Billboard Hot 100 Summer Update: The Why Bother Edition

Billbored Cold 100 Update

It's been a few months since the last time I checked up on the pop music scene and the billboard charts... Usually I wait this long so that there's enough time for it to change and I won't have to talk about the same songs over and over again. Not surprisingly, the charts haven't moved much (at least not the top 10 anyway) since my last encounter with the pop musiczzz. There was something pretty big that happened a few weeks ago though, and it has something to do with Spanish music. Turns out the biggest song of the summer is a song from the fictional island of Puerto Rico (I think it's said to be located inside the Bermuda Triangle somewhere, but it's not proven) which is a pretty big deal in the music world. Why is it a big deal? Well because the last Spanish song to do this was the famous Macarena back in '93 (sounded more like gibberish to me, but it turns out it actually was Spanish). Not sure why out of all the Spanish music that has come out in the last 24 years this one was the only one to make it, but... well it's pretty crazy. The craziest part to me was when I saw the name Daddy Yankee attached, now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time. I always knew Daddy Yankee as the guy who made the same song over and over and over again and somehow still held his popularity fairly well, but I guess that was because the music scene in Puerto Rico was and probably still is much different than over here. Reggaeton was always a big deal over there as long as I can remember and it always seemed to be around whenever I got the chance to go over there. I myself never got the appeal of it... I think it was the whole concept of the rhythm always being the same in almost every song, along with a cut and paste beat that seemed to be never ending in the music. Honestly though, I think the charts really needed something like this right now, while for me it might be something I've heard many many times growing up, it's really nice to see it in the mainstream USA charts at the number one spot. When I first saw this had made it to the top 10 I was pretty shocked that a song like this could have enough popularity here to do that. I think people were just desperate for something different, with a little more danceable music versus all the sad songs and electronic drop choruses we've been getting over and over again in the pop charts. It's summer! It's a perfect song to play in the hot sun with friends, at a party and have a little dance (as long as it's not the Justin Bieber version, because just no.)

The rest of the Top 10 is a mix of songs that have been there for months and I'm tired of hearing by now (except Bruno Mars, still enjoying that song every now and then) or new music that sounds like very generic same ol' same ol' laziness. In other news, Katy Perry dropped her new album, and it seems like no one cared at all. None of the songs from her new album even hit the top 100, except the two that were already there (Chained to the Rhythm and Bon Appetit) which are on the lower side of the charts. None of her songs are in the Spotify top 50, her album is already 17th in the iTunes charts and only a few songs on the iTunes top charts, but they are all low. I guess it's just nice that people aren't buying into something just because it has a famous name behind it, which is something I've really been wanting to see more of. Katy Perry has all the resources to make a great album, with great music and memorable lyrics. Instead she makes another "meh" album with two or three good songs and 12 forgettable songs. Thankfully just a week later we got the return of another big star in Lorde with "Melodrama", which was a surprisingly good.

And that's my update on the pop music world that you didn't ask for. What a time to be alive. Spanish music is hitting the charts, Katy Perry is forgotten, Justin Bieber in a song makes it an instant hit, Post Malone is a thing, Childish Gambino might make it to the top 10, and Daddy Yankee IS still alive. Go figure.

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman

The 4th movie in the DC:EU released just this weekend and it was huge. DC has been struggling to release a movie that is loved by general audiences, DC fans and critics and Wonder Woman really seemed like it was going to be the one to do that. I myself haven't loved any of the DC:EU films up to this point, Suicide Squad being one of my least favorite movies of last year (with the worst Joker ever). Not to say I don't want to see DC succeed, because I actually do want them to. I have more of a connection with the DC characters as I spent more time with them in my life from the comics, animated shows, live action movies and shows and video games. I had high hopes for Wonder Woman going in and I really wanted to start to get excited for DC's movies again. So did the film deliver?

This film far exceeded expectation, and I think it probably helped that I went in it knowing that it was possible that it could be another flop for DC. That didn't take away anything from the movie though, because it really had everything that all those other DC movies were missing. This film had great humor, characters, story, chemistry, acting, design and it had heart. It didn't feel like a soul-less and dark movie like a lot of the DC movies did, but it had great energy and emotion. Gal Gadot plays Wonder Woman way better than anyone would have ever though when she was first cast as the part. She does a great job at making you believe she is Wonder Woman with the strength, heart, kindness, innocence and purpose. Chris Pine is also great in the movie as Steve Trevor, a WWI Officer who happens to crash land in the home island of Wonder Woman, he and Gal Gadot have good chemistry and work really well together in the film. Lots of great humor and heartfelt moments come from the two main characters, they are really great to watch. 

