Heartwarming / Power Rangers (2017)

Moments pages are Spoilers Off. You Have Been Warned.

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Movie

• From the tie-in website, Trini's letter to the editor of the Angel Grove High newspaper, which shows that for all her snarkiness and attitude, she does actually want to make friends at AGHS. She encourages people to wave to her if they see her in the halls and offers to join study groups.
• In spite of initially appearing as a Jerk Jock, Jason's actual Establishing Character Moment was when he firmly slapped a bully before detention to stop him from terrorizing the sweet autistic Billy. This firmly establishes him as a Bully Hunter who stands up for those weaker than himself; the perfect Warrior to lead the defense of Earth.
  • How protective he is of Billy at the very start of the film, even though they don't know each other very well: when Zack starts laying into Billy for blowing up the cliff, Jason gets between them and tells Zack to calm down; when mine security starts chasing them, he tells Billy to make sure his seat belt is on.
    • An extended version of the scene of them initially exploring the ship has Jason spot Billy peering over the edge of the platform and get dizzy. Jason quickly pulls Billy away from the edge and immediately lets go, having remembered that Billy doesn't like to be touched, but has his hands hover close to Billy just in case he gets dizzy again.
• Even though they were yelling at each other a moment ago, when the cliff under Trini's feet collapses and sends her crashing to the ground, Zack immediately asks if she's okay.
• When Jason and Billy get back to the van and start their escape from the mine, Billy asks if Jason is going to leave the others behind. Jason thinks it over for barely a second before turning the van and driving straight into the main area to try and grab everyone else, even though he risks further punishment if he gets caught.
• Jason sees that his father kept his wrecked car and thinks it's to remind him about how he's screwed up. His father admits that he's actually keeping it because he thinks it should be Jason's choice about whether to get rid of it or to repair it. Even if he's only doing it because he couldn't get any money for it.
• Kimberly and Trini sharing the donut/muffin in the cafe scene and having a fun and playful battle over it. As stated on the YMMV page, it's the first time we see Trini openly playful and affectionate with another of the Rangers. Made doubly heartwarming since Kimberly didn't even know Trini's name at the start.
  • Even more Heartwarming after we learn Kimberly's backstory as a former Alpha Bitch who's trying to change her ways. Trini is definitely the sort of person the old Kimberly wouldn't have given a second glance. She really is breaking out of her old habits. Heck, the old Kimberly (or at least the one at the beginning of the movie) thought that Trini's name was 'DeeDee' and that she had been going to AGHS for a month. She really has changed.
  • At one point Trini tries to go in for a bite; Kimberly stops her with a raised finger and a "No," both of them smiling the whole time.
• When Zordon first meets the team, he's initially unimpressed and dismissive by the five teens, and it's implied he only accepts them because he has no other choice. However, when Billy shows that he's actually taking this seriously and makes it known that he's able to grasp the holographic interface of the ship, Zordon sounds earnestly impressed and gives him a genuine compliment.
  • On a related note, out of the five rangers, it looks like Alpha bonds with Billy the most. The two have private lessons and talks, with the two sharing an adorable little bow before their sparring sessions and Alpha imitates Billy's happy clapping when he succeeds in punching the robot. Not to mention that we eventually hear Alpha call him Master Billy. The only other person Alpha refers to as Master is Zordon.
• The heartfelt confessions of the Rangers (minus Kimberly) as they opened their hearts in friendship to each other, Zack's confession of his love for his mother being most poignant in particular.
  • When Trini starts talking about her issues, Zack jokes about her having boyfriend problems but then asks if it's girlfriend problems instead when he sees the look on her face. This causes her to smile a little, and the other Rangers don't make a big deal out of it either.
    • It's subtle, but up until this point, Zack had been pointedly trying to flirt with Trini. After the above, he doesn't do it any more and just gets along with Trini as her friend. She repays this by being utterly panicked when there's a chance Zack is hurt; regardless of her feelings romantically, she cares about him.
