Power Rangers Dino Fury: Sporix Unleashed Review

PRDF "Sporix Unleashed"

The worldbuilding of Dino Fury steadily continues in "Sporix Unleashed", a meat and potatoes expository episode that nonetheless throws a few curveballs and, give or take a couple character hiccups, promises solid footing for the season going forward.

Like Beast Morphers before it, Dino Fury is showing that once you become a Ranger, skills don't magically manifest for you. We see the Rangers practicing their morphing motion (cannily giving the audience an opportunity to learn it too). Teleportation is seen to take a little getting used to, like going through the event horizon of a Stargate. There are also light touches of meta comedy, such as Amelia asking who names the zords when told of the T-Rex Champion Zord. Moments like these are welcome and realistic additions to the standard Power Rangers template.

Amelia's boss Jane unveils a robotic duplicate of herself (?), so that looks like a source of comic relief this season. At least when the robot bops all over the place like a cartoon whirlwind, that's because it's a robot - Victory, Monty, Ben, and Betty had no such excuse. (More on the robot in Stray Observation.)

The action quotient is heightened in this second episode. We get a full morphing sequence - which is pretty involved, taking in multiple phrases. Because we're still being introduced to everything, I'll say I really appreciate that Amelia as the Pink Ranger gets an ankylosaurus as her dinosaur, rather than something more "elegant". During the morphed fight, slow motion is liberally used - will that be this season's equivalent of "Kalishsplosions"?

There are more innovations in the zord fight. The monster is rendered in CGI in some shots, and that partial digitization makes for a surprisingly fast-paced zord fight. Usually the zord fights are characterized by lumbering suit performers hitting each other, which is great, but this is quite a change. Add to that Amelia and Ollie fighting a kaiju-size monster without zords, and you have some novel action beats.

As the title sequence telegraphs, Zayto can retract his antennae for public appearances. Which is a positive development, but his personality seems missing in action, retractable or no. Given his stone face and singular focus, I hope we're not in for a Troy-type Red Ranger this season.

The episode is also a little rough for Ollie. He skirts his secret identity in multiple ways, not least when he morphs right next to his mom (good thing she didn't... turn to the right) and then calls her "mom" when morphed. Worst of all for the rookie Ranger, he protests that he's sure his mom is fine, even knowing that she has technology that the villains are actively looking for! But to be fair to the good Dr. Akana, she kind of wipes the floor with new sporix monster Mucus!

With an effective opening up of the show's elements, and unique action moments, "Sporix Unleashed" is a solid second episode of Dino Fury. While I hope Zayto will develop more of a personality, it's nice to see everything set up. And that's one of the fastest-paced zord battles Power Rangers has given us. 7/10.

Stray observation:

-  Jane's robot comes from Hartford Robotics! A nifty easter egg reference to Andrew Hartford and his creations from Operation Overdrive, including his "son" Mack.

WandaVision: Previously on Review

WandaVision "Previously on"

The universe of WandaVision has expanded gradually but surely, and the story begins to culminate by looking backward and filling in vital backstory in "Previously on". It's a tour de force episode that contextualizes the entire series both logistically and emotionally, making for a poignant and powerful episode of essential television viewing.

We open on a slice of backstory not for Wanda, but for Agatha Harkness. Her almost uncontrollable magical talent is showcased in 17th Century Salem when she crosses the line by the standards of her coven. But as Agatha's magic is presented as learned mastery, Wanda's magic is contrasted as not being from any book, any Malleus Maleficarum tone. It comes through pain, and choices born out of trauma.

Agatha guides Wanda to four periods of her life to understand, essentially, the full prelude to the creation of her sitcom version of Westview. First comes a traumatic tour of the moment Wanda and Pietro lost their parents, militant factions using Stark Industries ordnance just as was established in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It had been "TV night" in the Maximoff residence, drawn from their collection of sitcom DVDs. (I have that same edition of I Love Lucy Season 5. It's a great season.)

The family was watching The Dick Van Dyke Show at the moment it was forever torn asunder. So Wanda's recreation in Westview is a return to the comforting moments of her childhood. More than that, the last comforting moment.

Next comes the Hydra experiments that gave Wanda her powers, followed by a bonding scene between Wanda and Vision at Avengers HQ taking place shortly after Age of Ultron. In Wanda's room, she's watching Malcolm in the Middle while bearing the crushing weight of her brother's death, pulling from possibly the very same DVDs her family had in Sokovia. So the episode wonderfully demonstrates how TV was always a part of her life, always there for her, even in the Hydra-occupied castle. It's eminently relatable, like how WandaVision is here for us.

