Tag Morphing Masters

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “The Nemesis” Review (Season Finale!)

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury

EPISODE: S29:E22 – “The Nemesis”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale
DIRECTOR: Simon Bennett
PREMIERE DATE: September 29, 2022

SYNOPSIS: The Rangers face Void Queen one final time.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Early in the episode, Zayto essentially dismisses the Orria and the other Rafkonians, telling them to evacuate. From a story perspective, I get why that was done. But from an in-universe perspective, it’s a little dumb. They’re about to go up against the most powerful enemy they’ve ever faced. You’d think they could use all the help they could get…

That Nemesis Beast monster that ultimately serves as the final big enemy of the season is pretty damn cool. I appreciate that it’s taller than the Megazords. Heck, I’d have made it even taller. It gives it a hell of an imposing presence.

We knew once they set up the Dino Master Saber’s ultimate attack that they were going to come back to it. Most likely in the finale. Was it predictable? Yes. But I’m just grateful that they set it up a few episodes ago, as opposed to having it be a last minute deus ex machina kind of thing.

Now that we’ve reached the finale of Dino Fury, I feel like I can officially ask this question: What’s with the “battle stance” shot in the opening credits (shown above)? It doesn’t appear in any episode. So was it just put there for the opening montage?

Another question: What’s with Izzy’s fighting stance? It’s like she’s channeling a cat, or something. Now that I have seen again at different points in the series. Did they tell her to do that? Or is that something Tessa Rao made up on her own? I don’t dislike it. I’m just curious as to what she’s doing.

Seeing the Rangers float down from above the Nemesis Beast and then slide down its body was really cool. The kind of thing you rarely, if ever, see on the show. And then the Hengemen coming out to fight on the body was like something out of a video game. Granted, it was all Sentai footage. But it was still great.

After Void Queen reverts back into Santaura (once again via the power of love, etc), the Morphin Masters seal all the Sporix away somewhere. You’d think as all-knowing masters of the Morphin Grid, they’d know that like, half the Power Rangers seasons begin with the discovery and unsealing of some old evil thought locked away forever…

Mucus lives! We see her in her slimey form oozing out from under a rock after the battle. Somehow, that has a feel-good quality to it. I’ve seemingly grown fond of the character.

Six months after Void Queen’s defeat and Zayto’s apparent death, we learn the Rafkonians are staying on Earth. What’s more, their as aliens will be public. That’s unorthodox. But okay, I suppose. What’s more, there are probably lots of aliens hiding in plane sight on Earth. The Rafkonians are simply the newest.

We also learn that Santaura is pregnant. They list off a few paint colors for the baby’s crib: Briarwood green, Corinthian sunset, and Ocean Bluff blue. These are little hat-tips to Mystic Force, RPM, and Jungle Fury, using the names of the cities they all took place in. Interesting that they used Corinth for one. Is the existence of a parrallel dimension common knowledge in the PR universe? Or am I just overthinking a cute little Easter egg? More likely it’s the latter, I think.

On the subject of hat-tips, Jane mentions the creation of Buzz Blast Angel Grove. Which is, of course, a nod to Mighty Morphin.

Jane and J-Borg end Dino Fury by pigging out on some Rafkonian cuisine (shown above). That would have been a fair enough way for them to go out, I suppose. This isn’t the end for them, though. Kira Josephson’s Instagram has indicated they’ll be back for Cosmic Fury in some capacity. I’m glad for that. It wouldn’t have been right for them to bring all the Rangers back, but not the two of them.

The Rangers are called back to Dinohenge, where we learn Zayto is alive (and in a new Ranger suit). What’s more, Lord Zedd has escaped and the Rangers need to go after him. Thus, we have our set-up for Cosmic Fury.

I can only assume Zayto’s new costume (shown above) is going to be the suit they use for him in Cosmic Fury. In which case, that’s an awful lot of silver and not much red, considering it’s a Red Ranger suit. I’ll say this much: It’s different.

