'Power Rangers' Long Runtime Leaves Room for Huge Zord Battle

Nostalgic fans of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV show remember the formulaic structure of every episode. The show always began with the Power Rangers, in their regular lives, coming across a problem. After 10 minutes, the problem intersects with their Power Ranger duties. At the 18-minute mark, it’s a final battle with the Megazord. The heroes win, the day is saved, roll credits.

Lionsgate, the studio behind Saban’s Power Rangers movie reboot directed by Dean Israelite, has revealed its runtime at 124 minutes, or two hours and four minutes. That’s the industry standard for tentpole superhero films. But unlike a typical Marvel or DC movie with traditional three-act storytelling, the last act in Saban’s Power Rangers could be a lengthy kaiju/mecha brawl. It will also be the longest Power Rangers movie to date.

There’s no official breakdown of the film’s three-act story. But generally speaking, the first 30 minutes to a 90-120 minute film is the first act, while the next hour is the second. The climax and resolution occupy the last half hour. This is fine and dandy for most superhero movies. But for the Power Rangers? There might be a whole half hour of a Pacific Rim-esque giant robot rumble.

A lot of nostalgic millennials are down for a big budget Power Rangers movie, but at a full-fledged two hours, it might be a dream come true. The last two movies, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie in 1995 and Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie in 1997 both ran 95 minutes and 99 minutes, respectively.

Saban’s Power Rangers will be released March 24.