Finally, we see Wanda coming to Westview shortly after a traumatic trip to S.W.O.R.D. HQ and right before the events of the show started, deed in hand for the property where she creates her home with a construct of Vision. (It's a bit tricky to figure out when in the MCU timeline that deed would've been set up.) In the same burst of energy that reconstructs Vision and builds a house, the Westview hex/bubble roars into black and white life. And because of what this episode builds, we deeply understand what's behind this fateful moment, and why a 50s sitcom.

The other flourish of the episode sets up a new perspective on Wanda and her powers. We hear terms like "probability" and "chaos magic", familiar from the comic version of the character, only now spoken of in the MCU. We are given to understand that Wanda was born with powers, and the encounter with the Mind Stone in Loki's Sceptre only strongly enhanced what was already latent.

It's a retcon that may have mutant-shaped implications for the MCU. It's also a retcon that I'm not the biggest fan of. I personally prefer the version of the story where Wanda volunteers to make the total artificial jump from "normal person" to "enhanced", in order to compete with the Avengers, and specifically merchant of death Tony Stark. Implicit in comments that Wanda and Pietro are the first to survive Mind Stone experimentation is that it's quantifiable; that because of latent mutations they were exceptional to begin with. In that way, it's reminiscent of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 retcon that I'm also not overly fond of: that Peter Quill could handle the Power Stone not because of the power of friendship but because he's half Celestial. But in any case, it's still very much a workable arc, and it all culminates in the episode's ending. That, reader, is the first time the words "Scarlet Witch" have passed anyone's lips in the MCU.

In a mid-credits scene, Director Hayward powers up Vision's previously lifeless body, making for a Dr. Manhattan-like spectacle. So it appears Hayward was lying to Monica, Jimmy, and Darcy about Wanda stealing the body...

In "Previously on", WandaVision has its best episode yet, foregrounding the pain and power of the real Wanda Maximoff. Not a character in a sitcom, but an Avenger and superhero that has gained a real depth through this show. 9/10.

Power Rangers Dino Fury: Destination Dinohenge Review

PRDF "Destination Dinohenge"

This new season of Power Rangers, pregnant with possibility as they always are, still opens under the overcast sky of New Zealand playing the United States, a comfortable and unshakable continuity with the past. With a new season comes an opportunity to clear the decks, reset, and introduce a new team. But the first impression comes through a new title sequence.

The theme song is characterized by techno flourishes. It doesn't seem to have much to it. The time allotted to the titles seems shorter, though there's still enough for an obligatory "Go go Power Rangers" quote. I'll leave room for the theme to grow on me, because it isn't there yet. But when the new Rangers first morph later in the episode, that's when the score really makes a case for itself. The techno bits are accentuated by mythic overtones, matching the suit designs reflecting medieval knights.

We are introduced to the world of Dino Fury through the non-Red Rangers, an interesting choice that harks back to In Space (more on that later). Amelia (once and future Pink Ranger) is a TV journalist with an interest in cryptozoology (!), and Ollie (Blue) is the son of a passionate archaeologist. They meet in the forest near Dinohenge, a circle of six dinosaur statues: six for six Rangers.

After Ollie's mother, Dr. Lani Akana, leaves to sort out permit issues with park warden Garcia (who we're instantly clued into as a future comic relief character through the music), a Koragg look-alike villain called Void Knight uncovers a Ranger base underneath Dinohenge. There, a cyborg dinosaur named Solon watches over Red Ranger Zayto. Zayto is an alien, leading new human Rangers Amelia and Ollie, a dynamic, again, out of In Space. (Zayto's antennae, however, land on the wrong side of Guardians of the Galaxy's Mantis and Star Trek's Andorians.)

The Ranger suit design is matched by the foot soldiers, who resemble suits of armor come to life; very Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Zayto also gives his backstory, which involves surprisingly good T-Rex CGI, and an appearance from Morphin Masters. Plotwise, it should be noted that dangerous Sporix are unleashed on the world, each one ready to hatch a monster.

The relatively brief action is decent enough, and features good hero moments for both Amelia and Ollie. (Once morphed, Amelia uses a move reminiscent of Ben Solo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.) The episode is in the positive tradition of premieres that take it slow. We get a morph, but not a full morphing sequence, and only a tease of monsters and zords. Everything clicks along, not as solidly formed as the Beast Morphers premiere, and with a slightly awkward energy. But this new Ranger team's legend is just beginning. 6/10.