Zayto indicates that he was saved by the Morphin Masters, but he isn’t sure how. As I’ve said before, I don’t like the idea of the Rangers having cosmic big brothers that can bail them out of a bad situation. It waters down the stakes in any given every episode. I’m sure we’ll get more info about how and why Zayto was saved when we get to Cosmic Fury. Here’s hoping it’s a good explanation…

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Morphin Master” Review

Rob Siebert 2 Comments

Green Morphin Master, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Morphin MasterSERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury

EPISODE: S29:E15 – “Morphin Master”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson
DIRECTOR: Chris Graham
PREMIERE DATE: September 29, 2022

SYNOPSIS: The Green Morphin Master aids the Rangers against Lord Zedd.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This episode drops a couple of big-picture bombs on us in terms of the larger PR universe. Let’s start with the Green Morphin Master saying that without the Morphin Grid, life cannot exist. That’s a pretty big proclamation. I was always under the impression that the Grid was something the Morphin Masters built themselves eons ago. It was once described to me by a superfan as: “The Force, if somebody built the Force.” Heck, back in Operation Overdrive we saw someone actually go in to the Morphin Grid.

So…something that sustains life in the universe? I don’t get it.

Moments later, we get the revelation that the Green Morphin Master was responsible for contacting Jason in “Grid Connection,” as well as summoning all the past Ranger teams in “Legendary Battle.” First of all, the fact that the episode spends so much time diving into continuity details like this speaks volumes as to the care being put into Dino Fury, and the affection its creators have for PR as a whole. I’m blown away.

Power Rangers Super Megaforce, Legendary Battle

Secondly, it’s awesome to get an explanation for how/why the past Ranger teams were summoned in the Super Megaforce finale. The added detail of the Rangers teleporting in balls of light in “Rafkon Revealed,” just as all the former Rangers did in “Legendary Battle,” is an attention to detail we rarely see on this show.

But one question remains…did the Green Morphin Master permanently restore all their powers? Or was this a one-shot deal? It seems like the latter is the case, otherwise she wouldn’t have needed to send the Tyrannosaurus Power Coin to Jason in “Grid Connection.” That notion is a little bit of a downer for me, as my own little head-canon had it that she restored all their powers. That would have easily explained how some of the past Rangers we saw in the show’s 25th anniversary episode, “Dimensions in Danger,” got their powers back…

It’s implied in this episode that the Green Morphin Master has interfered at a bunch of points in Power Rangers history, providing aid to teams who’ve needed it. I like that…to an extent. It could potentially explain some plot holes.

But at the same time, I’m not necessarily a fan of all Power Ranger teams having a “big brother” figure who can swoop in at the last minute as a deus ex machina. It lowers the stakes considerably if she can just wave a magic wand and save the day, just as she does with Zedd in this episode.

Rafkon destroyed, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Morphin Master

In stealing the Sporix Generator for himself, Zedd’s forces disrupt Rafkon’s planet core, causing it to explode. Granted, the planet is uninhabited at the time. So there’s no loss of life. But still, Zedd blows up a planet!

And not for the first time! Way back in “The Power Transfer,” Zedd used Serpentera to destroy the unnamed “deserted planet.” That planet, as the name suggests, was also uninhabited.

Lord Zedd, destroyer of (deserted) worlds! It does have a certain ring to it…

Zayto’s to Zedd: “Couldn’t let you destroy two planets today, Zedd.” I don’t like that line. It hits wrong. It almost makes light of the fact that Zayto just saw his homeworld blow up. Bad form.

Come to think of it, Dino Fury, and modern PR as a whole, has a problem with inappropriately placed humor. The best example of that you’ll ever find is in that same scene Zayto has the “two planets” line. Aiyon calls Zedd a chicken, and then goes “Moo.” It supposed to be a dramatic confrontation, as they’re coming face to face with Zedd after he friggin’ blew up their home planet. But it’s punctuated by a weird joke about animal noises.

As I make this comparison, I understand that Dino Fury isn’t Mighty Morphin, and that kids shows are done differently all these years later. But remember in “Return of an Old Friend, Part I” when Goldar blackmails the Rangers into giving up their Power Coins in exchange for their parents? And then he doesn’t live up to his end of the bargain? That’s a dramatic, scary scene. Especially for kids. It’s well assembled, and well performed.

Aiyon, Izzy, Javi, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Morphin Master

Now, imagine that same scene with a random animal noise joke. It would have killed all the tension. That’s what Aiyon’s line does to this confrontation with Zedd.

