Here's What Rotten Tomatoes Reviews Are Saying About MMPR: Once & Always
Netflix's "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always" has attracted a serious amount of attention from subscribers, making its way into the streamer's top ten. It has also garnered some unexpected reactions from viewers, especially critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
The 55-minute special has a lot to offer fans, featuring several members of the original "Power Rangers" cast, like David Yost as Billy Cranston, the Blue Ranger, and Watler Emanuel Elliot as Zach Taylor, the Black Ranger, teaming up to stop a classic villain in the form of robot Rita Repulsa (Barbara Goodson) with some familiar faces from the franchise alongside newcomer Charlize Kersh, who plays Minh, the daughter of Trini Kwan, who eventually takes over the Saber Tooth Tiger mantle. The film also pays tribute to actress Thuy Trang, who played the original Yellow Ranger.
After releasing on April 19, 2023, the response from fans has been very positive, resulting in a very high audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. And as far as the critics go, Kelly Lawler from USA Today wrote in her review that "Power Rangers" belongs to our inner kids, and "Once and Always" remembers that.'" Feliz Vasquez Jr. from Cinema Crazed called it "A love letter to the original series," while Glenn Rowley from Paste Magazine confirmed the title lived up to its name, saying, "It turns out that one fact still holds true: once a Ranger, always a Ranger." While the reports seem positive at first glance, there is still more fans should know regarding what critics are saying about "Once & Always."
Longtime fans will be in for a treat with Once & Always
While it does appear that the special has some things many fans will enjoy, it seems that anyone looking for a new and rebooted take on the "Power Rangers" probably won't find the most satisfaction when tuning into Netflix's "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always."
Instead of going the usual Hollywood route when it comes to reigniting the spark of a franchise by bringing fans a dark, gritty take armed with an onslaught of CGI action, according to some critics, "Once & Always" leans hard on the nostalgia factor. Adrian Ruiz from But Why Tho? wrote, "'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always' hits the mark for a stroll down memory lane for this historic franchise." Mathew Aguilar from ComicBook.com offered similar praise in his review, saying, "Overall, the film delivers the best sort of nostalgia trip, one that brings together all the things you loved about the original series and blends in modern elements and a central story that means something to the fanbase and the franchise."
While it has certainly proven to be a blast from the past for old-school Power Rangers fans, some are praising its efforts to throw in some elements tailored at modern audiences, like Jonathan Rome of Geeks of Color, who wrote, "This special does a really interesting job of building on the nostalgic elements of the show, using them as a foundation to explore new tones and ideas." There is no denying that "Once & Always" has received a lot of love from critics, but not all of the criticism has necessarily been morphenomenal.
Others warn viewers to lower expectations when watching Once & Always
Unfortunately, not everyone feels the same way about "Once & Always," and some outlets report that viewers should make sure not to set the bar too high in terms of what to expect if they decide to give the "Power Rangers" special a chance.
Screen Rant didn't mince words when writing in their review that "expectations should be very low for this, as the special is a one-off expression of love & admiration for the show's legacy than an earnest reboot." And they weren't the only ones that felt that, although having a touching narrative chock full of fun nods to the good old days of the franchise, the execution overall came up short. IGN also touched upon the subject in their assessment of the feature, writing, "While [Once and Always] has a deeply emotional story at its center and plenty of fun nostalgic moments... it's hard to shake the feeling that this special needed better effects and dialogue to make it truly Morphenomenal." And Collider didn't hold back in their "Once & Always" review, writing, "When it comes to adult men and women fighting aliens while wearing multicolored spandex, sometimes you have to just give in and run with it — but 'Once & Always' never wields this to its fullest potential."
It seems if viewers manage expectations properly and go in expecting a sleek, shiny new take on what they loved about the franchise from the beginning, then by all accounts, it seems like those that have pledged allegiance to the "Power Ranger" cause at some point in their lives probably should do themselves a favor and not sleep on "Once & Always."