Movie Teaser: Easter Eggs & Breakdown

One week ago at New York Comic-Con 2016, the long awaited teaser trailer for Lionsgate’s Power Rangers Movie debuted. And while the footage depicts a starkly different Power Rangers than fans are accustomed to seeing, there still exists a number of similarities and Easter eggs (intentional throwbacks to the original show).

Perhaps some of these Easter Eggs were intentional? Perhaps some are just the result of a die hard fan stretching the surface? Let’s explore as we dissect the Power Rangers Movie’s official teaser-trailer!

The montage begins with the Lionsgate & Saban Brands logo, each one being multi-colored with the same design that comprises the Rangers’ suits. Director Dean Israelite describes it as an “Earthy, organic texture”.

As the teaser opens we meet Jason, who was a star football player at Angel Grove High until a car accident derailed his playing ability. One can notice an Angel Grove police car in front of Jason’s house, as well as the name ‘Bulk’ on Jason’s shirt. Is this a callback to the infamous Bulk character from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers?

As far as the car accident, the windshield on Jason’s car is notably cracked inward. And later in the teaser, we see a glimpse of a car accident with the driver bracing for impact as the windshield collapses. This may very well be Jason’s car accident.

In case you couldn’t tell this isn’t your childhood Power Rangers yet, the next few scenes make that clear. First, on Jason’s way to school, we get a look at some type of device on his foot. It looks like an ankle monitor, which is used to track people under house arrest or parole. Is this related to his car accident?

And as we meet Trini, who’s being harassed by vandalism on her locker door, the words ‘die’ and ‘bitch’ are clearly visible. There’s also a drawing of a skull, perhaps drawn by or a nod to the character Skull from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.

Neither the profanity or ankle brace would ever make it close to the original TV show.

We start to meet the other Rangers, including Zack sitting atop some building, and many fans suggest he seems to be wearing a mechanic’s outfit. Does he work at a car shop? We also meet Billy getting picked on as he arranges his pencils. Does this bully have any relation to Bulk or Skull from the original show?

Kimberly’s entrance strikes a lot of emotional chords. We see her being bullied by two mean girls, Amanda (portrayed by Sarah Grey) and Harper (portrayed by Morgan Campbell). No worries though, Kimberly gets her revenge on the duo later in the teaser when heat generated by Power Coins causes a couple soda cans to explode in the girls’ faces.

The aforementioned emotional chord is especially struck as we witness Kimberly cut her hair to fit in at school. We knew actress Naomi Scott cut her hair for the role of Kimberly, but now we see there’s a story behind it: and Jason immediately takes a liking to her new look.

The action gets going as the Rangers discover their Power Coins at some type of quarry location, where they seem to have brought a tool box with them (based on the first picture). Does this indicate the teens had previously visited the location, and are now returning to try and break out the Power Coins?

Speaking of, each Power Coin is stuck inside a rock of some sort, and emits a glow of the Power Coins’ respective color. We see a brief glimpse of a green glow, forcing us to wonder if the Green Power Coin is stuck inside the rock as well. One thing we don’t know is how this movie will handle Rita’s origins, or her obvious access to the Green Power Coin.

Nonetheless, the Rangers are clearly trespassing the “quarry’s” property, and they make a run for it when Zack hears incoming security. There’s a scene later in the teaser of Trini and Kimberly running towards a minivan, with Billy extending his hand to help the girls inside. We see the minivan is being chased by a security car, so we assume this scene is tied to the Rangers breakaway from the “quarry” they’re trespassing.

Sometime down the road, the Rangers realize the Power Coins have given them superhuman abilities outside their Ranger suits, something that never happened in the original TV show. Jason’s able to break a sink, and Billy knocks out the same bully (Bulk? Skull?) from the beginning of the teaser by simply standing still. We also see the Power Coins heat up the lunch line at school, causing a chain reaction down the line including a couple soda cans exploding on Amanda and Harper.

The Rangers also gain superhuman jumping abilities from the Power Coins, as Jason and Kimberly jump across a massive impasse with Billy to follow. If you look closely, you can see that Trini and Zack have already made it safely to the other side.

At this point the teaser really begins to pick up in speed, and we see various looks of the Rangers dealing with water. They seem to plunge into water, and there appears to be underwater creatures or something inhabiting below (as seen in the second picture). But the water appears to be strange, as we see a scene of Billy reaching his hand for the water surface…below? You can see bubbles above, so Billy is clearly in the water on top reaching for air…below? Perhaps the water is a layer between two “worlds”. As we later see the Rangers standing on a sandy surface seemingly looking up at the water they just swam through.

And it is on this sandy surface below that a fight seems to take place. While Zack marvels at where the Rangers just landed, Trini and Kimberly are gearing up to defend themselves.

There’s also this scene of a mysterious figure on top of a train, but we have no evidence to suggest who this figure might be.

Next we get a look at the movie’s romantic side, as Kimberly kisses Jason inside his bedroom. You can see all of Jason’s football trophies and accolades lined up along his bedroom window sill.

And speaking of bedrooms, Trini’s experience within her’s seems to be far less pleasant, as she and the audience are greeted by Rita Repulsa. Rita threatens Trini that she’s killed Rangers before, and rumors suggest that death belonged to Zordon the original Red Ranger. Of course none of this is from the original TV show, nor confirmed, but perhaps a hint as to who Rita is referring to.

Rita then proceeds to slam Trini against the wall, as fans can see a sabertooth-tiger type decoration in Trini’s window. Of course fans will instantly recognize that the Yellow Ranger’s Zord is the sabertooth-tiger. The rest of Trini’s room appears to be filled with posters belonging to various bands, but it should be noted that Rita is not wearing her green armor (which we assume is powered by the Green Power Coin). Instead she has a far looser, almost stringy outfit on.

The teaser ends with arguably the most epic scene, as we see the five teens standing on pods around a center explosion. This is presumed to be the inside of the Command Center, and the explosion appears to be giving the teens their first ability to don the Power Ranger suits.

But if this is the Command Center, where exactly is Zordon? Does he typically occupy the large void in the middle of the room? Is he the explosion that’s giving the teens their Ranger power? It is nice to see that the same “black starry effect” that has outlined the perimeter of the Command Center ever since the original show was retained, albeit in a different manner.

Many fans have pointed out that Trini is wearing a shirt that reads ‘1973’. 1973 is also the year the original Mighty Morphin’ Yellow Ranger actress, Thuy Trang, was born. The only look we get at the suits is the half that’s morphed onto Jason, as the teaser cuts off and fans are left drooling for more.

All in all, the first teaser-trailer was heavily unmorphed, but it sets the stage for the characters that this movie will be based around, while teasing you about the spectacle of Power Rangers that will serve as a backdrop to these teens’ lives. And while this teaser’s been dissected 100 times over in search of Easter eggs to the original TV show, there truthfully appears to be minimal nods, with no more than what was pointed out here.

Still, the first teaser-trailer was just about perfect: it finally gives us the first look at the film that fans have craved, it depicts the epic re-imagining this franchise so badly needs, and it brilliantly does its job of leaving you hungry for more.

Did you spot something that wasn’t called out here? Leave a comment, tell us! And get ready as the Power Rangers Movie hits theaters on March 24, 2017!