Film: 
DVD: 
Written by Douglas Sloan and Jackie Marchand
Directed by Andrew Merrifield, Charlie Haskell, and Paul Grinder
Features:
- Ninja moves
- Virtual trading cards
Released by: Buena Vista
Region: 1
Rating: Y7
Anamorphic: N/A; episodes appear in their original 1.33:1 format.
My Advice: Rent or buy it if you love the genre.
Power Rangers: Dino Thunder continues as the Rangers and Dr. Tommy Oliver, as the new Black Ranger, face off against the evil plans of Mesagog and his minion Elsa. However, the bad guys make a mistake with a Dino Egg, and the White Ranger is born, but whose side is he on? He looks to be the Power Ranger’s newest enemy, but the power he wields may be way too much for him to handle. Dr. Oliver finds himself fossilized and unable to assist his crew with their search for answers; the kids are on their own this time.
[ad#longpost]The show continues to be interesting in places as the eggs and crystals continually reveal yet more powers and toys for the Rangers, but is still just as cheesy as ever, which is part of why some people love sentai, a.k.a. color team, shows. Just expect the moral lessons to be ambiguous at times, but usually centered around teamwork and fair play.
As I’ve said before, the fight choreography on this show is actually quite good. We get some interesting moves with more realistic reactions to hits than many TV shows provide, and the heroes even eat dust occasionally, which is refreshing. Of course, they are the heroes, so they always win in the end, but that’s actually something comforting to that, times being what they are.
The virtual trading cards and Ninja Moves continue as the special features for this series. They are both fun and creative ways to add premium content to a fighting show and should be enjoyed by anyone who likes the show itself. Kudos to the producers for thinking creatively to come up with some content and even bothering to do so, when so many TV shows are given nothing.
The audio and video quality are both quite good enough for viewing enjoyment, about on par with what you’d expect from a show this recent. Camera angles are a bit problematic at times during some fight sequences; in addition, the actors need to quit wildly gesticulating and when they’re in their suits and assume we can’t pick up on their emoting.
If you have children under the age of 13 or so, then they might just like this. Older kids might if they have an interest in previous incarnations of the Rangers or in martial arts. At least rent a volume or two and let them see it; you might be pleasantly surprised by how rotten it isn’t, even if you aren’t quite converted to fandom. It’s silly, it’s goofy, and it makes fun of itself, and that lack of pretension goes a long way in these post-postmodern times.
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The virtual trading cards and Ninja Moves continue as the special features for this series. They are both fun and creative ways to add premium content to a fighting show and should be enjoyed by anyone who likes the show itself. Kudos to the producers for thinking creatively to come up with some content and even bothering to do so, when so many TV shows are given nothing.