"I make unapologetically R-rated, ferociously violent, action & crime cinema," producer Adi Shankar ("Dredd," "Lone Survivor," "A Walk Among The Tombstones," "Killing Them Softly") says in his Twitter profile. Though that seems to presuppose that the only way to do that kind of material is in an R-rated format. We’ll leave that debate for another day, but Shankar has been putting his philosophy to use in his ongoing bootleg series of shorts, and today comes the violent, gritty take "Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers" you’ve always wanted. Uh, right?
Rounding up James Van Der Beek, Katie Sackhoff, and Joseph Kahn ("Torque") to direct, this one imagines what would happen if those colorful teenage kids trained to fight turned into adults with PTSD. Well, it is in a blue palette world of electronic music and choreographed fights. It’s an interesting take on the material, though the aesthetic design feels somewhat recycled and a bit tired. But as far as expensive fan films go, this is pretty accomplished. So check it out below, (or the NSFW version if you’re not in the office today) along with Shankar’s introduction.