Power Rangers Concept Art Reveals Original Zord Designs

Additional concept art for Power Rangers has been released online, offering a look at the early designs for the Zords in the film. With over two decades of existence, Saban’s Power Rangers franchise has accumulated lots of fans thanks to the various TV show, movies, comic book series and games that are part of the larger franchise. As such, there has long been a lot of interest surrounding the big-budget Power Rangers film. Early looks at the movie teased an updated design of the Power Rangers universe, signaling a break from tradition that still honored the past.

Over the past few months, we’ve become more than familiar with the final look of the film. Still, there were a lot of things thrown out in the process of crafting the new designs of the Rangers and their Zords. A while back, we got a look at some concept art for the Rangers’ suits. We also got an alternative take on villain Rita Repulsa, possibly one of the most physically altered characters in the Power Rangers film. Now, we’ve got a few different takes on the Zords, as well as a few variations on the Red Rangers’ suit.

Artist Mauricio Ruiz posted some of the work he was commissioned to do for Power Rangers on his site. The designs show some different takes on the Yellow and Blue Rangers’ Zords, as well as the Red Rangers’ costume.

Ruiz’s take on the Zords is interesting, as it harkens back to the classic designs a bit more than the organic and alien take used in the movie. Meanwhile, his costume concepts ditch some of the glowing elements for strong white accents that recall the color scheme from the Power Rangers TV shows. The look of the film likely didn’t impact its box office take too much, but it’s neat to see some of the possible ways the film could have turned out if Ruiz designs were incorporated.

Despite anticipation from fans, the final result of Power Rangers hasn’t faired well with critics or audiences. While the movie’s 47% rating on Rotten Tomatoes certainly didn’t spell doom for the film’s gross, the weeks since its release have seen it barely make back its $100 production budget. Domestically, it finished last weekend having earned only $80 million domestically for a worldwide total of $128 million.

The film’s upcoming box office performance in China and Japan – two huge international markets – will ultimately determine if Power Rangers is a box office success or not. While a Power Rangers sequel is still expected to arrive in two years’ time, the franchise could be shuttered if that movie also underperforms.

Source: Mauricio Ruiz