205: You ooze, you lose. | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1995)

·1 hr 15 min·5 clips

David Yost, the openly gay actor who played Billy, had to hide his identity because Fox wanted to keep him 'under wraps'.

This episode of the Fashion Grunge Podcast is a nostalgic review of the 1995 film *Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie*. The two hosts are longtime fans of the franchise who approach the film from different viewing experiences—one had never seen it before, while the other considers it a campy guilty pleasure. The hosts note the film's confusing place as a non-canonical story released between seasons two and three of the TV series, effectively creating a "multiverse" storyline. They discuss the original cast, including actors David Yost (Billy) and Thuy Trang (Trini), and mention the off-screen circumstances of Trang's passing and Yost's experiences as a gay actor pressured to stay closeted. The film's villain, Ivan Ooze, played by Paul Freeman, is highlighted as the movie's saving grace due to his campy performance and ad-libbed lines like mocking the "Brady Bunch reunion." The hosts contrast the film's impressive practical effects and Zord sequences with what they see as inferior modern CGI. They reveal the movie had a $15 million budget, grossed $66.4 million, and that actors like Christopher Walken and Tim Curry were considered for the role of Ivan Ooze. A surprising detail is that Paul Freeman drank black currant juice to make his tongue match his purple costume and spent seven hours in makeup daily. The hosts find it interesting that the film used 100% original footage, unlike the TV series which repurposed Japanese *Super Sentai* action scenes. They discuss the cut character backstory for Dulcia, the "Ninjetti" guide, who was originally a survivor of an ancient alien order. The production used a newspaper ad in Sydney to lure fans for a crowd scene without pay, and the original script called for giant rat monsters instead of Ooze creatures. The tone is conversational and nostalgic, filled with personal anecdotes, tangents about 90s toys like Gak, and lighthearted critiques. The style is informal and digressive, with the hosts frequently laughing and building on each other's memories. This episode will delight fans of 90s pop culture, Power Rangers enthusiasts, and listeners who enjoy humorous, retrospective movie reviews. Those seeking a tightly structured, serious film analysis or who have no interest in the franchise might want to skip it.

As heard by us

A VHS-era Power Rangers movie autopsy that stays funny even when it gets a little tangled.

This episode treats the 1995 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie as a production puzzle more than a nostalgia piece. One host comes in blind, while the other remembers catching it on VHS around the time it came out.

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Why you'd press play

Press play for a Power Rangers movie that gets messier the more the hosts unpack its lore.

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