I have been an immense fan of the Power Rangers ever since the first show aired and I have also been following and critiquing the show since I have had access to a computer. With that being said, I am the first to say that my hopes for Power Rangers Dino Charge were very high from the beginning since the previous four seasons were the very worst that the show had to offer. I will be the first to admit that Samurai, Super Samurai, Megaforce and Super Megaforce were the absolute rock bottom for the Power Rangers series, having the worst writing, acting and overall story lines of the 22 seasons I've witnessed as well as a generalized dumbing down of the show that generally alienated life long older fans such as myself. However, upon watching the first few episodes of Power Rangers Dino Charge, I'm satisfied to say that my expectations were met and in some ways exceeded.
The Characters
Lets start out with the Rangers themselves. These characters are amongst the best I've seen since RPM, which to me, was the last truly great season and in many ways, they break all the molds that have plagued the series. As an African-American woman myself, I was most impressed to see the first Pink Ranger of African-American descent who brings a rare non-stereotypical portrayal that seems to be so common to African-American characters these days. She's a rebellious tomboy whose intellect and knowledge of dinosaurs sometimes puts her at odds with the rest of the Rangers and especially Kendall Morgan, the resident Team Mom. There's Tyler, the Red Ranger who brings a subtle comical portrayal to the traditional no-nonsense attitude Red Rangers have. Following nearly in the Red Ranger's place is Chase, the Black Ranger and a cocky, ladies man whose native New Zealand accent makes the character a sleeker, more refined and lovable version of Zander from Power Rangers Mystic Force.
There's Koda, the Blue Ranger, a caveman who has survived into the modern era due to the effects of the Energem he was bonded to. I cannot find Koda comical nor can I take him seriously, more on that later in my critique section of this review. Riley is the logic minded Green Ranger who brings a quiet intellectual approach that seems to make him stand out in contrast to the other Rangers who are very upfront and in your face in terms of personality. Rounding out the Rangers is Kendall, the resident Team Mom and technological expert who reminds me of a younger Mrs. Fairweather from Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue whose constant squabbling with Shelby in the first few episodes gives her a rare depth that is rarely found in television nowadays. Lastly, there is Keeper who functions as the Zordon equivalent but who has not seen much character development as of yet, something I hope will be expanded on later in the series.
As for the villains, we have Sledge and Poisandra who are for the most part, not remarkable nor particularly memorable except for their antics as an engaged couple. However, there is a redeeming villain in Fury, the resident General who is by far the most upfront and direct villain I have seen in this season. He is direct, confrontational and truly something to watch.
The Storyline
The overall storyline and premise of Power Rangers Dino Charge is rather simple but played pretty much straight in that Sledge, Fury and Poisandra are interspace bounty hunters searching for the Energems, which are the most powerful objects in the universe and the source of the Ranger's powers when Keeper bonded them to dinosaurs. In addition to this main storyline, there are smaller story lines scattered throughout such as Tyler's missing father and his quest to find him, the arc about Prince Ivan which concluded in the most recent episode to my own applause and the ship-tease that is played between Shelby and Tyler.
Critique
My biggest criticisms in this series definitely have to go towards the villains Sledge and Poisandra who are very one dimensional and have very little character development which makes them little more than stereotypical Power Rangers villains. This is a downwards trend we have seen become obvious in seasons like Power Rangers Samurai and Megaforce and for the most part, makes the season somewhat unenjoyable to watch when compared to the glorious villains we have seen in previous seasons like Time Force, Lightspeed Rescue, Dino Thunder and RPM.
In addition, the character of Koda seems to be poorly written in that his dialogue and generalized actions when he is not morphed is laughable and the actor himself seems very forced when acting him in normal situations. When you consider the fact that his character was behaving normally until the arc that announced he was a caveman played out, it becomes almost face-palm worthy.
Some minor criticism would be geared towards the continuing trend of talking more than fighting during the otherwise very decent action scenes. However, in an immense positive, this season has acting that is believable and genuinely good which in of itself is a major accomplishment in addition to the lack of cheesy up-front dialogue. Unlike the previous four seasons, the characters seem to be genuinely interacting with each other and it doesn't seem forced in any way.
