Let's be honest. When the first trailers for the 2017 zords power rangers movie dropped, the internet didn't just have an opinion—it had a collective meltdown. We were used to the blocky, primary-colored tanks of the '90s. Instead, we got translucent, organic-looking alien war machines that looked like they were grown in a lab rather than built in a garage.
It's been years, and the dust has mostly settled, but people still can't agree on whether these designs were a stroke of "grounded" genius or a total betrayal of the source material. Honestly, if you grew up with the 1993 Dinozords, seeing a Mastodon with eight legs was... a lot to process.
Why the Zords Power Rangers Movie Went "Alien" Over Classic
The 2017 film, directed by Dean Israelite, made a very deliberate choice to distance itself from the "man-in-a-suit" aesthetic. The goal was to make the Zords feel like ancient, bio-mechanical technology left behind by an advanced civilization. Basically, they wanted them to look like they actually belonged to Zordon and Rita’s era, millions of years ago.
This resulted in some pretty wild design departures:
- The T-Rex Zord: Piloted by Jason (Dacre Montgomery), this thing was massive. It looked less like a dinosaur and more like a heavy-duty bipedal tank with a massive railgun on its back.
- The Triceratops: This is where things got weird. It had six legs. Why? The designers argued it added stability for a charging vehicle, but fans just saw a robot blue beetle.
- The Mastodon: It took the "more legs is better" approach even further with eight legs. It acted as a mobile heavy-artillery platform, which was cool in theory, but it looked nothing like a prehistoric elephant.
- The Sabertooth Tiger: Trini’s Zord actually stayed somewhat faithful to a feline shape, though it was much sleeker and more predatory than the TV version.
- The Pterodactyl: This one was basically a stealth fighter. It looked more like a ship from Star Trek than a flying reptile, which honestly fit the "alien tech" vibe best.
The Megazord Controversy
If the individual Zords were controversial, the Megazord was a full-blown riot. Instead of the five machines interlocking like LEGO blocks to form a giant warrior, they sort of... melted together. The 2017 Megazord was wiry, translucent, and lacked the "heft" of the original.
Critics of the design often point out that it looks too much like the Michael Bay Transformers style—lots of shifting parts and grey metal. On the other hand, defenders say it finally made the Megazord look like it could actually move and fight without falling over.
The Production Reality Behind the CG
A lot of people don't realize that the budget for this movie was around $100 million. That sounds like a lot, but for a film trying to do "prehistoric alien robots" at scale, it's actually a bit tight. This is likely why we didn't get a long, detailed transformation sequence.
In the show, the transformation is the highlight. In the zords power rangers movie, the combination happens almost entirely behind a screen of fire and gold. It was a missed opportunity to show the mechanical "guts" of how these things work.
The toys tell an even weirder story. Bandai released a "Mega 5-in-1" set where the Zords combined, but the resulting robot looked very different from the one on screen. This disconnect happens often in Hollywood, where toy designers have to work off early concept art before the VFX team finishes the final movie models.
What Really Happened to the Sequel?
Lionsgate originally had a six-movie plan. They wanted to introduce the Dragonzord—which fans were dying to see in this new aesthetic—and eventually explore the wider universe. But the box office didn't play along.
With a global haul of about $142 million, the movie barely broke even after marketing costs. By the time Hasbro bought the franchise from Haim Saban in 2018, the 2017 universe was essentially dead.
As of early 2026, the franchise has been in a weird spot. Projects at Netflix were scrapped in mid-2024, and while rumors of a new "more traditional" reboot are always floating around, the 2017 Zord designs remain a singular, strange experiment in the history of the brand.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're still a fan of this specific era of Power Rangers, there's actually a lot of cool stuff to dig into that the movie didn't show you.
- Check the Concept Art: Artists like Mauricio Rashid and many others posted the "unused" Zord designs online. Some of them look way more like the classic dinosaurs and are worth a Google search.
- Look for the Soul of Chogokin: While there isn't a high-end version of the 2017 Zords, the Legacy Collection toys are still relatively affordable on the secondary market compared to the vintage '93 stuff.
- Read the Comics: BOOM! Studios did a "Power Rangers: Aftershock" graphic novel that takes place immediately after the movie. It doesn't feature massive new Zord battles, but it fleshes out the world if you liked the "grounded" feel.
The 2017 zords power rangers movie was an ambitious attempt to grow up with its audience. It didn't land for everyone, and the designs are definitely an "acquired taste," but you have to respect the swing they took. It wasn't just a copy-paste of the past; it was a genuine attempt to build something new, even if the result had a few too many legs.
What to do next: If you want to see how these designs could have looked with a more "classic" touch, search for "Jarold SNG Power Rangers" on ArtStation. His redesigns of the movie Zords bridge the gap between the 2017 alien look and the 1993 nostalgia perfectly.