• Kimberly confesses to Jason her own secret: a friend had shared a nude photo of herself in confidence, and Kimberly shared it with her boyfriend, and it was soon spread around. Kimberly is worried about how bad this makes her, but Jason tells her that just because she did a bad thing, it doesn't make her a bad person. In fact, that she feels bad about it is proof that she is not a bad person at all.
• The rangers, realizing Billy's love for them and how he willingly traded his life for theirs, finally bond in friendship, declared that they too loved him, and would do the same for him.
  • And where do they take him? Not home, which is notable because Billy had the closest among them to a normal and supportive home life, but to the Command Center, because Billy was the most accepting of the responsibility of being a Ranger and was the most eager to keep to its code to protect life.
  • "Welcome back, my friend", as Jason and Billy embrace each other in a tight brotherly Man Hug following the resurrection of the latter. Made ironic by the fact that when Jason first hugged Billy, the latter Hates Being Touched.
    • In addition, while it may just be disorientation and shock from having just come back from the dead, Billy doesn't seem to mind either when Zack and the girls run up to hug and support him. Contrast to earlier when unwanted contact from Zack caused Billy's armor to retreat back into his body, but here shows that he has bonded well-enough with the other Rangers that he doesn't mind them touching him. ^note  This tends to be Truth in Television with real-life autistic people.
  • The icing on the cake? Zordon could have used the strength of their love to return from the dead, but instead willingly gave this chance to Billy instead so he can be with his friends once more; it is at this point that any illusion of Zordon being a ruthless Knight Templar completely shatters, proving that he is not only a truly noble warrior worthy of the title of Red Ranger, but the same self-sacrificing Big Good we all know and love.
• Zordon finally accepting Jason as his successor.
  Zordon: There can be only one Red Ranger. Jason, this is your time. This is your team.
  • And Jason's reaction to this - about to cry Tears of Joy as he whispers "thank you". Dacre Montgomery makes it very clear he's not referring to that speech, but that he has his best friend back.
    • A small one that is almost a throwaway line, after revival Billy remarks "I seen my dad". It's never touched upon again, but even the slightest hint that Billy got to see his father whom he was so close with definitely counts as a heartwarming moment.
  • When the fight against Rita and Goldar is over, Jason returns to the Command Center to put the Power Sword back. Zordon tells Jason he should keep it, that he's earned it. Jason just smiles and says he'll come back for it.
• During the battle against Goldar, Jason notices his father trapped in an overturned car and dismounts his Zord to go rescue him. Despite reluctance from the man at first, due to his son having the faceplate on, Jason is able to convince his father to trust him and gets him to safety.
  • Though Jason never unmasked, he didn't try to disguise his voice, though the helmet does do it for him. At the end of the film it's implied that Jason's father knows who was wearing the armor and it's restored his pride in his son, as evidenced by him hanging a newspaper clipping about the Rangers next to one about Jason.
  • What's especially poignant about that scene is that Sam was a Stage Dad who thought Jason's life was over because of losing his football career. It implies he's learned to be proud of the son he's already got, rather than the one he thinks he ought to have.
• While Rita is not a nice lady, even she gets one of these in her interactions with Goldar. She is absolutely hellbent on bringing him back, and when she finally does, her reaction is a heartfelt and exhausted, "I missed you, my friend!" While it could be argued that she's only happy that she now has a way to get the Zeo crystal, that's still an interesting choice of words.
  • Goldar gets one too during the final battle. After Rita gets knocked unconscious, Goldar reaches out, heals her wounds, and very gently lifts her to her feet as she regains consciousness. Rita then favors the monster with a genuine smile of gratitude before turning her attention back to the Rangers.
• At the end, after forming the MegaZord (and falling over), they all discuss what body part they are. After Zack identifies as another leg, Billy is positively giddy the they're the same limb—like finding out one of his friends likes the same TV show or something. Small, but really sweet.
  Billy: (big grin) You're a leg, too!?
