Dr. K's Waiting Room

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January celebrates two notable dates in science-fiction history: “National Science Fiction Day” on January 2 to coincide with the birth of world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and 12 January being when Arthur C. Clarke’s HAL 9000 was created. Accordingly, I dedicate January to celebrating sci-fi in all its forms.

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Quick Facts:
While in Japan, Haim Saban came across the popular Choudenshi Bioman (1984 to 1985) and partnered with  Shuki Levy to produce an American adaptation. When this failed to attract interest, Saban took a gamble by recontextualising footage from Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger (1992 to 1993) that paid off when the pilot episode was a hit with test audiences. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was a cultural phenomenon at the time, despite some controversy, that spawned numerous spin-offs and merchandise, and the original series was digitally remastered in 2010.

The Review:
I’d recommend sitting down with a sugary snack to watch the classic, if ridiculously cheesy, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as “Day of the Dumpster” moves at a mile a minute! Interestingly, unlike many first or pilot episodes I’ve watched, “Day of the Dumpster” includes the full show intro, which recaps the basic plot and therefore makes the episode largely redundant as it simply expands this premise into a half hour-ish episode. “Day of the Dumpster” begins with a couple of badly dubbed astronauts (Unknown) landing on the Moon, which strangely has a day and night cycle, normal gravity, and looks suspiciously like a quarry. Rather than questioning these aspects, the astronauts investigate a massive “space dumpster” buried in the ground and, abandoning thoughts of quarantine or procedure, eagerly pop off the lid. They’re suitably horrified when they unwittingly release Baboo (Hideaki Kusaka/Dave Mallow), Finster (Takako Iiboshi/Robert Axelrod), Goldar (Takashi Sakamoto/Kazutoshi Yokoyama/Kerrigan Mahan), Squatt (Minoru Watanabe/Michael Sorich) and their malevolent leader, Empress Rita Repulsa (Machiko Soga/Barbara Goodson) from ten thousand years of imprisonment! To celebrate, Rita quickly builds (offscreen) an elaborate palace on the now darkened Moon, where she badgers Finster to whip up a fresh batch of her disposable minions, the Putty Patrol, to begin her plans to conquer Earth. These opening scenes alone are enough to make any parent cringe as the dubbing is atrocious, and the characters are delightfully pantomime-like in their over-the-top theatrics. Rita’s “Suitmation” buddies flail like fish out of water and any scenes with them move at a blistering pace, as they didn’t have the right coverage and angles.

Meanwhile, the cool hip teenagers of Angel Grove, California are hanging out at the Ernie’s (Richard Genelle) Gym and Juice Bar at the youth center, where expert martial artist Jason Lee Scott (Austin St. John) teaches karate, Kimberly Hart (Amy Jo Johnson) practises gymnastics, and Trini Kwan (Thuy Trang) works on her kata. Although Jason’s had great success with Zack Taylor (Walter Emanuel Jones), who incorporates breakdancing into his fighting style in a version of capoeira (because, y’know…he’s Black, so of course he has to have some style!), bookworm Billy Cranston (David Yost) struggles with the basics despite memorising the principals. It doesn’t help that loud-mouthed braggarts Farkas “Bulk” Bulkmeier (Paul Schrier) and Eugene “Skull” Skullovitch (Jason Narvy) give Billy a hard time, make lewd passes at Kimberly and Trini, and challenge Jason’s authority. Of course, the bungling duo are humiliated each time but Billy struggles with his confidence throughout the episode. These five teenagers find their lives changed forever when they’re suddenly teleported to a command centre atop a nearby mountain range and introduced to Zordon (David Fielding), an “interdimensional being” who ordered his robotic assistant, Alpha 5 (Romy J. Sharf/Richard Steven Horvitz), to bring him five “teenagers with attitude” to combat Rita. While the five seemed perfectly amiable characters in the youth center, Zack suddenly develops a smart mouth with Zordon and Kimberly partially transforms into a stereotypical airhead, with both being sceptical of Zordon’s plea for them to assume incredible power through their Power Morphers, which promise superhuman abilities modelled after dinosaurs. Although Jason is intrigued by the offer, he reluctantly follows the others when they reject Zordon’s warnings of Rita’s threat, though Zordon allows them to leave with their Power Morphers as he clearly sees something special in them.