The movie is basically the origins of Wonder Woman (or her real name Diana) and how she found herself leaving her home Themyscira (an island that is hidden away from the rest of the world where the Amazons live). The story follows her and Steve as they go back to the heart of WWI to take out a German General and a crazy doctor before they make a deadly chemical weapon that can wipe out entire cities. Along the way Diana discovers her true purpose becoming the Wonder Woman we know from the Batman V Superman film (not really a spoiler I guess?). 

One of the best parts about the movie is that it's not connected to any of the DC:EU films for the most part. It just focuses on Diana and it doesn't try to set up upcoming movies or characters. The only connection is a photograph from the Batman V Superman film that connects to the story of this WWI movie. It's nice to see another comic book movie that isn't just made to set up another movie or filled with cameos. 

In the end, Wonder Woman is a very good comic book movie that really does justice (no pun) to the character. It does a great job at getting you to like Diana and to learn more about who she is and why she does what she does. I really hope this isn't just a "fluke" and that the momentum from this great movie continues into the next DC movie. With Justice League around the corner, maybe it's finally time to get the DC we've been wanting to see. 

Overall Grade: A-

A really enjoyable film with not too many dull moments. The beginning of the movie started off pretty slow, but most of it made sense to the movie and it never felt like time was being wasted. The action was good and high energy, but the special effects and CG were kinda distracting at times. Also used that overused action cliche where scene goes into slow motion for a few seconds and goes back into an action, it's getting old. BUT besides that... Wonder Woman has set the new standard for the DC:EU and now it's up to the studio to keep it up. 

Favorite Songs Part I: The Slow Edition

Favorite Songs Part I: The Slow Edition

Music is known as something that can help us express emotions and help us sometimes even understand our own emotions better. It's something that can bring you up and fill you with energy and also bring you down and help you relax or even feel sad. Everyone probably has a few special songs that they use to help them connect to a specific emotion. Certain songs that you go back to when you want to feel sad, want to express your excitement or maybe help calm you down. I though I would talk about some songs that do that for me. Songs that every listen I can get something out of it, even if it's the 100th or 1000th time. This time it will be slower, "sadder" songs because I always love a good slow song. In a lot of ways I really prefer slower songs to faster songs, mostly because I feel it's harder to find a great slow song that can be listened to multiple times and get more out of. For me it's easier to love a faster song and it takes a something special to get the same from a slower song. (playlist at the bottom of the page)

Copeland - Good Morning Fire Eater

Right away from the first note played in this song I'm always drawn in. "Gets me every time." It's a very simple intro to a song, but I think that's what I love most about it. That same line continues through the song as more instruments come in and the song builds. The drums really stand out in this song as well, lots of energy in the last part of the song sounds really great. There aren't many lyrics, but the few there are work well to get the point. I feel this song is just about not focusing on the painful part of life and all the things that hurt you or bother you, but to understand that it's part of life and to move past it. It's something everyone will be able to relate to and it's done well here.

Bloc Party - Like Eating Glass

Another great intro, one of my favorites in any song. The fading guitar, the fast picking on the bass note, then the drums with the beat that gets stuck in my head so fast. All the instruments stand out in the song so well, all doing very unique things and it still comes together so amazingly. I wasn't sure if this is really a "slower" song, since it's so full of energy BUT it for sure is a sadder song. This song might be interpreted in many ways, but I think it's about living in a broken home. The feeling of pain and loneliness that comes with living in a broken home, depression, recently becoming a single parent maybe, finding it hard to be home afterwards. It's a pretty tough subject, but it's done well musically and lyrically and make for a very memorable song that I've been listening to for over 10 years and still love more with each listen.

Paper Route - Sugar

I think the running theme here is great intros, because here is another song with an intro that gets me every time. There's just something about the piano along with the opening lines of the song that work so well, I don't even know how to describe it. The build up in the bridge is also great, where the song pretty much explodes into an intense declaration. The lyrics are very poetic and beautiful, with some great metaphors. I would say this is the kind of love song I can get behind, it's actually one of my Top 3 songs at the very least of all time. The best lyric here is "If I'm the great sea, you're what I'm reflecting. Blue in the evening."