• After the Megazord literally slapped Rita into space, we see the citizens of Angel Grove emerge amongst the damage and start taking pictures. And among them, two of the most familiar faces any PR fan would recognize: Amy Jo Johnson and Jason David Frank. Seeing these two in a cameo is a fitting Passing the Torch moment to the new team.
  • Jason David Frank is even the first to take out his phone to get a picture of the Megazord. In the era of smartphones and "tweeting", seeing the most prolific OG power ranger pull a shtick that's so this generation truly symbolizes the passing of the torch to the new team.
    • Amy has said that while the director told them that they were playing normal citizens, the two of them decided to channel their original characters. If you look closely, while the people around them are stunned, she and Jason are sporting looks of pride.
  • For the original cameo, which ended up being cut, Jason actually grew out his hair so he could sport Tommy's iconic look.
    • The fact the director brought them back to film the cameo we do see in the movie after their first one was cut.
    • Also, he outright said, over plans to make Tommy female, he'd bat for her as much as anyone else!
• Despite the troubles she has with her parents, Trini clearly gets along with her younger brothers. While her Sarcastic Confession worries her parents, her brothers think it's cool and at the end of the film while they debate who is the coolest Ranger she gets them to like the Yellow Ranger just by mentioning the color.
  • She's even letting them draw the Rangers on her walls while she's in the middle of fixing the damage from Rita's attack.
• Billy and his dad's connection, even after the latter passed away. Billy still talks to his dad and does stuff the two of them enjoyed.
  • Billy later states that he doesn't miss his dad so much any more because of the other four. It is clear that Billy's father was his best friend but now he finally has found friends his own age.
• When the Rangers are in their Zords, almost down and beaten as Goldar tries to push them into the crater with the Zeo Crystal. It's obvious they can keep it up for a minute at most, but nobody thinks about giving up or running. What they've built with the others is so valuable they're willing to go down fighting for it. And of course a couple seconds later their reward is reappearing in the Megazord, finally and truly coming together so spectacularly they've become a robotic giant. It seems kind of like even Zordon and Alpha didn't know the Zords could do that, so throw on there how the new Rangers pulled off something else Zordon and his crew couldn't.
• The final montage showing the rangers in much better places than they were before:
  • Zack and his mother playing chess together and bantering about the Power Rangers. Also, Zack starts to attend school again.
  • Kim looking at a photo of her and the other four and grinning.
  • Trini hanging out with her brothers.
  • Jason's dad hanging a clipping about the Rangers on the fridge where Jason's articles about his football career once were (hinting heavily that Mr. Scott knows and is proud of his son).
  • Billy taking down some of his notes while his mother excitedly calls down that his friends have come to hang out, correcting her on Trini's name before heading upstairs.
• The way all five Rangers grow and bond with each other throughout the movie definitely counts as one. They've gone from five social outcasts who barely knew each other to a family in their own right.
• The pride in Zordon's voice during the closing monologue:
  Zordon: This Ranger team did what my team could not. You will humbly walk amongst your peers, but heroes you all will be. Each of your names will be etched alongside the great Ranger teams before you. I will always owe a debt of gratitude to you all.

Deleted Scenes

• During an argument between Jason and his dad, Jason's mom quickly breaks up the fight while his little sister comes up and hugs him from behind.
• The original cut of Kim and Trini fighting over the donut included Jason David Frank's and Amy Jo Johnson's cameo. In addition to that, other behind the scenes footage (from "Building the Team") shows that Kim and Trini would have manifested the suit on one of their arms in response to their playing around.
• It turns out that the locker covered in graffiti belongs to Kim. Trini proceeds to rip the door off the locker and toss it aside so Kim doesn't have to look at it anymore. Then they break into a run to flee the scene together, exchanging incredulous smiles like "I can't believe we just did that."
• A kid coming up and slowly putting his hand on the Megazord's foot after the Rangers have beaten Rita.
• In a minor deleted scene, Kimberly confiding in Jason about her secret and his supportiveness results in them sharing a first kiss.

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