywhere in the universe.” I was going to file that little factoid away for future reference. After all, you can’t just say something like that and not travel through the universe. But it turns out, I didn’t have to wait long at all…

The Rangers discover that the zords linked with their new keys are located on the planet Nibyro. Using the Cosmic Dino Key, they open a portal to take them there. Zayto is quick to rush through said portal, saying they need those zords. On any other show, that would make him an idiot. After all, he doesn’t know anything about the planet’s atmosphere, gravity, etc. But this is Power Rangers, where every planet in the universe is just like Earth. Heck, way back in Forever Red they walked around on the moon like it was nothing. So I guess Zayto gets a pass.

In his attempt to use the Morphin Grid to power his machine, Void Knight uses Reaghoul, the monster who brought Lord Zedd back to life, to resurrect Boomtower. Our returning general seems to remember everything from before the Rangers destroyed him. So that begs the question: What does Zedd remember? Perhaps it all depends on what period of your life Reaghoul opts to reincarnate you from.

Incidentally, Rheagoul (whose name I originally spelled “Regal”) is low key scary. Dude’s got skeletons hanging off his body. Just sayin’.

I really wish the two raptor zords seemed more distinct. But all these zords are just…oatmeal. They all blend together.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Power Rangers, Television

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “The Makeover” Review

Posted on 11/20/202111/07/2021 by Rob Siebert

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
TITLE: S28:E19 – “The Makeover”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson, Guy Langford
DIRECTOR: Michael Hurst
ORIGINAL U.S. AIR DATE: October 15, 2021 (Netflix)
SYNOPSIS: As Amelia gets Pop-Pop ready for a date, the Power Rangers face a body-swapping monster.

New around here? Check out the Power Rangers review archive.

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

In the Power Rangers universe, there’s a legendary pirate named “Purple Beard.” That sounds about right.

J-Borg is a host at Buzz Blast? I thought she was just an assistant for Jane. And yet, I love how the woman she’s interviewing doesn’t bat an eye at being interviewed by a cyborg.

Our monster for the episode is Boneswitch, a monster that can swap people’s bodies. He demonstrates his powers on Slyther and Mucus, and then later swaps Zayto and Amelia, as well as Ollie and Javi.

I think they missed a cool acting opportunity in this episode. They could have had Campbell Cooley and Torum Heng, the voices of Slyther and Mucus respectively, impersonate one another’s characters, and then had the Ranger actors impersonate one another. It would have made for a lot of fun. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers did an episode like that in its first season.

Power Rangers Dino Fury, The Matchmaker, Group Shot

Instead, they had Slyther speak with Mucus’ voice, Zayto speak with Amelia’s voice, etc. Lame. Even lamer? Pop-Pop apparently doesn’t realize that Amelia has a different voice. A male voice.

I did chuckle a bit when Aiyon got body-swapped with a pigeon. Corny, but amusing.

When the Rangers are body swapped, they can’t link to the Morphin Grid. At least not with their own powers. So they have to swap powers along with their bodies. I scratched my head at that one a little bit. But I suppose it’s fair enough.

Seeing the Mosa Razor Zord leap out of the water and grab Boneswitch was one of the cooler zord moments I’ve seen in the show’s recent history. Certainly the coolest one in Dino Fury thus far.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Comic Books/Graphic Novels, Micro-Reviews, Power Rangers

A Mighty Morphin #13 Micro-Review- Getting Faces Right

Posted on 11/13/202111/13/2021 by Rob Siebert

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

TITLE: Mighty Morphin #13
AUTHOR: Ryan Parrott
ARTISTS: Marco Renna, Walter Baiamonte (Colorist), Sara Antonellini & Katia Ranalli (Color Assistants), Ed Dukeshire (Letterer). Cover by InHyuk Lee.
RELEASED: November 10, 2021

Great cover by InHyuk Lee. Not just because of the coolness with Zedd’s staff, but the rendering of Billy/David Yost’s face.

I tend to say that if an artist can’t get Darth Vader’s face mask right, then it ruins a big portion of the book. The same can be said for Lord Zedd. Thankfully, Marco Renna gets it right here in a really cool scene at the moon palace between Zedd and one of the Eltarians.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Power Rangers, Television

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Our Hero” Review

Posted on 11/06/202111/05/2021 by Rob Siebert

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
TITLE: S28:E17 – “Our Hero”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Guy Langford, Maiya Thompson
DIRECTOR: Caroline Bell-Booth
ORIGINAL U.S. AIR DATE: October 15, 2021 (Netflix)
SYNOPSIS: Aiyon lets the praise for his heroism go to his head.

New around here? Check out the Power Rangers review archive!

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Watch how close Ollie and Amelia are a little before the three minute mark. By Power Rangers standards, that’s a fairly subtle way of building their romance. Which is happening. Mark my words…

Also, note that Amelia is reading a book about haunted Egyptian pyramids. Nice continuity there, as it relates to her interest in the paranormal.

