I've been needing a classic heartwarming blockbuster after enduring so many terrible movies (Aquaman 2) so when I saw a tweet about this movie being ahead of its time, I watched the trailer & immediately put it on. I. Had. The time of. MY LIFE!!!! Zero Power Rangers context or lore knowledge, just autism & VIBES.
Tf was wrong with people in 2017 that this flopped? 51% on Rotten Tomatoes? I'm sorry that's DELULU this is a banger from the first second! My ass was SAT! I was watching that car chase with my blood pumping & my heartrate ELEVATED knowing I was in for a TIME.
To start with the basics: the cast was good, the CGI was good, the backstories were dense, the found family theme was popping off, Elizabeth Banks left no crumbs (side note: this villain was SCARY), it was a great origin story for someone who had to watch a 20 minute 'Power Rangers Lore Explained' video afterwards cos she was hyperfixating (all indications being that this is actually better & has superior character development than the show) but anyway - the thing I wanna talk about most is BILLY MF CRANSTON.
MY SONNNN!! MY BABY BOY!!! Firstly: when you realise you're autistic, you start to realise how many characters in media are autistic, but NOBODY EVER FUCKIN SAYS SO. You're like, yeah that cunt's autistic, & every allistic ableist mf is like noooo they never said that stop tryna make everything about you!! Like maybe autistic people can just exist without a label on their forehead or it being key to the story, but they're there!! I got a thing or two to tell you about Peter Parker!
But while a label may not always be necessary, they are SO VALUABLE. Besides Quinni (Heartbreak High), Billy Cranston is the only character I've seen actually acknowledge his own autism & it feel real, & authentic, & relatable (unlike *hacking cough* The Good Doctor et al). Billy is talkative, he has no filter, he's vulnerable, he loves & trusts easily, he's not afraid of speaking from the heart... boy, I felt that boy.
Not only is he autistic representation, but he's also Black Autistic representation, which I can't speak on fully as a white girl but (to my understanding) is so rare! Having someone in a blockbuster film that autistic people, & specifically kids & Black autistic people, can relate to ~ with it being authentic & actually central to his character rather than some tokenistic gesture or unacknowledged coding ~ is very very special & made me so happy. I LOVE YOU BILLY CRANSTON!!!
I will be rewatching effective immediately. An absolute thrill-ride of joy. JUSTICE FOR POWER RANGERS (2017).
Devon Webb is a Gen Z writer & editor based in Aotearoa New Zealand. Her award-winning work has been published in over seventy journals worldwide & revolves around themes of femininity, vulnerability, anti-capitalism & neurodivergence. She is an in-house writer for Erato Magazine, an editor for Prismatica Press, & is currently working on the launch of a collective called The Circus, which will prioritise radical inclusivity within the indie lit scene. She can be found on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok & Bluesky at @devonwebbnz.