Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is one of those shows that does literally everything wrong and still manages to be a hit. You've got a kid's action program that borrows liberally from notoriously low budget Japanese shows (there are entire action sequences that have been ripped off, and the awful dubbing is a sight to behold). It has cheesy dialogue, seriously questionable special effects, and ever so slightly racist undertones with the Black Ranger being African-American and the Yellow Ranger being Asian. But we still loved it. From a commercial standpoint, it was a merchandising dream, with different colors and personalities that could be marketed to all different types of kids. But more importantly, it proved that a show doesn't necessarily have to be good to be fun. Would the current crop of twenty-somethings have developed their highly attuned sense of snark and enjoyment of all things super low budget without the Power Rangers? The world may never know.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
