(Disclaimer: This Review was written before the airing of the Extended Finale, this article will be updated with the Extended Scenes and updated Thoughts in the color Red when the episode is available for review! Check Back in a Few Days!)
I have had such a crazy love-hate relationship with this season and of course it all accumulates in the final episode. While I can say that this episode is jam packed with action, cameos and a few surprises it is vastly too rushed (in it’s original airing), contains too many plot holes and basically leaves you disappointed after a long long two-year wait. With it’s initial airing the footage was vastly rushed, but the additional scenes at the end at least helped the flow much more.
The cameos shine bright as the best part of this short-lived episode.
Extended: I am so utterly utterly happy with the end of the Extended Version of the Legendary Battle. While I was initially disappointed with the original airing of the finale, I absolutely fell in love with what they added to the extended version! There were no real extensions in the first two parts of the episode that were significant. Tiny pieces of dialogue and small seconds on additional footage were added to those parts. No scenes with the Legendary Rangers were extended but Tommy’s scenes. Surprise, Surprise.
I had written another large article about what was not included in the finale but I was happily proven wrong when those scenes were added to the extended version! I’ve added a few more thoughts to the additional scenes and so me thoughts I wanted to change! Super Megaforce is over and THIS is my last review!
Carter and Dana: I feel like I am going to be gushing about all of these guest scenes because I cannot get over how well they were done and how much I loved them. Unexpected right? It was great that we got the throwback to Dana’s work as a paramedic and Carter’s work as Fire Fighter!
Can we mention that Alison MacInnis’ wig is perfect on her and is barely noticeable! BUT I must ask for the name of the person who put her in heels! What woman in their right mind would run around saving people in pumps? Not many! I’m surprised Alison MacInnis didn’t say something! HAHA!
All in all, wonderful cameo for Lightspeed which was kinda shafted but for the cameos.
Leo: Another great scene with a returning Ranger. How adorable was it when Leo walked over to the little kid and handed him the dog? So cute.
Tiny thing though, the line where he asks the boy’s name and he replies “Danny” to which Leo replies “Nice names.” is so wrong for this scene. Leo looked so heroic and that’s all the writers could give him was a sentence about a boy sharing the actor’s name? While it was a cute little interject, I found it a waste of Danny Slavin’s only line.
Even Danny Slavin looked like he didn’t enjoy saying it!
Cassie and TJ: I figured that the Space Rangers would’ve come in a little stronger during their cameo scenes, but all in all I am happy with their cameo. Seeing these former Rangers helping in any way they can is really rather inspiring and while at times it makes little sense, it is still nice to see them back in any capacity! I have to say as well that I am so happy they went with their Space Ranger forms and not the Turbo powers.
Tommy and the “left for dead” Kid: I am confused about this scene which I am sure many are as well. Tommy jumps down out of literally no where and saves a little boy teetering towards his death. First, where are his parents? Are they dead? What kind of crap parents leaves their kid for dead in the car?
Epic, but still random, Tommy using his White Ranger powers & hands over Saba to help the boy out. The scene itself is really well done on its own, even though again it barely makes sense.
Karone: I was so happy when I first heard that Melody Perkins would be returning as Karone. I am a little sad that the Pink Lost Galaxy Ranger, in the toy line, is getting robbed. However, that is neither here nor there. Karone means a lot to the fandom as both a sister of a Red Ranger, a former Villain and having taken over for Kendrix during Lost Galaxy. That’s why it was sad to me that not only did she not get any lines during these scenes but she didn’t get any lines during the Battle either.
Damon and Wes: This was another jammed in cameo for me. Damon and Wes said nothing, but they did have an awesome nod to each other and suddenly I am curious how many takes it took to get the nod juuuuuust right. But how cool is it that Damon is in his Lost Galaxy jumpsuit!?
The fireside chat: I will give the producers kudos for this scene because it actually gave the Rangers a quiet moment of brief despair at their defeat. This scene is highly representative of “Countdown to Destruction” from Power Rangers in Space and I am hoping that this was a throwback on purpose. Either way it works! Andrew Gray had a few problems delivering the lines but all together the 5 of them really worked off of each other rather well.
Dragon Shield: This happened. I am most happy.
Redker’s Defeat: How amazing was that de-morph with the Super Mega Cannon! While I was slightly disappointed by what was left out of these scenes we did get this epic use of the Super Mega Cannon! That effect is fantastic and I have loved it a lot during this season but let’s just hope it doesn’t get overused.
The Emperor’s Defeat: What a robbery. Highway robbery! If you have been reading my “Missed Opportunities” articles then you will know that soon an article about what was left out is coming soon. How anti-climactic was this? The Emperor of the Armada who we basically spent two years building up has been destroyed by blowing up his ship.
Wow. What a waste. Prince Vekar, Malkor, Vrak, Metal Alice, Levira, Damaras, Argus and EVEN Creepox gave a harsher fight than we got to see with Emperor Mavro.
WASTED POTENTIAL.
