If you take in to mind that director Steve Rudzinski’s indie “Super Task Force One” garners a very low budget, you can really appreciate the intent behind the film. ” Super Task Force One” is a fun and hilarious adventure in the spirit of “Power Rangers” and “Green Lantern” that satirizes many of the tropes involving the hero’s journey story mold, and “Power Rangers” tropes and clichés alike. As a fan of “Power Rangers” I could definitely understand all of the humor that Rudzinski was aiming for, and most times it’s worthy of a laugh or two.
The best bits are the Bulk and Skull bully who torment character Jason declaring “I better not see you around here again!” to which Jason replies “But I live here!” Director Rudzinski’s film is a small film with big ambitions and I’d definitely love to see the sequel tackle a wider array of characters with a bigger budget. Jason Oliver (I’m assuming the name is an amalgam of original Red Ranger Jason Lee Scott, and Green Ranger Tommy Oliver) lives in a world where the Super Task Force were widely revered for stopping intergalactic threats and giant monsters. One day the government suddenly decides to disband the Task Force, as the galactic invaders inexplicably cease operations, leaving Earth safe again.
Over a decade later, Jason accidentally runs in to a former Task Force member who grants him the Green powers, making him the one and only Task Force member who has to take on a league of Alien monsters working within the government. Rudzinski is definitely a charming and likable leading man, but some of the comedy can feel forced and over the top. I found Jason’s occasional shrinking in to terror at the prospect of his big fight pretty funny, but Rudzinski can often push the humor over the top. That said, “Super Task Force One” works as a bare bones introduction to this world that is definitely deserving of a sequel or two.
There’s a lot of foreshadowing to future storylines, and I really did like the idea of a single Task Force member now standing alone against the evil alien forces embedded in the government. Paired with the great science fiction themes are some really entertaining moments and plot elements including the AI computer in Jason’s morpher gem, his revenge on his local bullies, and a lot of hilarious riffing on the Power Rangers motif, like why they don’t use their super weapon in the beginning of their battles, and why there’s a big explosion behind them whenever they morph. Surely, it won’t be for everyone, but for that a certain niche audience, “Super Task Force One” will serve as a fun tribute to the “Power Rangers” that also carves out its own mythos. I enjoyed “Super Task Force One,” flaws and all, and anxiously await a sequel.