The Rangers’ new Dino Master Saber allows Aiyon to shift into Dino Master Mode, complete with a spiffy black cape. Considering they’re superheroes, it’s kind of amazing we haven’t seen more capes in almost 30 years of this franchise. Mystic Force notwithstanding, of course.

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Rafkon Revealed” Review

Rob Siebert 2 Comments

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury

EPISODE: S29:E14 – “Rafkon Revealed”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez, Jordan Fite
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson
DIRECTOR: Chris Graham
PREMIERE DATE: September 29, 2022

SYNOPSIS: The Rangers travel to Zayto and Aiyon’s home planet of Rafkon.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

So the Rangers are leaving Earth undefended while they travel across the universe to Rafkon, eh? Who am I kidding? We just saw the Beast Morphers team in the previous episode. They’re around if something goes down, right?

The Rangers finally travel to Rafkon…and it looks exactly like Earth. I understand that Power Rangers is, and always has been, a kids show on a strict budget. But as far back as the mid-’90s, the show has had a simple trick to make mundane shooting locations feel like other planets: Tint the screen a certain color.

Go back and look at episodes like The Power Transfer in season two, or A Friend in Need in season three. The Rangers travel to other planets in those episodes, but if you pay attention to what’s actually around them, they’re almost never on any kind of extravagant sets. The show created an illusion using a fairly cheap trick. A trick that came in especially handy once they got to seasons like Power Rangers in Space. So what’s stopping them from using that trick here?

A shot from inside Lord Zedd’s visor (shown above)! That’s an old Mighty Morphin staple! I didn’t even realize how much I missed it!

But hey, right there! They tinted the shot red! So why can’t they use that trick (albeit not such an intense red the entire time) for a larger chunk of the episode?

Perhaps inevitably, it feels like Zedd has eclipsed Void Queen as far as being the big bad of Dino Fury. At least as far as these past few episodes are concerned. They had to know that was going to happen, to an extent. In addition to being a character from back in the day that longtime fans would naturally gravitate toward, design-wise Zedd is cooler than all the other villains by a mile. Hopefully they up Void Queen’s evil quotient as we inch closer to the end of Dino Fury. She certainly shouldn’t be shoved aside.

The Green Morphin Master appears at the end of the episode, having saved the Rangers from a face-off with Zedd. I was initially going to nitpick about them not bringing in former cast members to do the voices of these Morphin Masters. (Because why the hell not?) But as it turns out, they did!

Beth Allen, who voices the Green Morphin Master, had an on-screen role way back in S.P.D as a friend of Jack’s. She was later in Operation Overdrive as Tyzon’s fiancee, and then did the re-dubbing of Udonna’s voice in Beast Morphers. She never played a Ranger, and she’s never had what I would call a major role on the series. But she is technically a former cast member. So they get by on a technicality on that one…

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Void Trap” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Power Rangers Dino Fury, Void Trap, Dr. AkanaSERIES: 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 Dino Fury, “Ancient History” Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

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 Dino Fury, “Unexpected Guest” Review

Rob Siebert 3 Comments

Mick Kanic, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Unexpected GuestSERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
TITLE: S28:E8. “Unexpected Guest”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya, Tessa Rao, Chance Perez
GUEST-STARRING: Kelson Henderson
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale, Maiya Thompson
DIRECTOR: Michael Hurst
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: April 17, 2021
SYNOPSIS: The Rangers get some unexpected aid from Mick.

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

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Nice high-energy start to the episode as we see the end of a Megazord battle. We see the Megazord fail after taking Wolfgang’s energy blasts. Not sure if I’ve ever seen a Megazord crumble like that before. It crumpled like it was made of Legos.

Moments after the battle we get the return of Mick from Power Rangers Ninja Steel. Not sure why they opted to have Kelson Henderson return as the character, but I certainly won’t complain. It’s always good to see him.

Zayto was kind of a jerk to Mick. The Rangers had no time to help him? At all? I mean, granted their Megazord had just fallen apart. But he is a visitor from another world. Couldn’t they have given him an I.O.U.?

Ah yes, a cake gag. Straight out of the Bulk and Skull playbook.

Mick Kanic, image 2, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Unexpected Guest

So Mick has a handheld database (shown above) with info on all the other Ranger teams. That’s how he fills the Dino Fury team in on the Nexus Prism. Seems like it’d be kinda catastrophic if that thing were to fall into the wrong hands.

