1993 was a much simpler time in the superhero genre. Crime fighters were given a problem, solved the issue and had fun along the way in less then 30 minutes. In the early 90s the concept of duality or anti-hero were around, but they weren’t pushed to the forefront as they are today. In addition, it wasn’t important to establish huge and over-reaching story lines affecting 100s of characters / superheroes. It was the simple yet popular time of superheroes.
And that’s why I miss the Power Rangers. The original Power Rangers I mean. The series made things simple. They didn’t overburden you with diversity (and yes even though I run a blog about diversity I can admit that sometimes it goes to far), or “controversial” topics or political talking points. The series showed 5 teenagers from different backgrounds coming together as a team to solve problems bigger than themselves. Sure they had personal problems here and there, but it was simple and fun. The age of the dark, conflicted, anti-hero is cool in today’s culture, but for the 90s, I really appreciated the simple nature.
And I get the reasoning behind the new age of superheroes. It’s important to show that even heroes deal with everyday human problems, but again, I believe we’re hitting a point where it is a bit too much. I’m not saying I’m not a fan of today’s superheroes or that I hate the new Power Rangers movie (which I don’t), but I am saying that I just miss when kids superhero movies / TV series were just that, for kids. But at the end of the day the target market for the Power Rangers series is for children, and if they enjoy it and it makes them a better person in the future, who am I to judge.