Galaxy Gliders: YES! I was so happy when I saw this. At first I wanted them to use the Sentai version which has GoseiRed and GoOnWings float down, but having Troy and Orion use the Space Keys and fly down on their Galaxy Gliders is PERFECT! This is the perfect throwback! Where was this during the rest of the season?! Though I know that this CGI probably cost a pretty penny but I am so happy we got it!
Additional Scenes: Here’s when I went a little nuts. You have no idea how happy I was when these scenes were added and the producers excellently cut out all of the Sentai Rangers (but for Legendary Squadron)! All of the attacks and Voice Overs were fantastic. I would only say that these scenes would have been so much better with the theme songs playing in the background, but let’s not get too nit picky. This scene was perfect.
The Super Mode Change: Another addition I was so happy with! How could they not include this from the Gokaiger footage. No explanation was given as to why Noah was in Ultra Mode but it didn’t need it really, it was almost as if they were paying homage to Megaforce along with the other seasons! Not bad, not bad at all! This footage is beautiful!
The Finisher: Te Emperor finally got the send off he deserved! I have always loved when the Rangers use the Super Mega Cannon upclose and personal! I feel that although it took an awful lot of attacks to take down the Emperor, I don’t think he is one of the most powerful villains. His power more came from his forces and not directly from him. It seemed his sword was the only real power he had, yet it took so much power to destroy him! Such epic scenes!
Legendary Rangers (Real Ones): My favorite part of this episode has to be the Legendary Rangers (real ones) appearing on the quarry cliffs and showing their support for the newest team of Rangers. I will agree with Bruno from MMPRToys when he said that this footage is so beautiful it almost appears to be Sentai Footage and not New Zealand footage. I can totally agree with that.
It was a tad disappointing that some teams were left out, some 6th rangers or remaining team members as well. Of course the Tommy quandary comes into play her as well. While Green and White MMPR, Zeo and Black Dino are missing, the Red Turbo Ranger is there while TJ is in Blue Space! They almost had correct continuity! At least they tried!
“I’ve dreamt about this.”: Ok. Here’s the thing. The line is cute and I also think it’s adorable that they remembered they had to tie that up and half-assedly added it in at the end.
But what a kick to the nuts to the fans, eh? All this time wondering what Troy was, is or what kind of powers he has. Nothing.
Another thing we will never know. Troy has powers and dreams, because reasons.
Our Cameo Rangers: For what it’s worth, after all of the complaining, bickering, whining and disappointment this season has brought nothing will top the Legendary Rangers walking from the mist and removing their helmets. Regardless of the rest of the season this MOMENT alone will go down as one of the best that Power Rangers has ever done. Again, you must completely ignore what was left out and take it for what it is. Because that’s the medicine we’ve been served.
One gigantic complaint? FIX TITANIUM RANGER’S HELMET FOR ZORDON’S SAKE!
The Spoken Lines: We all knew this was going to be a fight to the death for screen time. While Tommy got a good 80% of the lines we did get a pretty awesome speech from Wes (Jason Faunt) and an even more shocking dialogue from Cassie (Patricia Ja Lee). Look back at the cameos here it does make sense, Cassie is the highest ranking female on the team. I am happy that at least one of the female cameo Rangers got to say something. Again, I am sad that Dana and Karone didn’t get to say much during this scene. BUT you gotta love Cassie’s lines! I do soooo much!
Carter, Damon, Emily and Mike are basically left in the cold with no lines at all and are left with nothing but head nods. /totally worth it/
But, seriously besides being in the background why was Damon, Mike and Emily there? While I love the actors this is another part of SMF that I put in the missed opportunities pile. I doubt anyone in our fandom will get over the fact that his episode has ZERO Rhett Fisher, who should’ve been a priority just under Tommy.
The X-Borg Army: Wow. How anticlimactic was this? The Legendary Rangers show up just in time to help us beat a bunch of X-Borgs…..Cool.
Not only that but there is little to none original footage of the Cameo Rangers fighting, we simply slide into Sentai Footage we’ve BEEN SEEING SINCE 2011!
Karonema: YES!!!!!! I am fairly certain that most of us can agree that this was one of the best scenes in the entire Neo Saban Era! Astronema, is one of our favorite villains here at Morphin Legacy and to see even a glimpse of her was amazing and totally unexpected. It almost made up for the mess this season has created. How can we not love that subtle nod to her line in Power Rangers in Space “I didn’t want to be a Power Ranger anyway!” to completely love being a Power Ranger.
I had a quick theory, how cool would it be if Astronema came back one day and took over Karone’s body and tried to take on the Power Rangers again while having powers herself! That would be epic!
War Footage: Don’t get me wrong I loved every second of the War footage because it is just so epic to look at! All of the Rangers fighting together was so fantastic to see. Disappointment came when again I realize I’ve seen this sequence a thousand times. Not only have I seen it from Gokaiger, the Goseiger Movie, the Promos for Megaforce and ALL this hype during this last year just for this sequence which barely lasts two minutes and MOSTLY relies on Sentai footage.
Happy Anniversary Fans.
