From theatrical releases to TV specials, every Power Rangers’ chronological timeline, each of them represents something to the franchise.

Power Rangers’ formula of combining Super Sentai shows with original scenes has worked for the past 30 years, but the saga quickly realized that it could expand beyond its original format. The first Power Rangers movie was released in 1995, whereas the closest thing to a new Power Rangers film was released in 2023. Between TV movies that are nothing but episodes combined into a single release to blockbusters, Power Rangers has seen it all.

6 Power Rangers: Clash of the Red Rangers (2011)

A Regular Power Rangers Crossover Turned Into A Movie

Clash of the Red Rangers is one of three Power Rangers releases that, despite being considered movies, are not feature-length stories. The crossover event involving Power Rangers R.P.M, Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, and Power Rangers Samurai is essentially two episodes combined into one 50-minute-long special. Clash of the Red Rangers, based on two different Super Sentai films, was aired as a TV movie and later released on DVD.

Note: Amy Jo Johson and the late Jason David Frank are the only actors to have appeared in all three theatrical Power Rangers movies.

In of the story, Clash of the Red Rangers was not too different from all the other Power Rangers team-up episodes. Apart from its unique release format, Clash of the Red Rangers was just another Power Rangers crossover. It should also be noted that this movie uses footage from the two films to make it seem like one movie, but that also causes it to seem a little disted and takes away from the fun.

5 The Legendary Battle: Extended Edition (2014)

An Extended Two-Part Super Megaforce Episode

Similar to Clash of the Red Rangers, The Legendary Battle: Extended Edition is not a feature-length film, although it was released for home video as a movie. The Legendary Battle: Extended Edition combines two Power Rangers Super Megaforce episodes, “The Wrath” and “Legendary Battle,” into a 55-minute-long special, and it also includes new scenes. The storyline sees the SUper Mega Rangers prepare to defend Earth against a massive Armada attack.

While the extended Legendary Battle scenes improved the original episodes, they could not change how disappointing Power Rangers’ 20th-anniversary special was. The Legendary Battle: Extended Edition highlighted the problems with the crossover, which failed to live up to the massive expectations of what a Power Rangers “legendary battle” had to look like.

4 Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (1997)

It Covers The Transition From Zeo To Turbo

Whereas Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie was designed as a cinematic experience that would take Power Rangers to the big screen for the first time, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie could have very well been a straight-to-VHS film. This was very much the case, though, as the Turbo movie only grossed $8 million at the box office before being released on VHS. Unlike the first Power Rangers film, which told a non-canon story, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie was canon to the TV show.

The movie covered the transition between Power Rangers Zeo and Power Rangers Turbo, working as “episode 0” of the latter. Interestingly, despite being the only piece of Power Rangers canon that explains the shift into Turbo ahead of the new show, the Turbo movie makes little effort to explain why the Power Rangers had to change their powers.

The Zeo Crystals were said to be some of the strongest artifacts in the universe, but suddenly, Zordon was asking the Power Rangers to use new morphers and Zords. Lore questions aside, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie feels like an extended Power Rangers episode rather than an actual film. That said, seeing the Zeo cast on a bigger-budget production, as well as the returns of Kimberly and Jason, made the Turbo movie worth it.

3 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always (2023)

A Netflix Special Centered On The Original Power Rangers

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always was not a feature-length film, but it was not a regular Power Rangers episode either. Given its one-off nature, the 50-minute-long special shares more similarities with the Power Rangers movies than to the average Power Rangers episodes. One small but important detail that illustrates how different Once & Always was from the TV show is how words like “died” and “killed” were used in the Netflix special, something that never happened in the series.

The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always cast featured some of the original Power Rangers actors.

Mighty Morphin nostalgia aside, Once & Always is an entertaining, heartwhelming story that captured the essence of Power Rangers during an emotional 50 minutes. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always cast featured some of the original Power Rangers actors, including first-generation Rangers Billy Cranston (David Yost) and Zack Taylor (Walter Emanuel Jones).

Billy had not appeared in a Power Rangers show or movie since Zeo, whereas Zack never returned to the franchise after Mighty Morphin season 2. Once & Always was bittersweet, though, as the story was dedicated to Thuy Trang, and the ending credits also included a tribute to Jason David Frank. Power Rangers needed some sort of celebration for its 30th anniversary, and Power Rangers: Once & Always was a fitting one.

