You know, their is sort of a beauty in not having like a million additional movies and specials, just a singular film and the team up movie, that's not to say I didn't enjoy some of those films, but man were some of them not worth the time of day, just nice to go back in time to an age where you were just expected a movie and in the case of sentai a team up, and maybe some kind of magazine tie in, but it's not the most important thing. I know I haven't talked about either film, but really their is not much in this opening.
NEI-NEI! HO-HO! HONG KONG GREAT DECIDING MATCH
During a confrontation with Rin Juken, the gekirangers and Mele, alongside Rio and numerous other fighters are transported to Hong Kong where they meet media mogul Yang who has brought all of these fighters together for a tournament to see who is the strongest amongst them. As the group makes it to round 2, they soon learn of a deeper plot going on at this tourament.
I won't waste too much time on this but I will say Hong Kong is definitely one of the stronger of these kinds of films, the action is solid by the series standard, the character interactions are good, though despite it's new setting of Hong Kong, it doesn't really factor into it outside of being a threat no one has heard, and by extension the credits scene which feels like one long commercial for the entirety of Hong Kong's food scene. Arguably the thing that holds back is it's placement, despite airing after the introduction of Kaigeki, the film opts to go right back to Gekirangers beginning before a lot of other characters were introduced, if it was a move to keep later events from being spoiled, but because of that if your a fan of the later character's like Sharkie Chan or the other Kensei, their lack of them here can feel rather dissapointing. But really this is basically another episode of the show just showed before in this case it's more popular brother.
GEKIRANGER VS. BOUKENGER
Reacting to a break in at SCRTCH headquarters, the gekirangers find Shizuka, a member of dark shadow, attempting to steal a red jewel, they stop but then another group comes in to take it in the form of Bouken Black, Blue, Yellow and Silver, during their fight their leader Satoru, Bouken red, comes in and swipes the gem while at the same time Sakura, Bouken Pink, steals a similar blue gem from the Rin Juken hall. Shafu reveals that the gem belonged to Cosmic Kenpo Master Pachacamac who gave them to Bruce Ee after he was beaten, and in modern time Pachacamac's 12th descendant is trying to regain the two jewel's in order conquer the universe and has done something to both Satoru and Sakura. Now both groups must band together to prevent them coming together and Pachacamac taking over the world.
Going to be honest here, of the versus films for sentai I have watched, this is without a doubt the weakest of all them, it feels so very undercooked, so Shizuka shows up in the inital point and then just dissapears from the plot afterwards, like their was a plan for dark shadow that just got dropped and if you didn't watched Boukenger, then you would have no idea what's going on with them. Another thing going against this film is the fact that the interactions between both teams are so weak, with both Satoru and Sakura 'brainwashed though most of it they feel like side characters rather than part of the main cast. and then both Gou and Ken just drop in out of nowhere to help silver fight the hippo monster help Pacha (ugh I am not gonna keep saying the full name so let's just go with Pacha.)
Also their is just some weird out of character moments for the gekirangers, Ran keeps spouting stuff about heart like her only trait was being Téa bringing up some kind of bs power and Jan (Unbreakable body) Kudou struggles climbing a mountain, the same guy who spent the entire episode showing boatloads of stamina is struggling with a mountain. the only characters to not have these is rin juken, who end up enslaved by Pacha but still have decent moments throughout, and Restu, Ken and Gou who don't get much.
Pacha is not that interesting of a villain, being a literal giant space flea from space that has barely anything to do with either series, and his connection to Juken feels more forced than anything, and honestly the final mech fight in space is rather boring. That kind of goes for the rest of the fight in the end, the rangers get punched around by Pacha's Rin Juken forces until they gain their second wind and then turn it around.
This was... underwhelming to say the least, the summer tie in film is a lot better than this and that's just a 30 minute episode, it doesn't make the best use of either team, the villains bland. This may be the weakest cross over for sentai I have seen thus far in my opinion.
FINAL GRADE
C+ and D-
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