The Movie

This is the second installment in the Power Rangers Ninja Storm series. If you watched the first disc, Power Rangers Ninja Storm: Prelude to a Storm, then you pretty much know what to except from this disc. However the rest of the season has taken an unfortunate turn with the introduction of two new rangers. Blake and Hunter are Thunder Rangers who apparently survived Lothor's ruthless attack in the season opener. These new rangers are awesome motor cross riders and are extremely powerful they're in Ranger attire. Too powerful perhaps, because they make our three heroes look like garden gnomes with swords when the action heats up.

At first it appears that these two new mysterious rangers will be cool additions to the series, but they're portrayed as such morons, that it makes it hard to take them seriously. Not to mention that the two actors that could easily be replaced by cardboard cutouts are possibly the most unlikable duo the producers could have scrounged up. To say these two are gullible would be like calling Homer Simpson a lush. For example, Blake and Hunter immediately believe the well-known supreme evil ninja Lothor, when he tells them that Sensei Guinea Pig killed their parents. This might have been plausible if they were put under some kind of spell, but nope, turns out they're just stupid. So for the entire four episodes we have to endure the Thunder Rangers doing battle with the Wind Ranger who keep getting their tails beat for the entire disc. By the fourth episode I kept hoping Sensei would toss in the towel for our three Wind Rangers, but naturally all five rangers end up working together to save the day. I knew that having just three rangers was too good to be true. It appears the producers couldn't stand more than three episodes without five spandex clad heroes.

There were some bright spots of course. The many motor cross riding scenes were always cool to watch, and I have to give credit to some of the more ingenious new Zord attacks that are always fresh and inventive.

But even though I don't like the direction the series has taken, it's still much better than some of the other series I've seen. If you own Prelude to a Storm, you'll probably want to pick the next two discs up as well to complete your collection.

Episodes:
Looming Thunder
Thunder Strangers Pt. 1
Thunder Strangers Pt. 2
Thunder Strangers Pt. 3


The DVD

Video:
(Same as Ninja Storm: Prelude to a Storm)
Ninja Storm is presented in 1.33:1 full screen. The picture seemed a tad bit better than The Ultimate Rangers DVD. There were no obvious edge enhancement halo effects to be seen, and colors looked great. The only real gripe I had was the moderate amount of grain found in most scenes on the disc. Some scenes looked worse than others, and as a whole it's not very distracting. Some pixelation was visible as well, but was not noticeable enough to distract from the show. This is a pretty decent looking DVD.

Audio:
(Same as Ninja Storm: Prelude to a Storm)
For a Dolby Digital 2.0 track, this DVD sounded pretty good. The dialogue was very clear, most likely due to the many overdubs used throughout the show. The special effects also sounded great. Add to that the fun rock music, and you have a pretty momentum building experience. I still feel a show like this could be well served with a 5.1 audio track, but I doubt we'll see this anytime soon because this show is a kid's show after all.

Extras:
No extras are offered.

Final Thoughts:
Looming Thunder isn't as entertaining as Prelude to a Storm, but it continues the storyline nevertheless. The two new Thunder Rangers are kind of a drag, but the dirt bike scenes are great, and the constant action is as plentiful as ever. If you plan on buying the first of this series you'll most likely want to buy the second installment as well. Rent It