Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers and the Dr Who TV Movie (A Comparison)

[purplecat]

I'm just watching the end of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers the Movie for the umpteenth time since we taped it for G. At the end of this movie (which on the whole I wouldn't recommend watching unless you have a 3-year-old to entertain) the power rangers use their new "mystic energy source" to resurrect their dead mentor, Zordon. A comparison to the Dr Who TV Movie suddenly struck me when the Doctor resurrects Chang Lee and Grace. It's not just that there appears to be some (American?) fantasy trope here - a desire to have an emotional death scene but then a happy ending but also that in both cases these are intended as adventures in an ongoing series* with all the consequent plotting problems that must follow from being able to bring people back from the dead.

* Wikipedia tells me that Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers the Movie is actually set in an alternate time-line so presumaby the sudden resurrection capability is not so destructive.

Comments

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

Could this be extended - a mythic energy source that doesn't need an explanation? The Eye of Harmony's presence in the TARDIS was rapidly rationalized by fans (starting, IIRC, with Gary Russell's novelization) but in the script it's just 'there'.

[purplecat]

After writing this it occured to me that the first Christopher Reeve Superman movie does the same thing (only without the mystic energy source bit). Sure Superman's dad tuts a lot about not turning back time, but its not clear that anything bad happens as a result and again this was presumably made with the intention that there might be sequels so its a bit silly to make your central character quite that powerful. Though of course you could, and many have, argue that Superman is so ridiculously powerful from the off that anything else is neither here nor there in terms of plot problems.