Tag Hunter Deno

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Ultimate Mystery” Review (Lord Zedd Returns…Again!)

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Lothorn, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Ultimate MysterySERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury

EPISODE: S29:E12 – “Ultimate Mystery”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
GUEST-STARRING: Teuila Blakely
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Johnny Hartmann
DIRECTOR: Robyn Grace
PREMIERE DATE: September 29, 2022

SYNOPSIS: Amelia goes looking for Bigfoot. The Rangers find a destructive new monster.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Now that we’re caught up on Dino Fury and are into what some might consider the home stretch, I feel like I can finally talk about the big cast announcement for next season, Power Rangers Cosmic Fury. It was announced in conjunction with this summer’s Power Morphicon event that the cast of Dino Fury will be returning for Cosmic Fury. As has been widely publicized, this marks the first time since Mighty Morphin Power Rangers that cast members will return as ongoing cast members for a third consecutive season of the show.

Side note: I can only assume that Power Rangers Cosmic Fury will run for two seasons, as all PR incarnations have for the last decade or so. This likely means the cast is returning for both third and fourth seasons…right?

I’m happy for everybody who gets to come back. There are pros and cons to this team, as there are to any team. But as far as the sum of its parts is concerned, this is probably the best team of Rangers the show has brought us in at least 10 years. And as the actors, writers, directors, and everyone involved will now have more time to put into them, they’ll only get better from here.

Dino Fury Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Ultimate Mystery

All in all, it’s a great time to be a Power Rangers fan.

This episode is called “Ultimate Mystery.” So what do we think the real ultimate mystery of the PR universe is? For my money, it’s why the Rangers abandoned the Zeo powers so readily in Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie. I mean, we know the real reason: They had a Turbo movie to make. But I’m talking from an in-universe perspective.

Jane denies Amelia’s request to cover the alleged Bigfoot sighting, and tells her to stay on the Area 62 story. This is the first episode that I can really recall Jane acting like an editor, and not playing things up for comedic purposes. I liked it. It gives her character a little more gravitas.

Speaking of Jane, are Kira Josephson and Victoria Abbott coming back as Jane and J-Borg for Cosmic Fury? I don’t see why they wouldn’t…

Commander Shaw (played by the returning Teuila Blakely, show below) contacts the Dino Fury team and tells them there’s been a jail break at one of their facilities. And hey! There’s the Beast Morphers team! Via Sentai footage, yes. But it is them! A neat couple of scenes from Teuila Blakely as Commander Shaw. Nice that they got her to do that.

Whoa! Hold on! Did Lothorn say he was Lokar’s nephew?!? That little throw-away line is a deep cut from Mighty Morphin. Great little gem, there. We’ll ignore the fact that he inexplicably retreated when he had the Rangers’ backs against the wall.

Lothorn got another cool throw-away later in the episode with, “Hey, I can see Angel Grove from here!”

I’m finding myself wishing the fights were a little less jokey. Lothorn is supposed to be this big, tough monster who fended off some of the Rangers’ most powerful attacks. And yet everybody’s quipping. I get that it’s a kids show. But despite its inherent cheesiness, this show has proven over nearly 30 years that it can be serious and dramatic when it needs to be. I was looking for some more of that seriousness and drama here.

This episode squeezes a lot into its last couple of minutes. First, some important last-minute character development for Amelia. We learn the reason she’s so interested in the mysterious and the paranormal is because of the mysterious circumstances surrounding her parents’ disappearance.

Then, we learn that Lord Zedd was behind the breakout at the Grid Battleforce facility, and that he was aiming to free Scrozzle (also from Beast Morphers). That’s an interesting pairing. I’m looking forward to seeing them together in episodes to come…

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “The Copycat” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Javi, Power Rangers Dino Fury, the CopycatSERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
EPISODE: S29:E11 – “The Copycat”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Guy Langford
DIRECTOR: Robyn Grace
PREMIERE DATE: March 3, 2022
SYNOPSIS: A rival performer copies one of Javi’s songs, and a new enemy copies one of Zayto’s moves.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I remain appreciative of the fact that this show has recurring characters. I would have been easy for them to create some generic antagonist musician to steal Javi’s song. But instead they brought back a character they used before. Power Rangers hasn’t always done that kind of thing. Almost two decades ago, I was pleasantly surprised when Conner took “plant girl” to prom in the season finale of Dino Thunder.

Solon says it’s “odd” that a new villain is attacking at the stadium. Uh…what’s odd about it? That they’re attacking the stadium? It can’t be the whole new villain thing. This is a city on Power Rangers, where new villains attack on a weekly basis. I don’t get it.

