Power RangernaticZ

Beast Morphers Introduced New Twists To The Morphing Grid

-The Morphing Grid, the power source that links all Power Rangers teams across multiple periods and realities, is a fascinating idea that is featured in Beast Morphers. The Morphing Grid could be accessed in this television series by people who weren't Rangers. By fusing the energy of the Grid with animal DNA, the city of Coral Harbor was able to develop its own squad of protectors and produce clean energy as a result.

When American Graffiti premiered in 1973, it was only 11 years out from when the movie took place. "Where were you in '62?" asked the film's tagline. The world had changed a lot in a decade, and director George Lucas understood perfectly the power nostalgia for that more "innocent" time could hold over an audience. American Graffiti went on to become one of the most profitable films of all time. Four years later, Lucas released Star Wars, making nostalgic appeal the central business of Hollywood.

Power Rangers, which comes out this weekend, follows quite perversely in the tradition Lucas established. It's a film whose entire existence is predicated on the notion that nostalgia can be leveraged as a spark for something new. Not creatively new, mind you, but merely a new source of revenue for producers who own pre-existing IP. Lucas understood that nostalgia was a powerful driver of emotion. Are those of us who grew up watching Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers supposed to feel that deep longing for a time when we didn't have taste enough to know we were watching utter trash?