Young the Giant - Firelight

This is a very special kind of slow song. It's incredibly soothing and has a very unique atmosphere to it. It's so easy to get lost in this song and the beautiful instrumentation and lyrics. The previous songs had more relatable messages about pain, love and loneliness, but this song is more about the experience you feel when listening to it I think. It's a very unique song that I think everyone should give a listen to at least once. Feels. I still don't really know what the song is actually about to be honest. For now I think it's about death possibly, or that's the way I interpret the lyrics myself. Either way, it's quite the experience. The guitars in the chorus are so captivating it's hard to imagine how they came up with something so amazing. My favorite line has to be "Is this the end of the sea, staring at me?"...really makes me think.

John Mayer -  Stop This Train

This song is probably about one of John Mayer's many ex girlfriends. No but really, I do love this song a lot and it has a lot to do with Mayer great guitar work on it. The main focus of the song is the guitar and he does a great job as always to make it stand out. What I love the most though is the lyrics, since it's yet another song that anyone can relate to. A song about the fear of time passing, growing old, finding a way to be happy or make the most of the place you're in and living life to the fullest. It all sounds kinda cliche when I write it out loud, but it feels like the most real John Mayer can get in a song. I love the line "So scared of getting older, I'm only good at being young." it perfectly sums up the fear of getting older. It's a great song to listen to when you just want to reminisce about the past or want to have a thoughtful moment.

Civilian - New Love

This is a newer song, but it quickly grew to be one of my favorites. It does a really great job at describing the feeling of "new love", with really great lyrics and of course great music. Love the lead guitar in this song, lots of little touches add so much to the feeling that the song is trying to get across. The line "I'm fairly certain, this only happens once in a lifetime. To take it or leave it is simple." is my favorite in the song. It just does a great job at not only giving the feeling of "new love" but also a great job at describing it from first person. 

Billboard Top 10 part II: Electric Boogaloo

Billboard Top 10: Week of April 29

 It's been a long enough time since my last Billboard review that I decided to catch up on what's been going on in the past month or two. Lots of hits came and went from the top 10 in the last few weeks, but a lot really hasn't changed (at least not as much as I wanted). Some highlights were a Katy Perry single that vanished pretty quickly, some Drake singles that vanished as well (Thank God) and some pretty big songs finally leaving the top 10 (Closer, Bad and Boujee, Love on the Brain, I Feel it Coming). The question is, are the new songs any better? kinda. Are the old songs any better with time? No. The answer is no. But of course a lot of pop music doesn't stand the test of time, and maybe i'll look into those kinda songs sometime in the future. So far this year there have been about two or three songs that I really enjoyed to the point where I'm probably going to keep listening to them outside of this (one of them still on this list). Some of these songs I get, some of them I don't get but can kinda see why they might be popular and others I just confuse the heck out of me as to how they became so popular. Here we go...

1. Maroon 5 Ed Sheeran - Shape of You

I really want to hate this song. I shouldn't like this song. It's not very good. The music is dull, repetitive and boring like a modern Maroon 5 song, the lyrics are cliche and overused in the pop world of today and the tone is out of place with the rest of the album. It's clear that this song was made just to be a single on the radio and make money, not really have anything to do with the rest of his new album. Still, it's annoyingly catchy and I can't say I hate listening to it. I don't know what it is or how to explain how I feel about this, but maybe Sheeran just has enough charm to make this work? Maybe. Or it's just that compared to most terrible pop music now-a-days this is actually not that bad. Either way I can enjoy this for what it is. 

2. Bruno Mars - That's What I Like

Still by far the best thing that the pop charts have going right now. I've been hearing this song on and off for the whole year already and it's still not old. While we keep getting sad and boring pop songs every week, this one still stands out with Bruno's charisma and fun music to go along with it. There's really nothing like it on the radio/pop charts. At least it should have a good place on the end of the year charts for 2017, even if it doesn't make it to the number one spot. It's still doing good on streaming, radio and YouTube views so maybe it stands a chance.

3. Kendrick Lamar - HUMBLE.

The return of Kendrick Lamar with his new big single from his new album. This one appears to be a brag rap where Kendrick is telling everyone to be humbled by his talent. I don't really know much to say about a song like this, except that it was good and I enjoyed listening to it. Compared to the other tracks on his new album, I don't think it's near the best in the album. Still, when it comes to rap, Kendrick is still clearly one of the best mainstream rappers out there and it's clear everyone else thinks so when his newest single debuted at the 2 spot only being stopped by Ed Sheeran and Kendrick's new album is pretty much the most popular thing on spotify right now. When you have to follow a very beloved album that is highly regarded by so many people, it can be tough to release something everyone will be happy with. In the end I think this was a good follow up and worth a listen. 

