POWER RANGERS: OPERATION OVERDRIVE, VOL. 1 AND 2
(not rated)
MOVIE: *** (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *1/2 (out of 5)
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
BY KEVIN CARR
While I watched “Power Rangers” in college (back when they had “Mighty Morphin’” in their names), I hadn’t watched the show until a few years ago with the “Dino Thunder” cast. Each season, the Jetix series provides a new group of rangers to keep the show fresh.
The latest Rangers are part of Operation Overdrive, which emerge from genetic manipulation by a billionaire genius. It draws from the same flavor as “Dino Thunder” instead of using a more organized force in “S.P.D.” or “Mystic Force.” Here, the Rangers come to life in modern day to fight evil creatures that have been released from centuries-old sleep to find jewels that will help them take over the world.
Unlike “Dino Thunder,” however, we get a larger cast, like the more recent series. Using five rangers, the characters spread out their strengths (and problems) wider than just three as we saw with the Dino Rangers. However, they have the same contemporary feel without the desperate grab at the Harry Potter wizardry we saw in “Mystic Force.”
As with any Power Rangers series, the target audience is young boys. My sons continue to enjoy the show, which demonstrates the series’ ability to speak to its target demographic.
“Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive” has been released with the first two volumes, with each disc featuring six episodes from the series. The twelve episodes chronicle the Rangers’ attempts to stop the bad guys from getting their hands on various jewels.
The DVD extras include explanations of the Rangers’ weapons and the first two levels of a Ranger training game.