Review: 'Ninja Steel' continues the Power Rangers legacy
Posted Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 3:05 PM Central
by John Couture
I don't know what it is, but there's just something about the Power Rangers. Kids love the show for its cheezy action and adults tolerate it since it usually means that the kids will be enthralled for at least half an hour.
But not all Power Rangers seasons are created equal and some are noticeably better than others. Unfortunately for Ninja Steel, it is not on the better side of this equation. Quite the opposite actually as I found that this season was, at times, unbearable and that's saying something.
The underlying Power Rangers action that they lift from the Japanese Super Sentai series is fine, but it's the interstitial stories and characters that don't work for me. The basic premise of the season is much the same as other Power Rangers shows, monsters are intent on destroying the Earth and the Power Rangers must band together to save the planet.
Where Ninja Steel goes off the track is the backstory concerning the Romero brothers that were separated when their father sacrificed himself a decade earlier to prevent the Ninja Nexus Prism from falling into the wrong hands. Now, the one brother returns to Earth after being a prisoner on a spaceship and he's keen to reunite with his brother and take on the familial duty of protecting the Ninja Nexus Prism.
Yeah, the story is as bland and predictable as it sounds and it doesn't take but a handful of episodes to figure out how it's going to end. It's no secret that Power Rangers follows a well-established pattern, but usually, they try and throw in a curveball or two to keep us on our toes. I was surprised that they didn't simply devolve into simplistic lessons such as "Sharing is Caring."
It just seems that the writing is sloppy and the execution is even worse. The two would-be bumbling foils Monty and Vincent are nothing more than cardboard cutout antagonists that are quite literally reduced to fart jokes several times during the course of the season. It's unfortunate because there are a couple of secondary storylines such as Preston's relationship with his authoritarian father and his desire to pursue magic that is given the short shrift whenever possible.
This season had potential, but they sort of wasted the opportunity and it remains to be seen if they can rekindle the magic in the upcoming second season, Super Ninja Steel. Of course, any real critique of a Power Rangers season wouldn't be complete without feedback from their target demographic, kids.
Suffice to say, if my children's reactions are any indication, then Power Rangers will enjoy another 25 seasons without missing a beat. My 5 and 7-year-old were entranced from beginning to end and couldn't get enough. My young son even went back and started the season over again after we watched all of the episodes. I think it's safe to say that he's a massive Power Rangers fan.
One thing about this offering that was really impressive was the box art and design of the DVD packaging. We don't normally comment on them as a rule because let's face it, these days they are pretty vanilla. But, the artwork for this collection was created by comic artist George Caltsoudas specifically for the DVD release and I think you will agree that it's a beautiful rendition of the elements.
At the end of the day, I realize that I am no longer in the target demographic of this show, but I can appreciate when they at least attempt to fashion a compelling story. My kids will tune in simply to see all of the cheesy action awesomeness, but it's always nice when there's something fun to do between action sequences. I was a bit let down by this season, but there will naturally be ups and downs over the course of a show that runs for 25 seasons and counting. Hopefully, the next one will be more at the top end of the spectrum.
Power Rangers: Ninja Steel is now available on DVD.