4. Harry Styles - Sign on the Times

So this song apparently had some trouble on it's first day because of Spotify. A glitch or something kept people from being able to stream it and it lost the ability to gain numbers. Still, I don't think that's really the reason why it's not number one or two. Right now it's 37 and falling on the Spotify Top 50 for the USA, on iTunes it's at 12 and on YouTube it's all the way at 23, way below both "Shape of You" and "That's What I Like" and "HUMBLE" on almost every category. But besides all that, is it even a good song? Yes, it really is a good song, but it's not a really good song. very different from anything else on the charts right now so I think for me it was refreshing to listen to along with the rest of the songs this week. This is Harry Styles (of One Direction) solo debut, and it's a pretty huge to reach number 4 on it's first week. The song starts off soft through the first verse and picks up for the chorus with a really nice guitar roaring in the background and the piano throughout the verses and chorus. It all works really well and it's nice to see a song on here where all the instruments feel real. The vocals are done really well too, and I have to say so far this is the best solo work by any of the One Direction boys. It clearly has some inspiration from classic rock, and I wouldn't mind seeing more songs that take inspiration from that genre of music. Overall a very good surprise, good music and good lyrics make a good song, something most pop songs don't seem to understand. I really see myself coming back to this song a lot more this year. Definitely interested to see what else comes from Styles in the future, i'll be listening to whatever he releases next. 

5. Chainsmokers/Coldplay - Something Just Like This

This song just gets more boring with every listen. I can't even finish listening to it all the way through because I get so bored by the second chorus, which kinda sucks because the ending in the best part. Chainsmokers continue to put out lifeless and passionless music to the public and they keep eating it up, so why fix what isn't broken I guess? This is probably their second best song behind "Closer", thanks to Chris Martin's vocals and Coldplay adding something more to what could have been a dull track with just Chainsmoker's music. It helps a lot when Andrew Taggart isn't singing here, since he clearly doesn't have a good enough voice to lead a song by himself.

6. Some guy named Kyle/Lil Yachty - iSpy

Still and okay song, not much else has changed. I did notice the artist who's name is just Kyle though. What a creative name. Gotta say that the 20 second intro feels like a waste of time after the first listen through, so I just skip it. It's hard to really hate a song that actually feels like it's having fun. It's catchy and easy to listen to and I think that's okay for a rap / pop song.

7. Future - Mask Off

Straight from the School of Drake's Passionless Half-Asleep Vocals comes everyone's favorite rapper FUTURE! It's been a while since a song has made me feel so depressed just for the fact that it exists, but this song is just... Please make it stop. Make it stop. Dull music. Dull vocals. Dull beat.
-10/100. can't get worse than this. I miss Drake.

8. Lil Uzi Vert - It just got worse, AKA, XO TOUR LIF3!!!11!!

Lil Uzi Vert, or better known as the mumbling guy who screams YAH in "Bad and Boujee". I'm not sure what I just listened to, but I don't think it was music. The only thing I understood in this song was "All my friends are dead", and i'm pretty sure they all faked their deaths to get away from this guy. Seriously though, I really have no clue how this made it all the way to the top 10. Yet another song that makes me sad to listen to, just because it's an actual song on the charts.

9. Sam Hunt - Body Like A Back Road

Southern country metaphor for sex that doesn't really make sense. Check. Barely sounding like country, let alone any genre at all. Check. Crappy guitar solo. Check. Using tropes from hip-hop to try and sound more hip and relevant to a younger audience. Check. Two and a half minutes of my life wasted. Check.
Overall grade: A+

10. Chainsmokers - Paris

Trying to figure out which artist is the the one I want out of the top 10 more is difficult when you have Chainsmokers, Future, Lil Uzi Vert and Sam Hunt in the same list. It's a tough week for music and it all ends with two of the most boring songs on the charts these days. I'll say Paris is probably the bad song that I can tolerate the most from this list. This week the list started off very promising with Sheeran, Mars, Lamar, and Styles all putting out good songs. Then it came crashing down pretty hard when Future came in, along with Uzi Vert and Sam Hunt. Paris isn't the worst thing the Chainsmokers have put out, but it's probably the most forgettable. Like I said before, Andrew Taggart doesn't have the vocal talent to lead a song by himself, and when he does you get a forgettable song like Paris. Stick to getting guest vocals to help out so maybe you can make another song as tolerable as "Closer" which is still the best thing they've put out (and it's only okay). 