Void Queen forcibly turns Tarrick into Void King (shown below). So we’ve got a Void King and Queen, and we’ve had a Void Knight. Does that mean there’s a Void Pawn somewhere? Maybe a Void Jester? Or do Slyther and Mucus fill those roles?

Void King, Power Rangers Dino Fury, The Copycat

The little musical number Mucus did with the Hengemen at the end of the episode was fun. Short, but fun.

While we’re on the subject of Javi playing music, apparently his actor Chance Perez used to be in a boy band called In Real Life. He was on an NBC show called Boy Band, and as one of the finalists, he got a spot in the group. Does that make him the first boy band member to become a Power Ranger? It must. It takes all kinds, I suppose.

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Losers Weepers” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Aiyon, Izzy, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Losers WeepersSERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
EPISODE: S29:E10 – “Losers Weepers”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Guy Langford
DIRECTOR: Catherine Bell-Booth
PREMIERE DATE: March 3, 2022
SYNOPSIS: A briefcase full of cash comes between Izzy and Aiyon.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

We’re halfway through the second season, and we still don’t know much about what Area 62 was used for back in the day. We know it was shut down about 20 years ago, and we know Amelia’s grandfather used to work there. You’ve got to believe the latter leads to something.

Speak of the devil! Amelia’s Pop-Pop pops up in this episode!

Shortly after Mucus puts the collar on and grows gigantic, she backs into some power lines and gets electrocuted. I’m fairly certain that’s the first time such a thing has happened to a monster in almost 30 years of Power Rangers.

So Void Queen keeps Tarrick captured in her old resuscitation chamber? Yeesh, she really is evil. Hope he’s not claustrophobic.

Tarrick, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Losers Weepers

Void Queen says Flapnarok “had a brother. I forget his name.” Nice little continuity nod, though I had to look up what she was talking about. Apparently she’s referring to Dragnarok from way back in “New Recruits.”

They’re doing a nice job of slow-burning the build-up to Ollie and Amelia’s romance. This episode clearly isn’t about them, but they squeezed that little moment in where they’re polishing the swords.

But here’s the real question: Will they get to kiss?

So we have a giant monster attacking one half of the city, and then we have Aiyon be completely unaware of it on the other half. Only on Power Rangers, folks!

What really surprised me about this episode is that the Rangers make no mention of who the money in the briefcase really belonged to. That feels like a slam dunk Power Rangers lesson.

Flapnarok going splat on the moon was pretty cool. She made a satisfying “thud” sound.

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “The Hunt” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
EPISODE: S29:E9 – “The Hunt”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson
DIRECTOR: Catherine Bell-Booth
PREMIERE DATE: March 3, 2022
SYNOPSIS: The Rangers must decide whether to trust their apparent new ally, Void Knight.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This is how much of an old school Power Rangers geek I am: Snageye instantly reminded me of the lipstick monster from season two of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Then, once he started capturing the Rangers, I thought of “Power Ranger Punks,” the first PR episode I ever saw.

On the subject of mental association, when Jane and J-Borg saw the ghost, I immediately thought of Amelia’s thing for the paranormal. Is that good character work? Or just me remembering trivia? I’m inclined to think the former, but maybe I’m wrong…

Actually, the episode itself points out some nice character development: Ollie’s shift from a pure skeptic to someone who gives the ghost story a chance.

After Snageye knocks him down for the count, Void Knight gives Zayto the source of his power: the Dino Knight morpher and key. There’s our explanation for why the Dino Fury Rangers and Void Knight have similar looks. Their respective powers are apparently meant to go together.

So does the Dino Knight armor count as our Red Ranger’s battlizer for this season?

When Jane thinks the magician is in trouble, she jumps off that balcony to save him. Then, when J-Borg thinks Jane is being attacked by the ghost, she rushes in to save her. Our resident comedy characters have noble intentions, which is nice to see. They’re like Ben and Betty from Beast Morphers, in that sense.

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Serious Business” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
EPISODE: S29:E8 – “Serious Business”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Johnny Hartmann
DIRECTOR: Catherine Bell-Booth
PREMIERE DATE: March 3, 2022
SYNOPSIS: Void Queen’s minions search for Void Knight. Meanwhile, BuzzBlast is hacked.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Tarrick, a.k.a. Void Knight, isn’t exactly a master of disguise, is he? The purple shirt with the…what is that he’s wearing over it (shown above)? It looks vaguely like S&M gear. *shudders* Talk about a way to attract unwanted attention to yourself.

