How the new ‘Power Rangers’ tackle cyber bullying

Director Dean Israelite reveals it was a conscious decision to highlight teenage challenges in the reboot

The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers may feel a tad out-dated to us today but back in the 1990s, the children’s series was, in its own way, quite progressive. It featured a racially diverse cast which included two female superhero leads and also preached ideas like peace over violence.

Now, Lionsgate's rebooted version features superheroes that are not only diverse but also have their own issues to deal with, such as autism and sexual orientations. Director Dean Israelite said he wanted to make a film about teenagers and their struggles growing up. “We talked about how different the world is today. And if you are going to make a movie about teenagers today, you've got to deal with the issues and challenges they are facing in their world,” The Hollywood Reporter quoted him as saying. “And that's what we’re going to modernise in the movie. We are trying to give a voice and represent characters who are either underrepresented or not represented in movies. I'm proud of that, and I'm excited for young audiences to experience that.”



Dean went on talk about how the rebooted Power Rangers tackle cyber bullying. “A phone is a really powerful thing, as is social media. You've got to use it wisely. You've got to be careful what your friends do with it,” he said. “Our screenwriter John Gatins lives with two teenagers so he wanted to bring that to the movie, and I agree with him: it's really relevant. I think it's about dealing with something as timeless as bullying and then bringing it to the specificity of the kids today not just having to deal with bullying; they have to deal with cyber bullying too.”

The new-fangled Power Rangers film released worldwide on March 24 and also stars Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston as Zordon as part of the ensemble cast.

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