Your Name

 Your Name. (君の名は。)

Your Name is an anime film brought over from Japan by Funimation. The film was directed by Makoto Shinkai, who has made some really fantastic anime movies over the past including one of my favorites "5 Centimeters Per Second". I wasn't really sure what this movie was about going into it, I went in without any information or even a trailer and I pretty much gave it a shot just because of the director's attachment.

The only thing I knew going in was the premise of the movie, a movie where a high school boy and girl switch bodies and affect each other's lives in different ways, much like other body switch movies like "Freaky Friday" and "The Change-Up". It seemed like weird premise for the director to go with considering his movies are a little more serious, so I wasn't sure where he was going with this. Actually it's very surprising where this movie goes and it was very unexpected and I honestly found myself loving this movie more than I ever would have though. While at first it DOES do some of the jokes you would expect from a movie where a teenage boy and girl switch and it kinda goes how you might expect, it gets all that stuff out of the way to focus on the real meat of the story. (note: while the body switch jokes might be kinda cliche stuff you'd expect, I still found them pretty funny and charming because of the characters). It's hard to talk about the actual plot of the movie without giving away great moments that are better to experience first hand though. 

The movie follows Mitsuha, a teenage girl living in a very traditional Japanese village far from the major cities. She lives a life of tradition and old ceremonies, but she really wants to experience a more modern life in Tokyo and experience the city life for herself with all it's charm. After she screams a wish to live a different life she wakes up the next day as Taki, a boy living in Tokyo who lives the life she dreams of. Through switching both characters learn what it's like to live opposite lives, and help each other be better. Though there's more mysterious circumstances behind all of this...

This movie works on basically every level. Of course the most important parts are the characters and the animation itself. The two main characters are very likable alone, even more likable when interacting together. I found myself really rooting for them through the movie. The animation is some of the best I've ever seen in any anime film, comparable to the great Studio Ghibli films. The scenery is the best part of the movie by far though, from the very busy and detailed city of Tokyo to the more nature filled scenery of the small towns. Everything feels very bright, colorful and beautiful and it's a treat to look at, especially on the big screen. The music is also very well done, though the only real problem I had with it was the songs that were used during some interludes that felt kinda weird in English translations. They just felt like they would have been a lot better if they just had left them in Japanese with subtitles, still just a small complaint. Oh yeah, there are a few musical interludes in the film with original music (I think), kinda weird, but I think it's probably just an anime thing. 

This film really took me by surprise in the end, I loved the characters and the animation was amazing to stare it the whole time. I laughed, I was shocked, I teared up but didn't cry because I don't do that kind of thing because i'm a grown man and I don't cry during anime movies I swear to you I don't cry, and I had a very fun time watching this. Honestly it's one of the best movies I've seen so far this year, just because of how much fun it was to see an original story with fun characters and beautiful visuals. The only bad thing I can really say is just some of the cliche body switch jokes and the kinda corny music, but nothing that really takes away too much from the film. 

Overall Grade: A-, A great anime film that was fun and surprisingly emotional from start to end. If you like anime in general you will most likely enjoy this, if you don't then it's probably not something you would be interested anyway. Still, I had a really good time watching this and I hope more people see it, i'd say it's a must watch for anime fans, and a good place to start if you are trying to get into anime. 

Ghost In the Shell

Ghost In the Shell

Based on the beloved classic anime film of the same name from 1995, Ghost In the Shell (2017) is a live action take on the same story with lead actress Scarlett Johansson taking the role of "Major". The story follows Scarlett's character, who was saved by scientists from death by having her brain put into a robotic shell to keep her alive, the first of her kind. With her new body and skills, she is eventually made into a super soldier type character who is used to stop terrorist acts of sorts around the city. During one of her missions, she stumbles upon a hacker who leads her to question more than she is supposed to, leading her to question the truth about her existence.

Where Ghost in the Shell truly stands out is in it's visuals. They did a very good job recreating the cool and unique cyber-punk world from the original film. The city really feels like a futuristic, sci-fi city with lots of bright neon lighting and holograms, cool technology and vehicles, but still having the feel of a modern Tokyo-like city. I think they captured the setting of the original anime film very well, and thanks to modern film making technology, it looks amazing in the live action setting. Scarlett's character was also well done with the CG, there were cool scenes where you get to see her being formed that looked very nice. The visuals definitely made this a film worth watching in the theatre.

