Jason David Frank was a model, actor, and mixed martial artist. He died in 2022 at the age of 49. He mainly worked in television. His best role and the role he played the most was Tommy Oliver, the Green Ranger in the FOX series, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993). That role was so popular that Frank was asked to play that character again in seven, sequel shows and two feature films. The last of which was Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel (2017), which means he played this character for the better part of 25 years. He was the breakout star of that franchise. Arguably, that franchise was the only thing he did, but he dabbled in other projects.
Frank was featured in an adaptation of a Valiant Comics character that would later be played by Vin Diesel in Bloodshot (2020). Yet, Frank played the character of Bloodshot first in Ninjak vs the Valiant Universe (2018). That 2018 series, which was only available on the Internet, was written, produced, and edited by Aaron Schoenke who is clearly a fan of comic books and martial arts. His 2018 series was cut together and released as a singular film on YouTube. This feature is arguably Schoenke's theatrical debut, but it feels as if it was initially designed to be a series. As such, it doesn't feel like a totally completed work, or it has loose ends that stick out like a sore thumb.
Jason David Frank gets a creator and producer credit, which makes sense because the character and story line here feel very much analogous to his character of the Green Ranger. For those who didn't watch the 1993 show that put Frank on the map, the Green Ranger began as a bad guy, a villain that caused trouble and a lot of destruction. He got his super abilities from a magical metal or element called a power coin, which needed to be recharged. The rest of the series was about the Green Ranger having to redeem himself after being such a villain. Here, JD Frank stars as Erik Reed, a guy who works as a treasure hunter who has a wife and daughter. That overall plot that happened to the Green Ranger is pretty much exactly the same thing that happens to Erik Reed here.
There are of course some, slight differences. One of those differences is the tone. This film is way more gritty and brutal in its depictions. There's also a lot more cursing than in that FOX children's series. Instead of a power coin, Erik gets his super abilities from a power crystal. Instead of a team of five or six, he's apart of a team of three. Instead of a hologram called Zordon, he talks to a hologram called Uri, played by Andrew Bachelor (Haunted Heist and The Babysitter). His alter ego is called "White Dragon," and not Green Ranger. Yet, there is a scene where Erik is given a new bodysuit and he's asked to choose a color, and Erik chooses the color green, which is an obvious nod to his iconic 1993 character. The Power Rangers famously fought monsters grown by a space alien, or intergalactic witch. The Green Ranger though was meant to be an antagonist who was a mirror reflection of the heroes. The antagonist here is also a mirror reflection of the White Dragon.
Aaron Schoenke is not only the writer, director, producer, and editor, but he's also an actor here. He co-stars as Jai Katua, the aforementioned antagonist. During a battle involving Erik Reed, over a thousand people were killed, and one of them was the pregnant wife of Jai Katua. As a result, Jai wants revenge. During that battle, nicknamed the Dark Day, Erik's power crystal was cracked in half. Erik kept one half, and Jai was given the other half. With the help of scientists, Jai was able to tap into the crystal and turn himself into an evil version of the White Dragon. He wants to find Erik and kill him.
The film incorporates martial arts and hand-to-hand fight scenes. Again, the tone is gritty and brutal. The scenes though don't ever show off the skills that JD Frank has. The majority of the fights has Erik in a full bodysuit. It's not like the aerobic costumes in the Power Rangers, which allowed for more graceful choreography in that 90's franchise. Here, Erik's fighting in the suit feels clunky and stiff. There are moments where he comes out of the suit, but those moments are brief and don't allow for Frank to truly shine as the great martial artist that he was.
If anything, this film was more of a vehicle for Frank and Schoenke to flex their acting muscles rather than their bodily muscles. Both their characters struggle with depression and other mental health issues. At several points, both characters have suicidal ideations, which is ironic given how JD Frank died. Unfortunately, I don't think this film resolves those issues in a satisfying way. Erik is accused of being a terrorist and being responsible for the deaths of over a thousand people. That isn't resolved at all.
This film ends on what is essentially a button that is obviously setting up a sequel or what would have been future episodes. Because of JD Frank's death, that sequel likely won't happen, but that button involves David Ramsey (Arrow and Blue Bloods) who plays Mayor Trevon Sterns. He's not on screen a lot, but he has a significant role. If Schoenke is looking for a new lead for superhero stories, Ramsey is it. He's a great actor who is in bodybuilder shape.
Rated R for some violence.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 38 mins.
In theaters.
