On first viewing, the Ninja Steel
premiere set good foundations for the rest of the season but the episode
clearly had some flaws.
This may have been due to how ambitious the episode was.
This may have been due to how ambitious the episode was.
Firstly, I did not expect to see
so many connections to “Quasar Quest”. Maybe it is because I am currently
re-watching Lost Galaxy and finding (non-existent?)
links between both seasons but the space theme + the “lost” brother + ranger
powers being trapped in an object which many individuals from across the
universe have tried to gain but only the "chosen ones" being
successful definitely brought back memories.
During the first act the episode
felt disjointed between the scenes in space and the scenes on earth. The first
two cuts between both locations was not as smooth as it should have been and it
is only when Sarah and Preston see the Ninja Nexus Prism fall to earth do both
plots start to make sense.
The episode felt extremely rushed
which suggests it should have been a two-part episode in which the first part
focuses mainly on Brody's backstory and life on the ship whilst introducing us
to Galaxy Warriors, then revealing
Brody's plan to escape to earth. This could then lead into the scenes at
school. “Quasar Quest” does a fantastic job of introducing us to Leo, providing
us with some backstory to his character as well as linking the scenes on earth
and in space quite well.
Characterisation of Preston and
Sarah was good and the acting was fair. They really wanted us to remember
Preston is obsessed with magic and Sarah compares EVERYTHING to a freight
train. I could do without Victor & Morty but I’ll wait and see how long
their shtick lasts before it gets old. The
best scene for me was Master Dane at the beginning of the episode.
Another aspect of the premier
that shocked me was how quickly Brody, Preston and Sarah became allies,
morphed, defeated the monster and learnt Brody's history. In comparison to “Powers
from the Past”, the first morph and battle seemed to start and end far too
quickly as though it was added to the end to meet a quota to advertise the
Ninja Battle Morpher, Ninja Blaster and Ninja Star Blade in the first episode.
Perhaps taking the “Beginnings” approach and saving the first morph for the
second episode would have made the final act seem less rushed.
Ultimately, “Return of the Prism”
is a good episode but in regards to Powers from the Past which managed to do a
lot more without the hurried tone it fails to make a lasting impact.
Side note: The most shocking
thing about "Return of the Prism" for me was how much it felt like I
was watching Dino Charge. The same
tone, the slapstick background music, the voices for the monsters, the delivery
of lines, the acting and directing... it's almost the same show but in Ninja
clothing.
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