TV DVD Review: "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers": Season Two, Volume Two

Rated: TV-Y7 for fantasy violence
Starring: Jason David Frank, Amy Jo Johnston, Johnny Yong Bosch, Steven Cardenas, Karan Ashley, and David Yost
Released: 1994 - 1995 (original TV premieres) / 2013 (DVD and iTunes)

Synopsis: The Power Rangers are in for their fiercest battles yet in this last part of the show's second season! Just after Aisha, Rocky, and Adam get sworn in as new Rangers, Lord Zedd starts to employ all kinds of dastardly tricks, from evil clones of the Rangers themselves to trapping the Rangers everywhere from the past to an old storybook! Worse yet, Rita has returned, and when she and Zedd marry, it may be too much for the world to handle! Will the Rangers succeed in thwarting their plans?

The Good: As a kid at heart, I find this series has an endearing quality; sure, you know the Rangers will always win, but it's still fun to see the good guys triumph over evil.  With series like these, the multiple-episode story arcs are usually the best ones, and that is definitely true here.  The Rangers themselves are likable folks, and the villains are hilariously despicable.  Not that much to complain about, except...

The Bad: First off, the episodes are rather short; about twenty minutes each, including the opening titles and closing credits.  When you realize how much recycled footage is used, that means each episode has only fifteen minutes or so of original content.  The closed captioning is rather off; many times, what it says and what the characters are actually saying are quite different.  That's a problem with many shows from the early days of "CC" mode, but would it have killed Shout! Factory to have it redone for the benefit of deaf or hard-of-hearing viewers? Some of the plots, especially towards the end, are a bit too similar; did they have to use time travel as a plot device twice within a few episodes? Also, parents may be concerned with the violence; it can be a bit heavy at times.

Content Concerns:

• Sex: Kissing and flirting; nothing serious. 4/5
• Nudity: Girls in bare-midriff outfits; shirtless guys are seen occasionally. 4/5
• Language: Mostly name-calling, though there is at least one misuse of God's name. 4/5
• Violence: As mentioned above, the violence is heavy at times; the Rangers, their Zords, and their various enemies punch, kick, shoot, hit, etc., each other countless times.  The Putties are seen literally falling apart after being defeated.  Comedic violence is also present.  None of it is bloody or gory, though. 2/5
• Drugs: Fantasy remedies are used. 4/5
• Frightening/Intense Scenes: As usual, some of the monsters can be a bit scary, and the Rangers find themselves in various dire predicaments, though they always make it out okay. 2/5
• Other: A bit of magic is used. 4/5

Conclusion: Say what you want, but I've enjoyed watching the first two seasons of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in its entirety; in fact, I hope to watch the third season soon, and then continue with the Zeo incarnation.  These episodes might be a bit much for the youngest viewers, but, for those who grew up with this show like I did, this is a treat.

Score: 4/5