Summary
Having watched all seasons ofPower Rangersmore than once, I’m surprised by how great the show’s weirdest episode is.Power Rangersis based onSuper Sentai, meaning that the tone and the aesthetic of the American show are very much defined by what the Japanese franchise does.One ofSuper Sentai’s defining traits is comedy, from jokes that get lost in translation and cannot be incorporated into the localized version to visual gags that are often reutilized inPower Rangers.
The best thing aboutwatchingPower Rangersin chronological orderis to see how certain aspects of the show evolve with time. For example, fromPower Rangersin Spaceonward, the show started to spend a little more time developing the characters and giving them actual personalities. The late 1990s and the early 2000s also saw a major improvement in the American action sequences, with seasons likeLightspeed RescueandTime Forcedelivering great fights even when the Rangers were unmorphed. This is what happened inTime Force’s “Movie Madness.”
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Timo Force’s “Movie Madness” Is One Of Power Rangers’ Weirdest Episodes
The Power Rangers Were Fighting… A Movie Director?
Power Rangers Time Forceepisodes 24 and 25 were a two-part story called “Movie Madness.” The premise of the episode was a monster, Cinecon, who could send the Rangers to alternate movie dimensions. After being tricked into appearing as extras and stunt performers in a movie starring Jen’s favorite action stars,the Rangers are split up and sent to different alternate realities.For example, the Red and Green Rangers were sent to a Western film, whereas the Quantum Ranger was sent to a Tarzan parody. As absurd as this premise was, it delivered one of my favoriteTime Forceepisodes.
Alex Drake
First Red Ranger
The Rangers could not morph in these alternate realities, meaning that most of the fight scenes in the episode featured the characters without their costumes. Instead of reducing the number of fight scenes so that the episode would not have to worry about teaching the actors the choreography or changing between the stars and the stunt performers in every shot,Time Forcedoubled down on this unusual premise.Each Ranger had to fight their way out of these alternate universesusing nothing but their fists and whatever was available in the movie sets.
Despite Its Bizarre Plot, “Movie Madness” Has Some Of Power Rangers’ Best Fights
The Hand-To-Hand Fight Scenes Were A Standout Of Time Force’s “Movie Madness”
Once “Movie Madness” started, I assumed it was just a filler episode to make up for the lack ofSuper Sentaifootage. Given that the Rangers could not morph, I thought there would only be a couple of fight scenes here and there before the eventual showdown between the Megazord and the monster of the week. However, I could not have been more wrong. From the “fake fight” between in-universe movie star Frankie Chang and Wes to all the battles that happened across the two-part episode,“Movie Madness” had some of the best civilian fights in the franchise.
Parts ofTime Force’s"Movie Madness" were filmed at the Universal Studios lot.
Action sequences, particularly hand-to-hand fights, had always been the heart and soul ofSuper SentaiandPower Rangers. This is somethingTime Force’s “Movie Madness” captured incredibly well and even acknowledged in a meta way.The episode starts with Wes joyfully offering himself to act as a stuntmanin Chang’s latest action film, followed by the first of many incredible hand-to-hand combat scenes. While I always expect to see well-choreographed fights inPower Rangers, moments like Jen proving herself worthy of the scroll or Lucas' samurai movie action were just too impressive.
“Movie Madness” Is Strangely One Of The Best Power Rangers Episodes Of All Time
Each Ranger Gets A Cool Moment In “Movie Madness”
Despite the silliness of seeing the Quantum Ranger dressed as Tarzan or Wes faking an accent to be in a Western, “Movie Madness” might be one of the greatestPower Rangersepisodes of all time. Considering it is a two-part episode, it delivers 40 minutes of non-stop, well-choreographed action that captures the essence ofPower Rangers.I barely noticed that the Rangers were not using their powers for most of the episode since all the fights were so awesome. “Movie Madness” is a love letter toPower Rangersthat highlights what the show does best.
Time Forceis a fan-favoritePower Rangersseason, and “Movie Madness” is a great example of why.
Many of the action sequences featured the main cast doing their own stunts, which was also remarkable. By the time “Movie Madness” came back toSentaifootage to show the giant monster and the Megazords, I wished it had spent even more time with the Rangers unmorphed.Time Forceis a fan-favoritePower Rangersseason, and “Movie Madness” is a great example of why. Silly and weirdPower Rangersstorylines were nothing new, butTime Forcewould often make the most of its weekly premises with great episodes.
Power Rangers Time Force
Cast
Power Rangers Time Force is a television series that aired in 2001, serving as the ninth season of the Power Rangers franchise. The show follows the adventures of four Time Force Rangers, led by Wesley “Wes” Collins, as they travel back in time to prevent the villainous Ransik from altering the course of history.