The story is where the film can struggle a bit. Scarlett is really the only memorable part of the movie, as all the other characters don't really have a lot of time in the movie or are just not very fleshed out. The closest thing we get is her partner "Batou" who is the character she spends the most time with, still not really a lot of time, because the only thing we really learn about him is he cares about Scarlett's character and he likes dogs. The film chooses to focus on one major aspect of Scarlett's character and that's her figuring out her humanity. The humanity story can be interesting and it makes sense from her position as a human brain inside of a cyborg body, but it also got boring at times and it felt uninspired at times as well. The action scenes were also done well enough, thanks to the visuals used throughout and the cool world. The visuals and action aren't always enough to make up for the way the story progresses, sometimes some scenes being boring despite of the visuals. 

Scarlett is one of the reasons to give this movie a shot, she does try with what she's given to work with and she does a good job for the most part. The other reason is how beautifully unique the visuals and effects are, and how the city feels like a real living and breathing futuristic place. It's sad to say the story could be weak at times and a lot of the characters felt unmemorable, but it still all works well together to make a good movie. It's definitely worth a watch just for the visuals alone, and the story is put together well enough to keep you going for the two hours this film lasts.

Grade: C+ , Visually fantastic. Passable Story. 

Los Power Rangers

Power Rangers (2017)

When I first heard this movie was getting made, I let out a big sigh. Thinking about all the old 80's and 90's kid's shows that have been remade into movies these days will get you to do that. Hollywood seems to have a knack for taking beloved franchises and making them into bad movies as we have seen with Transformers, Ninja Turtles, Alvin and the Chipmunks and even Dragonball. Going into this movie, I expected another Michael Bay style film with bad dialog and many explosions. Is that what the movie actually had to offer?

To my surprise (and probably the surprise of many), Power Rangers was a fun movie to watch, and it was actually good... not great, but good. There was lots of things to like and lots of things to dislike, but I think the good outweighed the bad for the most part. I think the best part of the movie was definitely the Rangers themselves. The actors who played the rangers did a good job with the material and all made for interesting characters you can get behind. Though one problem might be that we didn't really spend time with all of them as much as I might have wanted, but since there are five of them it makes sense for this to happen. Billy (blue) stood out the most out of all of them with his strange personality, he was the most unique and that made him stand out more. The other rangers were all sort of one note with their personalities. Zack (black) was the cocky crazy one, Trini (yellow) is the strong silent one, Jason (red) is the leader, and Kimberly (pink) is.... Kimberly? The rangers are introduced as high school screw ups who all seem to be good kids put into bad situations for reasons they all reveal later on in the movie. They al stumble upon a mysterious rock where they find special rocks that give them powers, later they find out where meant to be held by the next Power Rangers. It plays out like a lot of superhero origin films where the heroes get new powers and have to learn to control them in order to save the world. The story isn't really what makes this movie good though, it's the relationship between the rangers and their characters. The dialog between them is fun and sometimes a bit cheesy, but never to a point of cringe. It's got that humor that you would expect in teen PG-13 movie, but it mostly works for them. 

The visuals in the movie are fine too, lots of CG as you would expect from a big action hero movie like this. The CG is fine though, it's not the best but it works well enough. All the CG is really saved up for the end of the movie with the final battle seems like it's 90% CG and it's not as interesting as the rest of the movie, just lots of explosions and effects and one-liners. The villain in the movie (Rita Repulsa) is played by Elizabeth Banks who plays the character a little too much like the old tv show, but does a good job at doing that. It feels kind of out of place sometimes compared to the tone of the rest of the movie since she plays the villain over the top, but it is a nice reminder of how weird and crazy the villains were in the original show. Bill Hader and Bryan Cranston are also a part of the movie with voice overs for Alpha 5 (Hader) and Zordon (Cranston). They do a good job with the characters, pretty much making them exactly like the show was. 

Overall this was a good movie, far better than I thought it was going to be. It's a good start to the franchise, assuming there will be sequels to this. The main characters made this movie fun to watch and I would watch a sequel just to see them in these parts again. The rest of the movie wasn't anything great, it plays out exactly how you think it's going to. It follows the same formula as other origin stories, complete with a training montage with catchy music. It's a good movie to go watch in the theater once, especially if you like action/hero movies or are a fan of the Power Rangers. For me, it's not a movie I would really want to watch again, but I had fun watching it and it was worth the price of the ticket. 

Grade: C

An average movie sure, but one that's worth a watch because you will enjoy the characters, the fun dialog, the over the top villain and Billy being Billy.