Power Rangers Dino Charge: Breaking Black Review

This Power Rangers Dino Charge review contains spoilers.

Following up on Chase’s penchant for being late and not focusing, we open with Chase nearly setting the Dino Bite Café aflame before being visited by his old friend, Moana, a fortune teller from New Zealand. She has sensed something bad will happen to her shop and wants Chase to protect it, which he spectacularly fails at when Sledge’s new monster steals a magical object, which gives him the ability to put a spell on Chase. Chase gives… well… chase and….

Chase morphs into the Black Ranger while riding a skateboard and does a variety of tricks on it while still morphed. Its silly things like that keep my hope for Dino Charge burning bright. Also, he didn’t need to be a little pervy boy to do it either! (That’s a Dairanger reference for all you people in the know.)

The other Rangers join Chase and the spell takes further hold over Chase where he almost shoots Tyler before the other Rangers manage to drive the monster off. Back at the base, Keeper tends to Chase, who regrets what he almost did to Tyler. In something we haven’t seen in over four years, Keeper actually plays mentor correctly and gives Chase some solid advice. “You can’t change the past, but you can learn from it.” That’s not just good advice for Chase, that’s good for the audience! I’ve missed Power Rangers having some legit life lessons.

The other Rangers visit Moana where she relates the story of how she met Chase… Which involves him saving her baby carriage (Ninja Encounter anyone?) and discovering it was actually a cat inside. Oh my god, I’m genuinely laughing at something in Power Rangers? Somebody pinch me. For saving her cat, she gives Chase the Black Energem and Koda chimes in how much easier it was then what he went through, “I froze in glacier for thousands of years.” Frozen Caveman theory? Confirmed.

The four Rangers fight Spellbinder, Wrench, and Curio unmorphed before Tyler, Koda, and Riley are put under the spell. Chase is forced to almost shoot Shelby before her ingenious thinking breaks the spell by getting Chase on a skateboard. Shelby is the best one on the team and all other arguments are invalid. Chase executes a completely unnecessary spin and takes out Spellbinders magic, freeing the other Rangers to all morph. It’s all pretty standard (along with the introduction of the new Dino Spike) but Shelby’s fight with Curio is the most delightful of the bunch. Curio is such a bad fighter and Shelby takes full advantage of it.

After the megazord fight, featuring the debut of the ParaRaptor Formation and its quick defeat of Spellbinder, Sledge and company go through his remains and find Moana’s object that gave him his magic. Wrench is ready to throw it away but Sledge wants to keep it, knowing he could use it in the future. FORSHADOWING? I miss you so much.

Our episode closes out with Chase promising he’ll be able to focus and Koda tricking him into cleaning the museum floor which he does on his skateboard.

This episode was a ton of fun. It was a little too fast at first, with Chase ending up in Moana’s shop without much room to breathe, but the moment he morphed on that skateboard the whole episode was smooth riding. James Davies, already a delight in previous episodes, gets to shine and show that Chase is more then just a little flirt. It’s a delight these actors are being given quality material to work with because it allows them to bring their A Game.

It’s also a joy to see Chase’s New Zealand heritage so prominently on display. I don’t know if they’re getting extra money for that (it appears so, especially with the reports of the characters making a two episode jaunt to New Zealand later on) but it’s adding a new dimension to the series. Why not open the world up a little bit? Certainly better than pretending everyone in the world has an American accent, that’s for sure.

We’re a quarter of the way through the season and Dino Charge is showing no signs of letting up on the quality. Please stay that way, because I’m finally enjoying Power Rangers with no reservations for the first time in a long time.

Stray Thoughts:

-You know, Keeper’s advice for Chase could also be interpreted as his own guilt for murdering the dinosaurs.

-“I just risked my life for…. The most beautiful little kitty!” Bless you for that line read, James Davies.

-“I WISH I HAD STAYED WITH POISANDRA!!!” Oh Curio, I love you.

-“Hey, there was a rugby match on.” I really would love to believe they get an extra thousand bucks for every New Zealand thing they can throw into the script.

-I really hope Chase doesn’t scuff up those museum floors with his skateboard.