Final Thoughts
All in all, Power Rangers Dino Charge is a definite step-up from the disgraceful seasons we've been handed since 2011. While there is still room to improve, it is a very good season and old fans who have loved the show will not be disappointed should they decide to tune in to watch it.
The Characters
Lets start out with the Rangers themselves. These characters are amongst the best I've seen since RPM, which to me, was the last truly great season and in many ways, they break all the molds that have plagued the series. As an African-American woman myself, I was most impressed to see the first Pink Ranger of African-American descent who brings a rare non-stereotypical portrayal that seems to be so common to African-American characters these days. She's a rebellious tomboy whose intellect and knowledge of dinosaurs sometimes puts her at odds with the rest of the Rangers and especially Kendall Morgan, the resident Team Mom. There's Tyler, the Red Ranger who brings a subtle comical portrayal to the traditional no-nonsense attitude Red Rangers have. Following nearly in the Red Ranger's place is Chase, the Black Ranger and a cocky, ladies man whose native New Zealand accent makes the character a sleeker, more refined and lovable version of Zander from Power Rangers Mystic Force.
There's Koda, the Blue Ranger, a caveman who has survived into the modern era due to the effects of the Energem he was bonded to. I cannot find Koda comical nor can I take him seriously, more on that later in my critique section of this review. Riley is the logic minded Green Ranger who brings a quiet intellectual approach that seems to make him stand out in contrast to the other Rangers who are very upfront and in your face in terms of personality. Rounding out the Rangers is Kendall, the resident Team Mom and technological expert who reminds me of a younger Mrs. Fairweather from Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue whose constant squabbling with Shelby in the first few episodes gives her a rare depth that is rarely found in television nowadays. Lastly, there is Keeper who functions as the Zordon equivalent but who has not seen much character development as of yet, something I hope will be expanded on later in the series.
As for the villains, we have Sledge and Poisandra who are for the most part, not remarkable nor particularly memorable except for their antics as an engaged couple. However, there is a redeeming villain in Fury, the resident General who is by far the most upfront and direct villain I have seen in this season. He is direct, confrontational and truly something to watch.
The Storyline
The overall storyline and premise of Power Rangers Dino Charge is rather simple but played pretty much straight in that Sledge, Fury and Poisandra are interspace bounty hunters searching for the Energems, which are the most powerful objects in the universe and the source of the Ranger's powers when Keeper bonded them to dinosaurs. In addition to this main storyline, there are smaller story lines scattered throughout such as Tyler's missing father and his quest to find him, the arc about Prince Ivan which concluded in the most recent episode to my own applause and the ship-tease that is played between Shelby and Tyler.
Critique
My biggest criticisms in this series definitely have to go towards the villains Sledge and Poisandra who are very one dimensional and have very little character development which makes them little more than stereotypical Power Rangers villains. This is a downwards trend we have seen become obvious in seasons like Power Rangers Samurai and Megaforce and for the most part, makes the season somewhat unenjoyable to watch when compared to the glorious villains we have seen in previous seasons like Time Force, Lightspeed Rescue, Dino Thunder and RPM.
In addition, the character of Koda seems to be poorly written in that his dialogue and generalized actions when he is not morphed is laughable and the actor himself seems very forced when acting him in normal situations. When you consider the fact that his character was behaving normally until the arc that announced he was a caveman played out, it becomes almost face-palm worthy.
Some minor criticism would be geared towards the continuing trend of talking more than fighting during the otherwise very decent action scenes. However, in an immense positive, this season has acting that is believable and genuinely good which in of itself is a major accomplishment in addition to the lack of cheesy up-front dialogue. Unlike the previous four seasons, the characters seem to be genuinely interacting with each other and it doesn't seem forced in any way.
Final Thoughts
All in all, Power Rangers Dino Charge is a definite step-up from the disgraceful seasons we've been handed since 2011. While there is still room to improve, it is a very good season and old fans who have loved the show will not be disappointed should they decide to tune in to watch it.