Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson July 30, 2019

Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (1997) acted as a bridge between Power Rangers Zeo, the fourth season of the MMPR series, and Power Rangers Turbo, which began airing a month after the Rangers sequel hit theaters in March. Turbo definitely caters to a younger demographic (kids between ages 4 and 8) than the original series. The viewer takes note of this in the film's opening while Lerigot is being pursued by warriors sent by Divatox (Hilary Shepard Turner), an intergalactic villianness. Lerigot isn't the long-bearded wizard with a cloak and scepter that one expects in myth and the fantastical. No, Lerigot is a very small and furry creature that looks like an amalgamation of Cabbage Patch, Yoda, and one of the Ewoks. It doesn't alter its facial expression or speak. Devatox wants to catch Lerigot because he possesses the power key to unlock a dimensional wall, enabling her to reach the Nemesis Triangle. There she hopes to resuscitate a malevolent lava demon named Maligore, whom she plans to marry so together they can conquer the known world.

Another new character introduced is 11-year-old Justin Stewart (Blake Foster), a student at Angel Grove who's still mourning the death of his parents. The movie's producers employ a convenient plot twist when Rocky DeSantos (Steve Cardenas) falls from a boxing ring during a practice, injuring his back. Justin has been eavesdropping from beneath Rocky's hospital bed and learns the true identity of the Rangers. It feels forced when Justin goes to the Command Center and Zordon anoints him as Rocky's replacement, making him the new Blue Turbo Ranger.

Co-creator Shuki Levy and fellow screenwriter Shell Danielson roll out the “Turbo-Zords,” color-coordinated SUVs and trucks specially outfitted for each Ranger. Each are given the names like “Red Lightning,’’ “Desert Thunder,” “Wind Chaser,” “Dune Star,” and “Mountain Blaster. According to the production notes, car customizer George Barris created the Turbo cars out of a Pontiac Fiero, a Suzuki Samurai, a Ford F-150 pickup truck, a Honda Civic, and a Dodge van. Though they'll be revved up for the inevitable final battle, it's too bad that we couldn't see more of them. I was also disappointed that the Rangers didn't morph into their makeover Turbo suits (only twice in the film). The film's first half hour is sluggish and I bemoaned the lack of extended action. John Petrakis, one of the Chicago Tribune's film critics at the time, saw a screening of Turbo with a group of children who "seemed unimpressed by the story, especially because the Rangers spend so little time in their colorful costumes."

It's Turbo time!

Divatox isn't that menacing or threatening as the central villainness and one really misses Rita Repulsa, who shows up for an all-too-brief cameo. Divatox's henchmen Elgar and Rygog are numbskulls and the bad girl/bad guy scenes are played for pure camp without tension. Even the lizard pods aboard the abandoned ship don't pose a viable threat. The only redeeming characters are actually older ones, series originals Kimberly Hart (Amy Jo Johnson) and Jason Lee Scott (Austin St. John), who are planning to surprise their old friends. But Divatox's minions corral Kim and Jason while the two are snorkeling. The movie's only suspense is generated when the two are locked in a room deep within the submarine and must flee for a rising tide. Fortunately, Kim and Jason aren't just present for cameos as their characters will play pivotal roles once they're all inside the cavernous the Nemesis Triangle. Though Turbo is a little better than the first Power Rangers movie, as a full-length feature, it still isn't worth the quality of the TV series that spawned it.

Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shout! Factory brings Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie to Blu-ray for the first time on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. The feature sports a mean video bitrate of 35898 kbps while the full disc clocks in a total bitrate of 43.33 Mbps. Appearing in its originally projected ratio of 1.85:1, Turbo looks very solid overall, although at times it appears soft and flat. The first image in the film of the end of an arrow with the greenery out of focus (Screenshot #17) contains a lot of dirt but fortunately much of the film appears clean. Skin tones are natural without any post-processing or sharpening. Colors on the Rangers' suits are clean and well-pronounced (especially the overhead shot in #16). Medium to long shots don't exhibit a great level of detail.

The 99-minute feature is accompanied by the standard twelve scene selections.

Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shout! supplies a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround (3472 kbps, 24-bit) and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (1580 kbps, 24-bit). Bob Fenster of The Arizona Republic observed that the creepiest thing about Turbo is the intensity of the soundtrack, which produces a kind of aural violence." In terms of pitch range and "loudness," I wouldn't go that far and think it lags behind a bit compared to the DTS-HD MA 5.1 I heard on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Dialogue is always audible as the 5.1 track gets the job done. When there's a spaceship in the shape of a fiery meteorite descending on Earth, I could hear a rocket roar on the SR channel. Directionality for f/x (and when the Rangers jump and kick-box) is spaced out well on the front and surround speakers. I was unimpressed by the then-new theme song, "Power Rangers Turbo, Go," which is primarily relegated along the center and fronts.

While there's optional English SHD for the main feature, they don't identify the speaker in brackets (only for music and ambient noise).

Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• NEW Ranger Tales: A Look Back at Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie with Members of the Cast (23:21, 1080p) - a new extended featurette produced and directed by Brian Ward. The piece has very recent interviews with a grown-up Blake Foster, Nakia Burrise, and Catherine Sutherland (the latter two who remain close friends). The cast members discuss how they first got their auditions, what it was like to get into their Turbo cars, the premiere at the Gramercy Theatre, and connecting with fans at Comic Con. Burrise is given the most air time and she takes advantage of it. The program incorporates scenes from the movie and TV series. In English, not subtitled.

• Original Featurette (4:21, upscaled to 1080i) - this vintage featurette is a holdover from Fox's 2003 DVD. It shows some behind-the-scene footage and contains interviews with all the new and returning Rangers. In English, not subtitled.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:06, upscaled to 1080i) - a full-frame trailer for Turbo that was originally on all the Fox DVDs.

• TV Spot (0:35, upscaled to 1080p) - this spot displays banding. It wasn't included on any of the DVDs.

Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I was pleasantly surprised to see Austin St. John and Amy Jo Johnson make their returns in fairly substantial roles. Unfortunately,Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie doesn't have anything else going for it. The script is banal and the villains are played up for campy fun. Apparently, the film didn't fare that well with audiences in Canada, either. In his one-star review, Marc Horton of the Edmonton Journal stated that the material belittled youngsters: "Not even the kids seemed to like the film at the screening I attended. There was a restlessness born of boredom as the movie ground on and on." Shout! Factory does deliver very good video and lossless audio presentations. The new min-doc featuring interviews with three cast members is a nice addition. Fans of the series may want to check it out but only buy if you really like and appreciate the sequel.