I get that the little kids need to know it’s Void Knight. But we’ve seen his face plenty of times at this point, and he is the only one on the show who wears purple. The shirt would have been enough, I think.

And as if they’re not pushing things with the outfit as it is, later in the episode the bad guys find someone wearing virtually the exact same outfit. Only on Power Rangers, folks.

Kira Josephson delivering again as Jane early in the episode with her, uh…we’ll call it dancing, for lack of a better term. Her facial and vocal reactions to the footage were nice.

Again, only on Power Rangers could a kid in a clown mask hack a major media company, and then have a job with said company by the end of the episode. I ain’t complainin’. I’m just sayin’.

Zayto: “Outnumbered, huh? Must be Tuesday.” That line kind of lands. I get what they were going for. But it doesn’t quite hit the bulleye. If the show were still premiering on Saturday mornings, he might have said, “Must be Saturday” to better effect.

During the big battle with Trackenslash, somebody comes up to Jane and J-Borg and says the Rangers are “losing badly. They might even be destroyed!” I understand why they can’t say the word “killed” on a kids show. But that’s one of those moments where it really would have helped to say, “They might even be killed!”

Beatrice Taniguchi, the young actress who played Mara the hacker, was pretty good. I’m so used to kid actors that are…less than good…from the early days of the series. So it’s been refreshing these past few seasons to get kid actors that usually don’t give cringey takes.

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “New Leaf” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Ollie, Amelia, Power Rangers Dino Fury, New LeafSERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
EPISODE: S29:E7 – “New Leaf”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson
DIRECTOR: Robyn Grace
PREMIERE DATE: March 3, 2022
SYNOPSIS: Ollie’s ego gets put in check, as Void Queen’s forces threaten the city’s water supply.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

It became pretty clear early in this episode that we were going to get some development here in the potential Ollie/Amelia romance. “New Leaf” doesn’t disappoint. It also delivers on some easily predicted, yet no less satisfying character development for Ollie.

I’m always on the look-out for former PR cast members when it comes to one-off characters like this Dr. Drake Flloyd. No such luck here. Though the actor, Jamie Irvine, has been on Shortland Street before. It feels like if you’re going to be in the New Zealand acting pool, you have to pass through Shortland Street at some point.

You don’t come to Power Rangers looking for quality CGI. That’s rarely been more evident than at the sight of that CGI octopus tentacle. Woof.

So now that Santaura and Tarrick have officially turned on each other, does that mean Void Knight is about to become a good guy? Or perhaps a sort of antihero, like Ecliptor was way back in Power Rangers in Space?

As Squashblight creates a storm cloud filled with his venom, Izzy says: “He’s gonna make it rain!” You just know that Maiya Thompson, who did the teleplay for this episode, smirked when she wrote that.

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Jam Session” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
EPISODE: S29:E6 – “Jam Session”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Johnny Hartmann
DIRECTOR: Robyn Grace
PREMIERE DATE: March 3, 2022
SYNOPSIS: Javi must endure a personal conflict to obtain a new Dino Key.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Typical supervillain brag by Void Knight. The zord jammer goes up, and he tells the Rangers exactly what it does. Tsk tsk…

On the subject of Void Knight, I assume we’re going to address at some point how his costume looks eerily similar to the Rangers’ suits? He’s got a similar sword, too. Might he and Santaura be from Rafkon? Or know what happened to it?

A nice little character moment for Jane, telling Javi’s father about how popular the livestream was, how well Javi did, etc. Nice to see her used as more than comic relief.

After fighting Wreckmate, Aiyon had another line about kicking “pirate booty. ” Because those lines in “The Festival” evidently weren’t enough. Ugh.

Ptera Freeze Zord, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Jam Session

In summoning its power, the Ptera Freeze Zord (shown above) appears to freeze the surrounding cityscape. That’s…one way to do things, I guess.

My prediction from last time about Santaura becoming the show’s big bad came true quicker than I thought it would. She uses Tarrick’s Sporix machine to power up and become Void Queen (shown above). Kind of a shame, actually. I was enjoying seeing Siobhan Marshall’s performance. Her live action performance, at least. She’s still the voice of the character.

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Stitched Up” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Power Rangers Dino Fury, Stiched UpSERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
EPISODE: S29:E5 – “Stitched Up”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson, Guy Langford
DIRECTOR: Robyn Grace
PREMIERE DATE: March 3, 2022
SYNOPSIS: Izzy deals with drama over prom, while Void Knight develops a zord jammer.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The humanization of Void Knight continues. Early in the episode, we learn his true name is Tarrick.