The bit with the Rangers going into changing rooms to morph feels like something right out of the ’60s Batman TV show, which I’ve always said has more in common with Power Rangers than one might think.

When they cut from Buzz Blast to the party for the Rangers, there are a couple of ADR lines about the Gold Ranger. One of them is a male voice saying, “I bet he’s cute too.” That’s a nice little bit of inclusive verbage.

I can’t decide whether Jane pointing to the monster fight and exclaiming, “It’s newwwwwwws!” was funny or cringeworthy. I guess I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and say funny.

Slyther’s scheme is to hypnotize the Mosa Razor Zord. So are these zords the semi-alive kind, as opposed to the strictly mechanical kind? I don’t recall that being established. But maybe I’m wrong.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Power Rangers, Television

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Ancient History” Review

Posted on 10/31/202110/25/2021 by Rob Siebert

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
TITLE: S28:E16 – “Ancient History”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordon Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Guy Langford
DIRECTOR: Caroline Bell-Booth
ORIGINAL U.S. AIR DATE: October 15, 2021 (Netflix)
SYNOPSIS: Zayto’s leadership skills come into question after a stunning revelation from the Gold Ranger.

New around here? Check out the Power Rangers review archive!

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Early in the episode we meet Aiyon, another Rafkonian, and the one behind the Gold Ranger helmet. And for some reason, he’s in Earth civilian clothes. So…where did he get those? I guess it depends on how much time has passed between this episode and “Storm Surge.” Maybe he stopped by an outlet mall on the way to Dinohenge or something?

Zayto and Aiyon are supposedly best friends. But when Zayto discovers that he’s alive after all this time, he isn’t overjoyed to see him. And keep in mind, he’s also been actively searching for any evidence that Rafkon, or someone from Rafkon, is still out there. So we’ve got a double whammy of good news here, and instead he’s solely focused on the disagreement he and Aiyon had literally millions of years ago. I don’t buy it.

We see that the Green Morphin (spelled without the g) Master awoke Aiyon from his slumber after being led there by the Nexus Prism. Why the Green Morphin Master as opposed to a different one? No explanation. Though one isn’t necessarily needed. More importantly, our green friend tells Aiyon, “Without you, Lord Zedd will reign again.” Thus adding a little more credibility to the theory that Zedd will be the main villain next season.

Aiyon reveals that not only were the Sporix Beasts created on Rafkon, but that Zayto could have stopped their creation by voicing his objection. So naturally, he’s got trust issues with Zayto. And yet, a short time later during battle, Aiyon asks him, “You got my back?” That’s an odd contradiction.

How can you tell I’m an old school Mighty Morphin Power Rangers buff? This stuff with the Megazord not being able to fight underwater, and then being saved by the Mosa Razor Zord made me think of “An Oyster Stew,” the final episode of season one. The Rangers faced an almost identical dilemma there.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Power Rangers, Television

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Storm Surge” Review (Gold Ranger Debuts!)

Posted on 10/24/202110/11/2021 by Rob Siebert

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
TITLE: S28:E15 – “Storm Surge”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson
DIRECTOR: Chris Graham
ORIGINAL U.S. AIR DATE: October 15, 2021 (Netflix)
SYNOPSIS: Ollie learns a lesson about keeping promises, as a mysterious storm lingers over Pine Ridge.

New around here? Check out the Power Rangers review archive

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Nice bit of continuity in that they tied the mysterious storm back to the (Ninja?) Nexus Prism showing up in “Unexpected Guest.” It’ll be interesting to see if the powers discovered in this episode are somehow linked to the Prism. Not likely, but it would be cool, right?

Dr. Akana seems like a good mom. But if she let Ollie leave the house in those white pants, she’s slacking on part of her job. For whatever reason, I couldn’t stand those damn things.

Mr. Whiz (shown below) was indeed played by Campbell Cooley, the actor who voices Slyther. That’s nice that they did that. I can see previous administrations just putting a new actor in there, as opposed to going for consistency like that.

So Amelia says to the water monster, “Really, cuz you seem kinda shallow.” Afterward, about a second goes by as she cocks her eyebrow. As if the episode wanted to give the awful pun a little more time to breathe, just to make sure we all got it. Still, Hunter Deno’s delivery was cute. So we’ll give her points for that.

And so, “Storm Surge” gives us the surprise debut of our Gold Ranger. We don’t have much to go on at this point, as they’re taking the mysterious route for now. I’ll say this much: The costume is cool. Blue and gold usually work. It’s reminiscent of the Ninja Steel Gold Ranger, only without the goofy cowboy aesthetic. Plus, the gold is more yellow and less brown.

