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Reviews
Power Rangers Time Force (2001)
Not only perhaps the best in the series but also the one that has perfectly aged
One sees the Power Rangers name and immediately gets the wrong impression. They think this is a kids show, and it is. However this incarnation of the show is the closest that the series ever came to being considered an adult-worthy program.
Let's start by talking about the way that the series starts off. You have a dangerous mutant criminal named Ransik that escapes after being captured and then kills Alex, the Red Ranger before escaping with a prison full of criminals to the year 2001. That's right, in the first episode a character actually dies showing off the stakes at hand. As a result, Alex's fiancé Jen swears revenge and honors Alex's last request by stealing the other four Time Morphers and a timeship to follow Ransik back in time to capture him. When they get back, they realize that without a Red Ranger to activate the power, the morphers are useless. By chance they run into Alex's twin ancestor Wes who becomes the new Red Ranger, and after a period of trust joins the team permanently.
Despite starting off a bit dark, it isn't until a few episodes in that the show does what it does to truly make it stand out. Ransik captures Wes and explains the reason why he is a criminal. In the year 3000, genetic engineering has allowed for human beings to become genetically perfect in every way. Ransik was born out of an accident and was immediately feared and hated by society for looking different or imperfect. This spawned a cycle of hatred that he ended up passing on to many of those around him with his kind hating humans and vice versa. This is a really mature take for a kids show. Today we see so much violence and hared stemming from racism that watching this in 2021 makes it so incredibly relevant. This theme would continue to recur through the series, and shows off the strength of Ransik as a character as he is a morally grey character with a genuine reason for feeling the way he does.
Also I may just want to point out, the series unlike so many others gives a genuine reason for the show to end: it being that Ransik only has access to a limited number of criminals in his stolen prison that the rangers recapture every time one is defeated. Once he runs out, he only has himself left. What makes this even better is that he is powerful enough to defeat the rangers single handedly in the finale, even when they fight with everything they got.
Going back to the themes, there is a great deal of character development, particularly from the relationship between Wes and Jen, Wes' father, and Eric the Quantum ranger. Rangers learn to trust each other, with Wes and Jen eventually falling in love. Wes leaves his rich life behind to make a difference, and even though his father appears to dislike his decision it's later revealed that he was proud of his son for taking charge of his destiny. Eric makes his own future by becoming the Quantum ranger and eventually accepts the help of the other rangers even though he spends most of his time on the show pushing them away. All of these interconnected storylines prove that the show is perhaps the most mature and complex out of the series, and it does it so well.
Going back to the cycle of hatred, towards the end of the series Ransik's daughter Nadira eventually has an experience that makes her rethink her hatred of humans. She eventually abandons her father during his final attack to help a baby that has lost its mother. Ransik accidently attacks her during his final pursuit of the rangers and this makes him realize that his hatred nearly cost him the one thing that he truly loves. This makes him give up his hate and surrender to the rangers, a rare instance of the main villain reforming towards the end and breaking such a complex cycle of hatred.
To sum it up, everything about this show is interesting, complex, and extremely relevant to today's issues. Power Ranger's Dino Thunder may be the slightly better show due to its sense of danger and nostalgia, but this is probably tied with it for the top spot. Watch it, trust me you won't regret it.
Rear Window (1954)
A masterpiece of pure Hitchcock brilliance
What do one usually see when they look out their back window? Some see trees and birds, others just see brick walls. "Rear Window" on the other hand lets us see the everyday, and not so everyday antics of nearby neighbors.
A picture of a man, L.B. "Jeff" Jeffries, who's amazing determination to report on stories has landed him with a broken leg and the inability to capture the sights of the world through his beloved camera, which ironically caused him to end up in this condition. Being stuck in his bed all day, Jeff's only means of communication with the outside world is the window near his bed which he stares out of all day, secretly spying on his neighbors and their everyday antics.
Through this window, we get a unique glimpse into everyday life during the 1950's. All accompanied by a panning camera that illustrates Jeff's point of view. Dogs are playing, women are cleaning and hanging clothes, and various people are walking around with nothing else better to do.
But it's after the sun sets that the darker nature of the neighborhood is truly revealed. Through a unique shot of the camera, we see two rooms of an apartment divided by a water pipe that perfectly orchestrates the divided feelings that the couple in the apartment feel towards each other. After a scream in the night, Jeff wakens to find the husband of the woman in the window quickly leaving the apartment, with the woman nowhere to be seen. It is through this view of the window that Jeff comes to the conclusion that the man must have murdered his wife and is planning a quick getaway.
Leave it to Alfred Hitchcock to make a suspenseful murder mystery film. He is well known for that after all, having made Vertigo in 1958 just four years year after this film and also starring Jeff Bridges in the main role. Both films are masterful at suspense, and manage to perfectly play out their plotlines with intense visuals and complex themes.
The shadows in this film perfectly represent the dark intentions of Jeff's neighbor and the underlying mystery of the film. Every major event happens either in the evening or at night. Jeff appears to be the only one who notices before those close to him also begin to follow along with his paranoia after seeing possible evidence themselves. During the day everyone is happy and nothing appears wrong, but during the night screams are heard, dogs are killed, and people leave their apartments. The night rules during this movie, as it tends to do with Hitchcock's other films.
Hitchcock gives us a unique camera perspective on the situation at hand. We see the apartments through Jeff's eyes. We are barely able to hear what's going on, but see enough to get either intrigued or suspicious at whatever these neighbors are doing. They say it is not nice to spy on others, but in this case we must use whatever we can get to figure out whether or not jeff's paranoia is justified.
Under most circumstances, most people would go crazy if they were just locked up in a room with nothing to do all day. This makes it seem as if Jeff is going crazy due to his isolation in that room. If I were in his position, I'd almost certainly be using my imagination on whatever I saw to keep myself occupied. We believe that Jeff is crazy at first, but through his perspective, the mystery slowly begins to come together, and the truth becomes realized.
In conclusion, Alfred Hitchcock has made one of his finest films ever and it is a highly recommended treat to anyone. What kind of perspective will you have on the movie? Be prepared to figure it out for yourself.