Stray observation:

- The title Dino Fury is a combination of Dino Thunder/Dino Charge and Jungle Fury.

WandaVision: Breaking the Fourth Wall Review

WandaVision "Breaking the Fourth Wall"

"I've been watching WandaVision for the past week..." - Darcy Lewis

In Westview, reality is glitching. After Wanda's expansion of the bubble, it seems that her mastery over the town's reality is harder to maintain. This has the knock-on effect of a greater sense of self-awareness on her part, as delivered in direct address to the camera, The Office-style. Complete with cutaways and a new logo reminiscent of Modern Family, the WandaVision sitcom has adapted to a house style of the new millennium. And with it, the show balances humor and hexcraft in delivering its most dynamic episode yet.

The more modern format of the sitcom enhances the humor; see particularly Tommy and Billy's reactions to Wanda's non-explanation of what's been going on. There's also the sense that as TV history has progressed, the show-within-a-show version of Wanda is allowed to be more of a human being, more relatably imperfect.

Meanwhile, Monica Rambeau makes her way back into Westview, confronting Wanda and coming to realize that the rewriting of her cells is making her a "sentient weapon" in her own right. As they face off, they reckon with the central issue of the show: Wanda's villainous culpability in holding the townsfolk hostage. The show as a whole has challenged me, in the sense that as a big Wanda fan, I'm challenged by her decidedly non-heroic actions as presented in the show. As Wanda engages with that and flirts with owning it, it's an electric moment.

And that's not the only monkey wrench in the situation. It is revealed that Agnes is really the powerful witch Agatha Harkness. We're informed through song that she has been responsible for manipulating a lot of the situations in this situation comedy, not least of which, conjuring Pietro. So if nothing else, I am also relieved that the show may have an arch villain for Wanda to fight, besides herself.

Vision, aside with Darcy in the circus, also has a poignant moment as he pieces together the history that he can't remember. As Bruce Banner reinforced in Avengers: Infinity War, Vision is a "complex construct of overlays". Vision, in another new configuration of life, wonders, "What am I now?" Darcy offering that it must have been hard for Wanda to watch Vision be killed after having made the impossibly hard decision to kill him herself is another rich example of the show incorporating fan conversations of the characters' histories into the text of the MCU.

The episode is the broadest canvas yet for the show to display everything it can do: offbeat humor, poignant character moments, malevolent mystical atmosphere. It's also revealed that Agatha/Agnes killed Sparky the dog. I did think it was weird that dog just up and died! 8/10.

WandaVision: All-New Halloween Spooktacular! Review

WandaVision "All-New Halloween Spooktacular!"

There is no leaving the town of Storybrooke from Once Upon a Time (another Disney-owned show), and so it is with WandaVision's Westview. So does that cast Wanda in the role of the Evil Queen, the imperious woman solely aware of the true nature of the town's reality...?

Stage-managing from that role, Wanda has created a town that runs on TV tropes, and the latest one embraced by WandaVision is the seasonal special. But while Halloween is right there in the title, tricking and treating is merely a launching pad for an askew escalation in Westview. Plot threads continue ticking on: Vision's suspicions about his reality; the S.W.O.R.D. agenda; the hostage townspeople; leading to a finale where Wanda expands Westview's borders even more, encompassing the S.W.O.R.D. operation and Darcy.

The latest meta touch in the show is Wanda, Vision, and Pietro wearing Halloween costumes that reference their iconic costumes from the comics. (Interestingly, the Vision Halloween costume is red makeup on Paul Bettany's normal face, as opposed to using Vision's purple face.) If these characters appeared in an 80s TV movie adaptation of the comics, these are not far from the costumes they likely would've worn.

But in a new twist, that meta quality extends to someone within Westview. Evan Peters' Pietro calls out the formulaic goals of his character in the context of a TV show, and comments on the sudden proliferation of kids. Unlike everyone else in the town, he is self-aware. And even as the show plays with the subtle differences in his and Wanda's memories of childhood (complete with cutaway to Wanda and Pietro as the Gretel and Hansel of Sokovia), it appears that this version of Pietro recalls dying in the very manner of the Aaron Taylor-Johnson Pietro.

Elsewhere, Maximoff kids Tommy and Billy develop powers (Pietro-like super-speed, and Wanda-like mind abilities), and Vision investigates hostage townspeople who appear to be glitching the closer to the outside world they are. He comes across one neighborhood where residents are stopped in their tracks, My Fair Lady style.

