POWER RANGERS: OPERATION OVERDRIVE
(Y7)
MOVIE: *** (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *1/2 (out of 5)
STARRING
Samuell Benta as WILL
James Maclurcan as MACK HATFORD
Caitlin Murphy as RONNY
Rhoda Montemayor as ROSE ORTIZ
Gareth Yuen as DAX LO
Dwayne Cameron as MERCURY
David Weatherley as SPENCER
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
BY KEVIN CARR
The latest incarnation of the Power Rangers is out on DVD in a complete five-disc set. “Operation Overdrive” follows the annual restart of Power Rangers. This time, the kids are brought together from various walks of life by a wealthy archeologist. He uncovers morphers and allows a new batch of kids to become the Power Rangers.
Like recent versions of the classic team, “Operation Overdrive” has five rangers. And if that’s not enough, as you get into the later volumes of this series, the Overdrive force is visited by several Rangers from past episodes.
The Power Rangers rely on formula, with an evil villain in a rubber costume creating havoc for the latest set of heroes. In the Operation Overdrive universe, they are fighting to uncover lost artifacts that will bestow great powers on the user. The team is taken on a global tour of ancient civilizations, from Egypt to Japan, in order to keep the balance of power in check.
Over recent years, my favorite Power Rangers team was the SPD version, although a lot of this has to do with my love of science fiction. The DinoThunder team was also pretty cool for the obvious use of dinosaurs. Operation Overdrive gives a nice blend of the more futuristic teams and the Mystic Force characters that rode the coattails of popular fantasy films.
“Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive” comes in five volumes highlighting a different precious stone, each with six episodes and bonus features that include lessons about the rangers and a set-top training course.