'Power Rangers Cosmic Fury' Review
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The Power Rangers franchise has been around for 30 years, and through the years, it has undergone several changes. One of the major upcoming changes is the upcoming reboot. However, while that reboot is a bit of a ways off, let's take a look at the last iteration of this era of Power Rangers, Power Rangers Cosmic Fury.
Warning: There will be spoilers in this review.
Power Rangers Cosmic Fury picks up shortly after the last season of Power Rangers Dino Fury. The Rangers, after learning of the return of Lord Zedd, teleport to Zedd's last known location: the planet Zordnia. Zedd's release from his crystal was the result of the intervention of the evil intergalactic corporation Squid Inc. They are joined by the Mighty Morphin Blue Ranger, Billy Cranston (played by David Yost), and Mick Kanic, the other Red Ranger from Ninja Steel.
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However, the Morphin Masters (the guardians of the morphing grid introduced in the previous season) are captured, and one of their own, Ollie (Dino Fury and later Cosmic Fury Blue), is brainwashed into fighting for the forces of evil. Luckily, the Rangers have new zords in the form of the Cosmic Fury Zords and new powers to go with them, making the Dino Fury Rangers the Cosmic Fury Rangers. Now, the Rangers must stop an all-out Invasion from Lord Zedd and the forces of Squid Ink.
The story has slightly higher stakes than your usual Power Rangers season and has more in common with Power Rangers In Space. Firstly, the promotion of Amelia Jones (played by Hunter Deno) from pink to red was handled rather well, as her transition to the leader was excellently shown. Also, the inclusion of Billy was a very nice touch for longtime fans of the franchise. There are some issues with the story. Due to the low episode count, the story feels rather rushed and focuses a lot on the action. The low episode count, however, does give the series the benefit of mostly ditching the monster of the week format in favor of a more serialized approach. However, there is still some corny writing and often flimsy plot devices, but these are par for the course of the franchise. Furthermore, for what is touted to be the last series in the main canon of the franchise before the reboot, there could have been more callbacks to previous seasons (spoiler: though the multiple Megazords in the final battle were a nice touch). The door is left open for future plot threads, however, as (spoiler) Billy mentions that he'll continue his search for Zordon after Aiyon (Cosmic Fury Gold) tells him about the being in his vision uttering a certain Zordon-specific phrase. Overall, the story and writing are a good mix of elevated stakes and classic Power Rangers fun.
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The acting is also pretty good for the series, which isn't known for its stellar acting performances. However, underneath the camp lies actual real emotion, especially concerning the ranger Zayto and his fate. Jordan Fite does an excellent job conveying the extreme feelings of loss and worries his character Aiyon expresses over Zayto, showing a bond that has lasted millennia. The relationships between Ollie and Amelia in addition to Fern and Izzy are also portrayed well by Hunter Deno, Kai Mora, Tessa Rao, and Jacqueline Joe respectively. The voice-over talent for the villains hams it up beautifully as usual. Voice-over veteran Fred Tatasciore does an especially good job as Lord Zedd, filling the shoes of the late Robert Axelrod nicely. The only actor that feels a bit stiff is David Yost as Billy. While he has his moments, there are plenty of scenes where Yost doesn't quite deliver. Overall, however, the acting is rather good for the standard of this franchise.
The music is also a nice touch. Composed by Bert Selen (returning from Power Rangers Dino Fury), it has a nice cinematic feel mixed with a tone that is reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoon scores from the 90s. The main theme is also quite catchy, though the vocals are littered with autotune and other effects, and it has an overall synthetic and overproduced feeling to it. Nonetheless, the theme and musical score serve the series quite well.
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Power Rangers Cosmic Fury is the first to feature original suits for the main team of Rangers, and these suits can take a bit to get used to, they are a nice mix of the style from the suits from Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger (the sentai series Power Rangers Dino Fury was based on) and American superhero traits. The zords are taken from Uchu Sentai Kyuranger, and the original footage mixes quite nicely with the footage from this sentai. However, eagle-eyed viewers can still see the Kyurangers in the zord cockpits in certain shots.
The CGI, however, is a mixed bag, particularly for the final Zord battle. While it appears to be a very slight step up from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always, the Megazords still look just a tad bit off. Maybe it's the animation or even the lighting, but the overall feeling of the CGI feels a bit cheap. Nonetheless, it's serviceable.
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Overall, Power Rangers Cosmic Fury is a fitting end to the Power Rangers Dino Fury Saga and a slightly satisfying end to the main franchise as a whole. While there are some problems present, they don't hamper the enjoyment of this admittedly short season. However, the fact that this is the end of what has been a 30-year-old continuity makes the season feel a bit hollow and lackluster. Nonetheless, Power Rangers Cosmic Fury is an enjoyable watch, even if you haven't seen the previous two seasons of Power Rangers Dino Fury.
Rating: 7/10
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