The moment where Vision ascends into the sky to observe the town is reminiscent of his birth in Avengers: Age of Ultron. High in Avengers Tower, he quietly contemplated the cityscape, making a silent connection with the mayfly members of humanity. As he said, "It's a pleasure to be among them", but does that pleasure extend to humans whose personalities have been suppressed? Vision risks his life to warn of the townsfolk's plight, but finds himself back in Wanda's reality-altering bubble, capping an episode of consistently intriguing intertextuality and supernatural unease. 7/10.

Stray observations:

- The 80s setting apparently does not retro-fy the video games Pietro plays with the kids, nor their Dance Dance Revolution setup. Speaking of video games, did I spot a kid in a Mortal Kombat Sub Zero costume?

- The local theater is called the Coronet, possibly an allusion to the theater in San Francisco that was one of the fewer than 40 to carry Star Wars the weekend of May 25, 1977. Playing are two Disney-owned films, The Incredibles and The Parent Trap (Original or remake? Unknown.). The former (co-starring Nick Fury himself, Samuel L. Jackson) features Dash Parr, a child with super-speed. The latter revolves around twins.

- Is that Night of the Living Dead being shown to (the newly materialized) kids?

WandaVision: On a Very Special Episode... Review

WandaVision "On a Very Special Episode..."

The Lopezes deploy a kitschy 80s theme song. The Maximoff kids continue rapidly growing, and gain and lose a dog named Sparky. But the cracks in Wanda's sitcom reality are ever more pronounced, and "On a Very Special Episode..." starts twisting the knife on Wanda's culpability in holding the people of Westview hostage, and ends on a whopper of a twist.

In Avengers: Endgame, a wonderful sequence saw the Avengers figuratively cast in the roles of screenwriters in a mind-numbing story-breaking session. They hashed out the mythology of the movies in order to formulate how their plot would go forward. As last week's episode of WandaVision established, Darcy, Jimmy, and Monica are cast in the roles of viewers, if not fans of the MCU in general. So we hear Monica's argument that Wanda would've won in one-on-one combat against Thanos if he hadn't called a bombardment from his ship. It's a righteous moment of vindication for Wanda's heroism as established in the movies - and Wanda sure needs it because a judgmental eye is cast on her actions in this show.

The episode continues to frame Wanda as almost the villain of her own show. We see footage of her stealing Vision's lifeless body (is this a step removed from necrophilia...?) for use in Westview. The party line from S.W.O.R.D. regarding her history with the Avengers is not flattering for her (even though as viewers we rightfully take Wanda's side in, for instance, the Lagos incident). Most disturbing of all, Vision unlocks the suppressed personality of his coworker Norm, held hostage as a marionette in Wanda's fantasy town.

Vision is more and more skeptical of his wife's role in fabricating their situation, and the two almost come to uncanny blows. Shortly afterward, the doorbell rings, and in walks Wanda's brother, played not by the MCU's Aaron Taylor-Johnson, but Evan Peters, who filled that role in three X-Men movies.

It's a stunning moment, opening the door for a multiverse officially bringing the X-Men into the MCU, and not only that, but potentially the very versions of those characters from movies like Days of Future Past and Dark Phoenix. I'll likely get more into this in the future, but this is a can of worms. Yes, I'm excited by the metaconnectivity and the opportunity for those actors to continue in their roles. But that's potentially outweighed by my protectiveness of the MCU's "purity". The quality control that's defined the MCU doesn't extend to the last 20 years of X-Men movies. Additionally, is the average viewer supposed to have seen multiple movies from an entire other cinematic universe for this twist to fully land?

Reservations aside, the shock appearance is a statement of intent that WandaVision's metanarrative knows few bounds. And with Wanda appearing outside the bubble for the first time, in her iconic outfit no less, the ground is laid for more and more action in this wonderfully strange season of television. 7/10.

Stray observations:

- This is the first time Captain Marvel's superhero name has been spoken in the MCU. On that subject, attention is drawn to the fact that Wanda doesn't have a superhero name, likely setting up the deployment of the Scarlet Witch moniker later. I've enjoyed the absence of that title to date, so we'll see how that goes.

- The scene where the boys implore Wanda to resurrect the fallen dog Sparky reminds me of the Nora Ephron movie Michael. William Hurt (the MCU's erstwhile General "Thunderbolt" Ross) demands John Travolta use his angelic powers to resurrect a dog who was killed in an accident.