⚡️Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always ⚡🦖

Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers shall we?

🎥 Trailer:

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Spoiler-Free Rundown 🍿

This 55-minute Netflix special picks up decades after the original Rangers fought Rita Repulsa, but with a new twist — Rita’s back… as a robot. Yes, you read that right. Robotic Rita Repulsa. This time, she’s got a plan involving time travel, kidnapping, and good old-fashioned villain monologuing.

It’s a mix of campy nostalgia and slightly more serious moments, with a strong emotional hook thanks to the legacy of Trini, the original Yellow Ranger. The special tries to blend that old-school “teenagers with attitude” vibe with a modern(ish) streaming polish. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it feels like someone dusted off an old VHS tape and just hit record.


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Character Rundown 👥

Billy Cranston (David Yost) – The brains of the operation, and arguably the emotional anchor here. The real-world history matters: David Yost left the original show in the ’90s after years of harassment over his sexuality. For him to come back here is huge — maybe a sign old wounds are starting to heal. Saban, as a boss, was notoriously bad at creating a safe environment back then, so seeing Yost front-and-center now is significant.

Zack Taylor (Walter Emanuel Jones) – Still has the charisma, still breaks into dance-fighting mid-battle (🙄). But he’s got depth here too — he steps up as Minh’s guardian after Trini’s death.

Katherine Hillard (Catherine Sutherland) – Now a mom, bringing some grounded “life after Ranger-ing” energy to the team.

Rocky DeSantos (Steve Cardenas) – Firefighter, sarcastic, and mainly here for comic relief. His “I was about to heat up noodles” line… yeah, that’s the level of humor we’re working with.

Minh Kwan (Charlie Kersh) – Trini’s daughter, full of attitude, grief, and a need for revenge. She’s basically the “teenager with attitude” rebooted.

Villains – Robo Rita is joined by two forgettable robot hench-monsters (a snake lizard thing and a centaur thing). Rita’s presence works mainly because she’s still voiced with that wonderfully screechy energy.

Who’s Missing & Why –

Tommy (Jason David Frank) – Declined to return before his passing; he simply didn’t want to participate.

Kimberly (Amy Jo Johnson) – Said Netflix’s offer wasn’t enough money.

Jason (Austin St. John) – Couldn’t return due to ongoing legal issues.

BTW if ur wondering how Kat and Rocky get their old MMPR morphers again if they were damaged way back when? Apparently Billy and Alpha have been working on spares, don’t ask how.

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Pros ✅

Emotional core with Minh’s story.

David Yost’s return after his real-life history with the franchise is surprisingly powerful.

Nostalgia factor is strong for long-time fans.

Keeps the cheesy “Morphin Time!” spirit alive.



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Cons ❌

CGI in the Zord battle looks Sharkboy and Lavagirl-level bad.

Stunt double + dubbed line trick for missing actors is… noticeable.

Weird tonal clash — is this for kids, or for nostalgic adults?



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Final Thoughts 💭

Honestly? With all the absences and real-world baggage, I expected this to be a disaster. Instead, it’s a flawed but surprisingly heartfelt tribute. I wish JDF and Amy Jo Johnson had been here, but I respect their reasons. And seeing David Yost back after everything… that was the real “Morphin Magic.”


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Rating ⭐

8.5/10 – Nostalgia done better than it had any right to be, with a couple of bad CGI hiccups and tonal confusion.


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Spoilers Ahead 🚨

The special starts mid-battle — Billy’s fighting Robo Rita on a cliff when Trini takes a blast meant for him and dies. 💥 One year later, Zack is Minh’s guardian. Minh overhears that Rita killed her mom and wants in on Ranger business, but she’s told to stay out of it. So what does she do? Do the exact opposite, she gets herself in trouble fighting putties that are attacking the smoothie bar at their old school, zo then Zack and Rocky must come and save her.

Here’s the clip – of Zack and Rocky going down to the smoothie bar to save Minh from putties, yes this is the first time Rita sent down monsters to attack the smoothie joint, how dare she.

Rita’s plan? Time travel to give her past self future knowledge and wipe out the Rangers before they exist. She kidnaps shrunken Jason, Tommy, and Kimberly to power her machine. Minh tries to fight the putties, fails, and gets grounded.

The team uses a giant junkyard magnet to trap Rita’s hench-monsters (yes, really) while Minh sneaks off for revenge and gets captured. When Rita fires a blast at Billy, Minh jumps in front of it — triggering her ability to morph into the Yellow Ranger. 💛

They summon the Zords for a final fight against a giant lizard monster, and the CGI… yeah, oof. 2005 DVD menu vibes. They win, smash Rita’s machine, free the captive Rangers, and blast Robo Rita into oblivion. Zack, Billy, and Minh share a smoothie to end things on a lighter note.

Then we close off on a montage of Trini, paying tribute to her then we close off to in Memory of her and then a in Memory to Tommy, you both will be missed.