There’s also a Beast Morphers reference early on. Izzy references a show called “Kung-Fugitive,” and says Steel Silva is good in it. Steel Silva, of course, being the Silver Ranger in Beast Morphers.

The monster’s name is Junkalo. Is that supposed to be like juggalo? Naw, it couldn’t be. But it sounds like it, doesn’t it?

I like the quasi-rebellious dynamic Izzy has with her mom, and then the drama then ensues over the prom dress. I’m not sure if Izzy is the most developed character on this show, but she’s definitely in the top two. The other being Amelia. Dino Fury is doing right by its female Rangers.

Santaura, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Stitched Up

Santaura is played by Siobhan Marshall. It’s looking like the character may turn out to be the real big bad on Dino Fury. I’m game for that. Marshall isn’t chewing the scenery, and the white contacts really give Santaura a distinct look. So far, so good.

The prom stuff at the end of the episode had a genuinely good feeling to it. These characters feel like friends, and they seemed believably happy for Izzy and Fern. It made for the best ending to a Dino Fury episode yet.

By the way…Ollie, Amelia, and Javi all go to the same school as Izzy and Fern, right? So you’re telling me none of them had prom dates? Is that a plothole? Not necessarily. It’s more of an irritating trivia note.

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Tiny Trouble” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Baby Pacha, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Tiny TroubleSERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
EPISODE: S29:E4 – “Tiny Trouble”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson
DIRECTOR: Charlie Haskell
PREMIERE DATE: March 3, 2022
SYNOPSIS: The Rangers feud with Void Knight’s forces over a miniaturized zord.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The balloon exercise Zayto had the team doing at the beginning of the episode was another nice look at the Rangers in training. It was creative and a good visual.

The Pacha zord wanders into the scene, and the Rangers learn it’s shrunk over millions of years. I don’t love the idea of a zord, even a tiny one, just wandering around the city waiting to be found. Isn’t that what Pokemon do? I’ve never been a Pokemon guy, so I don’t even have a clue.

Still, I almost wouldn’t mind Pacha staying small and acting like a pet for the Rangers. Why the heck not, right?

Hold on a minute, zords can reproduce? Like, that’s literally the line Ollie said. “Zords can reproduce.” Can we define “reproduce” for our purposes? How does that work exactly? I’m not even sure I buy it…

Blue Ranger Smash Battle Armor, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Tiny Trouble

I dig the Smash Battle Armor. It looks tailor-made to make toys out of. Almost like the Power Rangers equivalent to Hulk Hands. Doesn’t look like they make ’em, though. Seems like a missed opportunity.

I will say though, that once they got into the zord fight, they went a little too heavy on the boxing bit. I’m mainly talking about these two giants fighting in a boxing ring made up with power lines in the middle of the city. A little too much for my taste.

Santaura, our mysterious woman who’s been in stasis, finally wakes up at the end of the episode. Great closing shot with the eyes popping open, the contact lenses, etc. I was originally hoping they’d close the first season with a shot like that. But it’s every bit as effective here.

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Missing Pieces” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Zayto, Ollie, Izzy, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Missing PiecesSERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
EPISODE: S29:E3  – “Missing Pieces”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson, Guy Langford
DIRECTOR: Charlie Haskell
PREMIERE DATE: March 3, 2022
SYNOPSIS: Slyther tampers with the Rangers’ memories. Meanwhile, the search for Rafkon continues.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

So the best thing they could come up with for Slyther’s memory-tampering amulet was a steering wheel? Aw c’mon, prop department…

The T-Rex Cosmic Megazord makes the Dino Fury team one of the more travel-capable teams we’ve ever had. Obviously it can open portals to the far reaches of space and different dimensions. But who knows what else it can do, or where else it can go? The possibilities are intriguing.

“No, my dignity!” was one of Slyther’s more amusing exclamations. He’s like the villainous equivalent to Izzy in that he always gets the best lines.

Void Knight, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Missing Pieces

Really cool to see Void Knight mix it up with the Rangers, albeit briefly. That’s not always something you see from a lead villain. Also, it puts him over as a formidable opponent.

It’s interesting to me how the monsters in Dino Fury, like Wreckmate and Occulo, stick around for awhile. They aren’t simply destroyed in their debut episode, monster-of-the-week style.

I found myself legitimately intrigued by the mystery of what happened to Rafkon. It’s not often an entire planet disappears, after all.

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