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1 item from 1997

27 March 1997 | The Hollywood Reporter | See recent The Hollywood Reporter news »

Still immensely popular on morning TV and worthy of a second round as a big-screen contender, the Power Rangers return in "Turbo", a high-spirited fantasy adventure co-directed and co-written by franchise co-founder Shuki Levy.

20th Century Fox's family-oriented film is action-packed and silly, the equal of 1995's entertaining "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie," but unlikely to open with much of a bang.

A multigenre combination of sci-fi concepts and characters, cliffhanger heroics, kung-fu movie fights and juvenile humor, Saban Entertainment and Toei Co.'s "Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie" borrows heavily from "E.T". and the Indiana Jones trilogy. Current "Power Rangers ZEO" and former cast members return with several newcomers as the Rangers battle a wicked space pirate.

The five Rangers -- including Tommy Jason David Frank) as the new Red Ranger, young Justin Blake Foster) as Blue Ranger and Rocky (Steve Cardenas) -- are directed by leader Zordon to rescue a fugitive wizard captured by matinee vamp Divatox (Hilary Shepard Turner) and her dim-witted but fearsome henchmen.

Purring and looking like E.T.'s cousin from the planet of the leprechauns, the wizard Lerigot is vulnerable to sunlight and even has a scene in which he heals a Ranger's wound. To further gain our sympathy, Lerigot's wife and infant are captured and threatened, but it's the villains who are the most entertaining.

The pace is fast and furious, with the teen heroes handling numerous opponents and perils as normal humans. But the crowd-pleasing final third finds the turbo-powered Rangers in their Zords taking on Divatox and her husband-to-be, a powerful demon imprisoned inside a volcano.

Old pros of the first film or the TV show, Frank, Johnny Yong Bosch, Catherine Sutherland and Nakia Burrise are a smoothly functioning unit, with Foster's gung-ho rookie stirring things up. Low-comedy relief is again provided by stooges Bulk (Paul Schrier) and Skull (Jason Narvy).

Returning for a subplot involving a submarine and lava pit, former Red Ranger Jason (Austin St. John) and Pink Ranger Kimberly Amy Jo Johnson) are involved in the exciting finale.

Directors Levy and David Winning, along with cinematographer Ilana Rosenberg and production designer Yuda Ako, display plenty of imagination and create a few wondrous moments with the low-tech special effects.

TURBO: A POWER RANGERS MOVIE

20th Century Fox

A Saban Entertainment/Toei Co. production

Directors:David Winning, Shuki Levy

Producer:Jonathan Tzachor

Writers:Shuki Levy, Shell Danielson

Executive producers:Haim Saban, Shuki Levy

Director of photography:Ilana Rosenberg

Production designer:Yuda Ako

Editors:Henry Richardson, B.J. Sears

Music:Shuki Levy

Costume designer:Danielle Baker

Casting:Julie Ashton

Color/stereo

Cast:

Tommy:Jason David Frank

Rocky:Steve Cardenas

Adam:Johnny Yong Bosch

Katherine:Catherine Sutherland

Tanya:Nakia Burrise

Justin:Blake Foster

Divatox:Hilary Shepard Turner

Running time -- 99 minutes

MPAA rating: PG

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1 item from 1997