So obviously our Gold Ranger knows Zayto. The whole “Hey Zayto” thing at the end was a little clumsy. Presumably like Zayto, this guy has been asleep for millions of years. So he wakes up, sees one guy that he knows, and then teleports away from him? For no apparent reason? Doesn’t add up.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Power Rangers, Television

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Old Foes” Review (Lord Zedd Returns!)

Posted on 10/16/202110/11/2021 by Rob Siebert

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
TITLE: S28:E13 – “Old Foes”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Johnny Hartmann
DIRECTOR: Chris Graham
ORIGINAL U.S. AIR DATE: October 15, 2021 (Netflix)
SYNOPSIS: A Sporix Beast resurrects Lord Zedd.

New around here? Check out the Power Rangers review archive!

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Well gosh. As a first generation Power Rangers fan, I wonder if I’ll have any thoughts about this one…

Indeed, the show has resurrected Lord Zedd, the most popular villain in the show’s history. It’s not merely a reference to him. It’s not some cockamamie story about he and Rita Repulsa having a son we never knew about. The franchise’s quintessential villain is back. What’s more, he’s brought back in a way that makes you wonder why they didn’t bring him back a lot sooner. They simply bring in a monster with the power to reincarnate people. Boom. There’s Zedd.

However, they don’t simply leave it at that. In a real treat for longtime fans like me, they reference a bunch of old MMPR episodes, talk about Zordon’s sacrifice in Countdown to Destruction, and actually treat Zedd like a huge deal. It’s one of the better past character that the show has ever done. What’s more, as someone who grew up on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, it’s a genuine thrill.

The elephant in the room as far as Zedd is concerned is that his voice is different. Andrew Laing plays the role, as opposed to the late Robert Axelrod. Though even if Axlerod was still with us, I doubt they’d have used him. You’ll notice that in the sequence that used the old footage, Zordon, Rita, Alpha 5, and Andros all had their voices dubbed over by different actors. In Beast Morphers, the returning Goldar also had a different voice. I can only assume that’s a union issue, and if they could have brought the old actors back, they would have.

The use of the inhibitor collar from Beast Morphers on Zedd was a nice touch. This episode truly is a continuity buff’s dream come true. But it was good from a character standpoint too. Unless your name is Dark Specter, chances are Zedd isn’t taking orders from you.

The line where Ollie calls Zedd “radiator face” is a callback to a line Rita had in an MMPR episode. Don’t ask me which one. I just know she called him radiator face at some point.

We’ve reached the point where I’m actually going to be mad if Dino Fury doesn’t link Ollie and Amelia romantically. Or “ship” them, as the kids would say. Their little back and forth moments have become a highlight of the show for me.

Arguably the best thing about this Zedd development? They didn’t kill him off, which would truly have been idiotic. They had him disappear, presumably to return at a later date. I’ve even heard a little bit of buzz about him being the villain for the second season of Dino Fury. Naturally, there’s a lot of intrigue there.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Power Rangers, Television

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “The Matchmaker” Review (First LGBTQ Ranger!)

Posted on 10/15/202110/14/2021 by Rob Siebert

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
TITLE: S28:E13 – “The Matchmaker”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson, Guy Langford
DIRECTOR: Chris Graham
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: October 15, 2021 (Netflix)
SYNOPSIS: Javi tries to set Izzy up with someone from her training class.

New around here? Check out the Power Rangers review archive!

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Let’s not bury the lede: This episode ends with the revelation that Izzy, played by Tessa Rao, is the Power Rangers franchise’s first LGBTQ Ranger. She walks off hand in hand with Fern, played by Jacqueline Joe.

It’s tough to look at this as anything but a positive. Though I suppose if one were fishing, one could chide the franchise for taking so long to have an LGBTQ Ranger. But let’s look on the bright side. This is a happy moment. And I’m happy it’s the Izzy character that gets this distinction. Unlike a lot of Rangers we’ve seen over the years, she’s got spunk and personality, both via writing and performance. Izzy represents the community well.

I maintain that the more diverse the Power Rangers cast is, the stronger it is. That’s not strictly a race or a color thing. It also applies to things like family structure, economic background, religion, or in this case sexual orientation. The days where three out of five Power Rangers are straight white kids should have been over a long time ago. Thankfully, Dino Fury reflects that.

When the monster is disguised as Adrian, he recites a poem to Izzy that’s written on a scroll. As in, “Hear ye! Hear ye!” It made for a funny visual.

Another funny visual? Zayto disguising himself as an old lady. Very Mrs. Doubtfire.

Utterly buried by the subject of Izzy’s sexuality is this episode’s other revelation: Void Knight is human (shown above). Knowing how monsters work on this show, he could have been just another big suit creature. But him actually being human definitely adds to his whole tragic villain vibe.

Mucus turning into slime during the spat with Void Knight was a nice touch. Or perhaps not slime. But, well…mucus.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.