Television Review: Power Rangers: Jungle Fury
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that, like its many predecessors, this
installment in the
Power Rangers franchise has lots of violence, which is
the only available means of conflict resolution. Rangers engage
in hand-to-hand martial-arts battles and sometimes use weapons
(sticks, nunchuks, and firepower), and some villains morph into
huge, insect-like creatures with menacing claws. The show (and
its accompanying line of merchandise) is heavily marketed to
the 5+ set, but its violent content is more appropriate for
kids a few years older.
Families can talk about how this series compares to other
Power Rangers shows? How is it similar? Does anything
set it apart from the others? Why do you think the
Power Rangers shows have been so popular and
long-lasting? Do they send viewers good messages?
Thousands of years ago, an evil force called Dai Shi and his legions of beasts -- bent on dominating the planet -- waged war on humans. Brave warriors calling themselves The Order of the Claw eventually restored peace by containing Dai Shi, but now the powerful spirit has escaped and again threatens humanity. With the help of their new Order master, a courageous trio of Power Rangers will try to defeat Dai Shi once and for all.
For older kids who can distinguish the good guys from the bad and fantasy from reality, there's little in POWER RANGERS: JUNGLE FURY (the 16th series in the Power Rangers franchise) that's likely to surprise them. The show will no doubt appeal to tween boys' sense of adventure, but plenty of them are probably savvy enough to find the predictable plot and overacting a bit too goofy even for their taste.
Ultimately, the show is dragged down by its reliance on violence for entertainment. The content sends poor messages to kids about resolving conflict, and children old enough to understand the unrealistic nature of what they're watching will be turned off by the corniness. So unless your kids are true-blue Rangers fans, you're better off sterring their attention away from this latest iteration.
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