10 Incredible Fan Films That Totally Succeeded Where Hollywood Failed

3. Power Rangers

In what is almost certain to be taken down again at some point, the recent adaptation of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers franchise has been seen as something of a watershed moment in the battle between fans and rights holders. Released only a few weeks ago to huge critical acclaim, Power/Rangers has quickly become a viral hit for its brutality, inventiveness, production values and all-star cast.

Opening with an interrogation, then moving onto murder, drugs, and threesomes before the Black Ranger slaughters an entire room of gangsters, the 12 minute epic is about as far removed from the flashy kids show as it's possible to be. Starring James Van Der Beek and Katee Sackhoff (Rules Of Attraction and Battlestar Galactica respectively), the short was created by Joseph Kahn as a love-letter to the series and its legacy.

The show's original cast members have all praised it as brilliant, and it stands on a par with Nolan's Batman as a lesson on how to take a franchise to a new audience. Naturally though it raised the eyebrows of Haim Saban, who still hold the intellectual copyright, almost clean off their faces. Despite having as many disclaimers about its unofficial nature as it's possible to have, the film was immediately met with legal challenges and removed from circulation. It's back online now, but with an official series reboot scheduled for 2016 it remains to be seen for how long.