Lionsgate reveals an updated look for the Power Rangers heroes in an Entertainment Weekly exclusive. Get the details about the new suits!
Just a few weeks ago, Lionsgate gave fans a first look at their upcoming Saban’s Power Rangers reboot. In addition to the film synopsis (which you can read below), we got a peek at Rita Repulsa’s modern make-over… and she is mean and green!
Well yesterday, in an Entertainment Weekly exclusive, we saw that the Rangers are also getting an updated look. Check out the new suits:
These are definitely an homage to the iconic 90’s suits, in terms of the Ranger colors and the silhouette. Yet this is clearly a modernized look! In the accompanying interview with EW, Power Rangers director Dean Israelite talked about striking this balance:
The sartorial update may look radical, but the outfits are visual throwbacks to the franchise’s long-running mythology. “The show was about kids coming of age, about metamorphosis,” director Dean Israelite says. “These suits needed to feel like they were catalyzed by these kids and their energy, their spirit.”
So, rather than the spandex of old, the new costumes are “a translucent extraterrestrial armor that crystallizes around their bodies…an alien costume that grows on them, that’s not man-made” (production designer Andrew Menzies).
There’s been some critique of the costuming, particularly the Pink and Yellow Rangers’ suits with the prominence of their breasts and wedge heels. (Actually, our friends at Fangirlish just published an editorial piece about some of the negative stereotypes perpetuated by the gendered design).
Yet, Andrew Menzies explains a little about their choice:
It’s tricky finding a new language for a superhero costume…You can’t win everyone over, but we are trying to appeal to a more mature audience and gain new fans.
What do you think of the shiny, new suits? Share your thoughts in comments!
Power Rangers hits theaters in March 2017.
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Saban’s Power Rangers follows five ordinary high school kids who must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove – and the world – is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discover that they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so they will have to overcome their real-life issues and band together as the Power Rangers before it is too late.