A new image from the upcomingPower Rangersreboothas been unveiled, giving us a fuller look atElizabeth Banks’ villain Rita Repulsa in the context of the film. The previous Rita images were more concept art-focused or quick shots in the trailer, so this is really our first great look at the character as she’ll appear in the frame.Earth to EchofilmmakerDean Israelitedirects the Lionsgate redo, and while the trailer teased a very strongChroniclevibe with gritty visuals and mopey teenagers, the inclusion of Rita Repulsa complicates matters a bit.
In the context of the show, Rita was a supremely over-the-top villain, spouting off ridiculous dialogue. It worked because the series overall was cheesy. But if the main characters of the film are supposed to be realistic, “gritty” teenagers at an alternative school, I’m not sure how well that dialogue’s gonna work. Which brings us to the new image, because it’s captioned with the very Rita Repulsa-esque, “Thought you saw the last of me!? Ignoramus, you thought wrong. I have glorious catastrophic plans for the holiday season.”
That’s likelynota line of dialogue from the film, but it’ll be interesting to see if this tone persists in the actual movie. The design of Rita is quite contemporary, which extends to the movie as a whole includingthe redesigned Alpha 5, so again I’m curious to see what Banks’ performance entails.
For now, all we’ve got to go off of is brief snippets of trailer footage and this new image. So speculate away!Power Rangersalso starsNaomi Scott,Becky G.,Ludi Lin,RJ Cyler,Dacre Montgomery,Bill Hader, andBryan Cranston. The film opens in theaters on June 21, 2025.
Here’s the official synopsis forPower Rangers:
SABAN’S POWER RANGERS follows five ordinary teens who must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove – and the world – is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discover they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so, they will have to overcome their real-life issues and before it’s too late, band together as the Power Rangers.