Not that I’m pitching a fanfic or anything…

Good use of footage from past seasons during the Morphin Masters sequence. That’s the kind of thing that seems really small and obvious. That’s the kind of thing that seems so small and obvious. But it does a lot in terms of reminding us these seasons don’t take place in a vacuum.

The Morphin Masters are always watching, huh? That seems like the kind of thing we’d want to stash in our memory for later this season.

Unlike last week, Boomtower did bite the dust this time. How much you wanna bet Void Knight’s new “general” shows up in the very next episode? Hardly a guarantee. But possible.

We see Void Knight has a woman he calls “my love” in stasis in a secret chamber. Looks like our villain has a Mr. Freeze complex…

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

Power Rangers Dino Fury, “Destination Dinohenge” Review

Rob Siebert 4 Comments

SERIES: Power Rangers Dino Fury
EPISODE: S28.E1. “Destination Dinohenge”
STARRING: Russell Curry, Hunter Deno, Kai Moya
WRITERS: Becca Barnes, Alwyn Dale
DIRECTOR: Charlie Haskell
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: February 20, 2021
SYNOPSIS: Two youngsters uncover Dinohenge, a lair containing secrets from 65 million years ago…

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I like that Amelia, our new Pink Ranger, is a reporter. It creates a cool little Clark Kent/Superman vibe. More importantly, reporters are the often unsung heroes of our society. So it’s nice that Power Rangers is creating that connection for kids. I also like the name of the web site she works for: “Buzz Blast.” It’s a thinly veiled allusion to BuzzFeed.

Apparently Amelia is also a Ghostbuster. That “spook snare” reminded me of the Ninja Steel premiere, when Sarah showed up with an honest-to-God hoverboard.

So Dinohenge is filled with “Hengemen,” who will apparently serve as the henchmen for this season. Get it? Hengemen? Henchmen? Brilliant…

As the Hengemen are preparing to attack, Amelia says she’s taken three years of karate. Ollie, our new Blue Ranger, replies with “Yeah, me too.” Does that mean Ollie has taken three years of karate too? If so, that’s a remarkable coincidence even by kids show standards. I’d like to think it was just a general affirmation that he too knows karate.

After they’ve morphed, and Amelia asks Ollie what else they get with these new powers, he says: “If you watch the news, zords!” I like that line a lot. Not only does it tie into Amelia’s job, but it’s a nice reference to the fact that the Power Rangers get plenty of news coverage in their universe.

Design-wise, those helmets are pretty busy. They’re going to be an acquired taste. But I’ll get there.

The bad guy’s name in this episode is “Void Knight.” I can’t decide if I like that name. Look at a thesaurus, and you’ll see it’s a degree or two away from “Bare Champion.” You don’t want a Bare Champion on Power Rangers. Bear Champion? Maybe. Bare Champion? No.

After we get acquainted with Zayto, our new Red Ranger freshly awakened from a 65 million year hypersleep, he reads Amelia and Ollie’s minds. He calls Ollie “a rational, logical adventurer and scientist.” He refers to Amelia as, an “imaginative, unstoppable truth seeker.”

It’s rare that a show flat out gives you the rundown for some of its characters. It’s contrived, yet amusing.

I wonder what Russell Curry, who plays Zayto, thinks of those tentacles he has to wear. You think they told him that at the audition? Probably not.

Solon, our resident helper (a la Alpha 5 or Redbot) this season, is a cyborg dinosaur. That’s amazing. Have we not had a cyborg dinosaur in two and a half decades of Power Rangers? I’m thinkin’ we haven’t…

We see the Morphing Masters (or is it Morphin Masters?) in this episode. That name dates all the way back to an expository line from season one. But we’ve never seen any characters called the Morphing Masters until now. That level of attention to detail, especially on a show primarily meant for young children, is really cool.

Zayto says the other Knights of Rafkon were “lost” in battle. Which, in Power Rangers speak, means they probably died. So who wants to bet on when one or all of them shows up in an episode? Are we thinking end of season one? Or are we going into season two?

Overall, I dug this premiere. I tend to like it when the show paces itself like it did here. We haven’t had any zords or big city battles yet. The show took its time and allowed us to get to know Amelia and Ollie a little bit. Things felt like they unfolded organically.

A good start to what will hopefully be a good series.

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