2 Power Rangers (2017)

A Theatrical Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Reboot

The first proper Power Rangers film since 1997, Power Rangers (2017) was meant to expand the franchise and kickstart a Power Rangers movie saga. While the 2017 Power Rangers reboot was based on Mighty Morphin – from the characters to the costumes – it was not tied to the TV show in any way. The movie introduced new versions of Jason, Billy, Trini, Zack, and Kimberly while reimagining classic Power Rangers concepts.

The new Power Rangers costumes, which looked radically different from anything that had ever appeared in the TV show, quickly established that the movie was going to be its own thing. Comparing a theatrical Hollywood movie with a TV show or with films designed for TV may not be fair, but it is important to notice how much better written and developed the 2017 Power Rangers characters were.

Power Rangers (2017) managed to “ground” one of the most fantastical television franchises, and it made each of the core Mighty Morphin Power Rangers relatable. The biggest problem with 2017’s Power Rangers, however, was the lack of “Ranger action.” The movie clearly could have used more budget, to the point only Red Ranger Jason was given one of the signature Power Rangers weapons. The fights were short, and the Rangers barely morphed.

1 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)

The Power Rangers Get New Powers In This Non-Canon Movie

The perfect combination of classic Power Rangers TV tropes and what a theatrical film should deliver, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie is the best Power Rangers movie. With Mighty Morphin quickly becoming a hit on TV, it was easy to predict that the Power Rangers would soon be on the big screen. However, to simplify things, the Mighty Morphin movie was designed as a standalone story that, despite featuring many of the TV show’s actors and characters, was not canon to the series.

Jason David Frank, Amy Jo Johnson, and David Yost led the cast.

As such, Power Rangers: The Movie didn’t have to explain why the Command Center looked bigger, or why the Rangers were now wearing armor. Even though Power Rangers: The Movie is not canon, it is one of the most entertaining Mighty Morphin stories ever told. Jason David Frank, Amy Jo Johnson, and David Yost led the cast, which also included newcomers Johnny Yong Bosch, Karan Ashley, and Steve Cardenas.

Everything was bigger and better than in the TV show, and the movie offered a big-budget Power Rangers adventure that Mighty Morphin never could. Ivan Ooze is a perfect 1990s villain, and while some of the visual effects haven’t aged well, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie remains a symbol of Power Rangers nostalgia.

A Power Rangers Cinematic Universe Was Canceled

When Power Rangers hit theaters in 2017, plans were big to create a new franchise out of the movie. The cast was great, with a diverse group of characters that checked all the boxes and enough young talent to carry the franchise for a decade, if not more. However, it never happened. The first movie was a box office disappointment, making only $142.5 million on a budget of around $105 million. The movie didn't receive great reviews, but it was not a bomb there. However, the low box office numbers caused a ripple effect.

After the box office failure, Saban sold the Power Rangers brand to Hasbro about a year later, ending any chance of a sequel to the 2017 movie. This disappointed fans because it ended any new franchise, and nothing has been done since then. While it had a young cast, the 2017 movie offered a more mature story, and the characters developed better than in past movies. For several reasons, fans never gave it a chance, and it died before it could ever really fly.

The Future Of Power Rangers Movies

The failure of the 2017 Power Rangers movie might have hurt the theatrical franchise that the studio had planned, but the TV shows kept going just fine. This led to a much more Power Rangers: Once & Always in 2023. It might not have been better than the 2017 movie, but it still worked well, thanks to leaning into the more cheesy aspects of the franchise's history. This showed a way to make another movie that could lure in fans better than the 2017 effort.

However, once again, the problem is the rights to the franchise. Just as Once & Always looked like it was going to lead to a new Power Rangers franchise on Netflix, Hasbro ended its partnership with the streaming service in 2024 (via TV Line), scrapping any reboot plans for the Power Rangers' “cinematic universe" (including the rumored new TV show there). Hasbro is now teaming up with Paramount to create a new Power Rangers movie, with a hopeful 2026 release date (via Comic Book).