Even the most incredulous of the five are convinced of Rita’s threat when Putty Patrollers (Unknown) suddenly teleport in and attack, easily overwhelming even the experienced Jason and pushing the five to transform into the colourful Power Rangers. Rather than testing their mettle against Rita’s minions, the Power Rangers are immediately returned to Angel Grove as Rita sent Goldar to attack the city. This leads to another sequence that had concerned parents clutching their pearls as our five heroes fight Goldar and his Putty Patrollers on the rooftops, throwing punches, flips, kicks, and judo tosses. The transformation apparently quashes any concerns about inexperience the teenagers had, seeing Jason immediately assume the role of confident leader as the Red Ranger and Billy gain fighting prowess as the Blue Ranger. Similarly, the five immediately fight as a well-oiled unit, despite it never being hinted that they’ve fought together before, prompting Rita to hurl her magic wand to Earth and enlarge Goldar to kaiju size! Thanks to Zordon’s crash course on their abilities, the Power Rangers summon their Dinozords and combine them into the mighty Megazord, a clunky Suitmation mech that screams “toyetic”! Interestingly, the Power Rangers falter when controlling the Megazord, barely striking the embiggened Goldar, who slashes with his sword and has their cockpit exploding in a shower of sparks. After stunning Goldar with a couple of blows, the Power Rangers call forth the Power Sword, which sends Goldar scurrying back to Rita’s Moon base, where she chastises him for his failure. Despite barely surviving the encounter, Zordon commends his champions, allaying any lingering concerns they have, and they agree to continue defending the Earth as the Power Rangers.

Final Thoughts:
Although I diligently watched Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as a kid, had some of the toys, and even once fought a friend who suggested VR Troopers (1994 to 1996) was superior, it’s been years since I watched it and I can’t remember if I ever watched this first episode. As I said, it’s not really necessary as everything is told through the intro, which a generation of kids no doubt committed to memory thanks to the catchy and memorable song. Despite knowing the show was cobbled together from Japanese shows, it’s ridiculously cringe and a fever dream of editing, outlandish performances, and explosive action. It’s funny seeing our five heroes sporting their Power Ranger colours before they get their powers, and watching them perform at the juice bar, and I wonder if it might’ve been better if the leads had just been regular kids with no interest or experience in martial arts who then gain incredibly fighting powers from their transformation. The five leads are surprisingly good in their roles, despite the material, their inexperience, and the immense and unfair pressure placed upon them. Amy Jo Johnson remains a heartthrob to this day and showcases some impressive gymnastics, while Austin St. John and Walter Emanuel Jones equally impress with their martial arts prowess and fight choreography. I remember thinking the Red Ranger bland and boring, but he’s surprisingly charismatic here, carrying himself with a quiet confidence and showcasing an inherent desire to protect others by being the only one to take Zordon’s offer seriously.

I was surprised at how long it takes for the five to become the Power Rangers and for the Suitmation action to kick-in. “Day of the Dumpster” sets a trend for the show by focusing on the human characters, depicting their friendship, unique (if one-dimensional) characteristics, and giving a taste of the teenage drama they deal with (primarily goofy bullies Bulk and Skull). These concerns are superseded by their responsibilities as the Power Rangers, a role specifically designed to teach kids not to use their power or abilities for personal gain and to fight in self-defence rather than picking fights for the sake of it. While the outdated slang and humour cuts like a knife these days and Alpha 5 will always be one of the most annoying characters, the suits and kaiju sequences more than make up for it. Although the Dinozords don’t feature much here, I loved the visual of clunky plastic mechs rising from volcanoes and forming the Megazord, a ridiculous and yet immediately iconic mech than stumbles about bashing the equally laughable Goldar for an otherwise enjoyable kaiju fight that sends sparks flying. It’s easy to see why kids were so enthralled by Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and parents were so concerned. The five leads are colourful, lively characters who flip about and strike dramatic poses while fighting mindless goons, which immediately captured the imagination of youngsters and had parents unreasonably worried about the violence. The villains are just ridiculous enough to be comical and yet are still depicted as a formidable threat, especially when enlarged, that emphasise the importance of teamwork and self-belief, values that are still at the core of the Power Rangers concept. I enjoyed revisiting “Day of the Dumpster”, as cringey as a lot of it is, and it was fun being transported back to a simpler time when colourful, theatrical superheroes like these where all the rage.

My Rating:

Pretty Good

Were you a fan of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers back in the day? Which Power Ranger was your favourite? Would you jump at the chance to have such power? Do you think the show has aged well or do you find the awful dubbing and cringey moments off-putting? Which incarnation of the Power Rangers is your favourite? What are some of your favourite sci-fi-orientated TV shows? Feel free to share your memories of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in the comments, check out my other sci-fi content on the site, and donate to my Ko-Fi if you want to see more Power Rangers content.