Ninjas Sound Like Tommy: What in the great googly moogly happened with this scene? Watch the episode again and listen closely when the Ninja Storm and Aquitian Rangers teamup with their Ninja Style. You can clearly hear Tommy’s signature “Utsuh-eeah!”
Was it that hard to find voice over actors for the grunts and kyahs? Why not ask the Rangers who cameoed to do the voices for their own characters, but how can anyone imagine it a good idea to use the most recognizable battle cry in the entire Power Rangers fandom for other Rangers? FAIL.
Tommy! Tommy! Tommy!: I got a tad bit frustrated during the promotion for this episode mostly because it made it seem as if Tommy is the only Ranger that matters and only he guest starred in this anniversary episode’s war (where he did basically nothing).
Nick’s promos boasted that he was basically the messiah, when this show becomes the Tommy show is when I get severely annoyed. This show, not just this show but even THIS EPISODE, is about the power of the team! Not just one person. If it were all about how cool Tommy is couldn’t he have taken on the entire army with just his 5 powers? Let’s hope that never happens 😀
I will however, concede that Tommy’s cameo was pretty spot on and I am glad that they were able to change the color of the stripe on his helmet and the color of his morpher to gold.
Still can’t get the shield right but whatever.
Rangers Leaving Earth: Another addition that looks beautiful but makes no sense. I do think it is rather cool that the Rangers teleported away but the scene used from Gokaiger made me scratch my head. Where are they going? Were they ghosts? Avatars? WTF?
More questions we will never get answered.
It’s Over: After the Legendary Rangers leave the planet for some reason the Rangers collapse,, first from the blast, and then
Gia’s Kiss: At least we got this tiny little nod to the shippers of Jake and Gia. I mean, I never really expected to get any thing else considering that the only two Rangers to kiss each other was waaaaay back in Season 1. It is a little sad it took them two years to get to that point…
I would’ve like something more like we got from Mike and Emily, but here we are.
The End: Troy let go of his weapon. The hell.
Final Thoughts
Super Megaforce was a season full of problems, plot holes and missed opportunities. That is what this season will most likely go down for is that it had so many problems it was barely even enjoyable. While I do admit this season succeeded in the action department as well as giving us the original scenes we did get. However, it is hard to get behind such things when the story is so neglected that we basically know very little about the characters we have spent 42 episodes with. This season did not utlize the Sentai or the Actors correctly and that is a shame. A shame blame on the writers and Tzachor.
Emma got so much focus and we only know random things about her that don’t give her a character. She was a photographer, a BMXer, a singer, a baker and yet I still feel like I barely know her and to be honest, even like her. Troy was the Red Ranger given these strange dreams about a war; somehow he gained Super Saiyan powers and has something against water bottles. Noah got a few focus episodes that would’ve accurately poised him with his Sentai counterpart had such stories been used. Noah’s focus episodes still did nothing for his character; suddenly he is a master swordsman even though as Megaforce Blue he had no experience with swords.. Gia got no focus episodes where she wasn’t tied to someone else which is nuts considering Gia is one of the fan favorites. I wanted to know the most about her, especially during her epic head nod in Megaforce. Orion had a destroyed planet and silver clothes. He was sweet. That’s all we know. His first two episodes started strong but the writers left him on the side after his wore off.
While Jake barely got focus I feel like I know him the most out of all the Rangers; he was goofy, athletic, funny, fun to be around and had a crush on Gia. While it was hard to switch from Black to Green (whose Sentai counterparts are vastly different) it rather worked that Jake started goofy which made the Green Ranger footage fit more. While it’s still true that we don’t know much about him, I feel as if I know him the most.
The writing was simply bad in this season and the series suffered for it. I sometimes find it hard to believe the mistakes or plot holes in this series when the Power Ranger Legacy information is so readily available, even on this very site you are reading. Also, if only there were fans they knew, whom they could ask about details to make sure the plot flows correctly…. *sarcasm*
The best parts of Super Megaforce was definitely the Sentai Footage which is just sad to me. While there are many parts that Original Footage shines it was buried in the many problems with the story and writing. Visuals are not enough. Even for children.
So many missed opportunities in this season it really overshadows the stuff that is actually decent. I could talk your ears off about how the Villains were robbed, how the Megaforce suits annoyingly kept appearing, how Gokaiger really didn’t get a proper adaptation and some Season info was wrong. If this were any other season I would not be so critical, but this is supposed to be our 20th Anniversary pay off! Gokaiger’s footage was handed to the producers on a silver platter, (LOOK AT ALL THE MMPR LOVE!) but this season is what we got. While I will say that this season is not my most disliked and it’s not even the worse in my opinion, but I don’t see myself re-watching for enjoyment or to reminisce.
I must note however that the addition of the new scenes, at the end , really helped this episode for me. While I still feel the same way about the season as a whole, I must say that the episode was redeemed for me with the extended additions!
On one final note, Thank Gaw Judd Lynn is coming to Dino Charge and hopefully we won’t be dealing with this level of disappointment.
Scores:
Story: 7/10
Action: 9.5/10
Monsters: 7/10
All Together: 8/10
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