Demonstrating their utter coolness, three cast members – Naomi Scott, Ludi Lin and Dacre Montgomery – from the upcoming Saban’s Power Rangers movie, by Lionsgate, set aside time to hold a meet and greet at Palm Court just inside the Gaslamp Gate from 2pm to 4pm for students going to The San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering taking place in Petco Park Saturday, March 4, 2017. The side benefit (for us press folks) is, I was able to get a ten-minute sit down to chat one-on-one mid-morning Friday, March 3.

At its core, the Power Rangers – television show and movie – has always been about a group with different strengths coming together to work as a team to save the world – repeatedly – from invaders intent on havoc and ruin. Every adventure highlighted that success lay in teamwork, trust and partnership. Each Ranger personified something vital to the team that depended entirely on the character of its vessel.

In a time that has me regularly sobbing, “keep your grabby hands off my childhood Hollywood,” with every reboot, Director Dean Israelite has a vision that caught my attention; specifically because it triggered another memory from my childhood: The Breakfast Club.

Cast announcements indicated Israelite intended to stay true to the diverse backgrounds of the Rangers with a few tweaks – for the culture – in the casting meant to better serve a 2017 audience and the story. After watching the teaser trailer when it dropped in October 2016 I was tentatively excited this reboot might be more than just smoke and mirrors.

So when the chance to eyeball the actors in person and see what they were like came around I couldn’t resist. For many, one of the highlights of the show is its humor and quirk. The Power Rangers were relatable and worthy of rooting for. I went in with a few questions, but what I really wanted to see was if these people had any chemistry and charisma. I couldn’t see how you could reimagine the Power Rangers without that.

All three cast members present were welcoming and enthusiastic from the moment I walked in the room. They had a very down to earth vibe and managed to make what had to be a very long day of press meetings not look like work at all. Naomi, Ludi and Dacre seemed to genuinely enjoy each others’ company and riffed off each other naturally. I was pretty convinced after about a minute that this cast may have something.

Don’t believe me? Watch and see for yourself:

The buzz around Saban’s Power Rangers keeps growing as the March 24th release date approaches. If all five Rangers are as individually and collectively interesting and engaging as Naomi, Ludi, and Dacre are during a press junket, I think we’ll be seeing much more of Saban’s Power Rangers on the big screen.

If you’d like to hear more from the cast, check out Miguel Rodriguez’s Horrible Imaginings bonus podcast episode #170 It’s Morphine Time! over at Dread Central.

*These Rangers are also using the publicity machine to draw attention to a worthy cause and encourage fans of the franchise and (hopefully) future fans to use social media to fuel Lionsgate donations.

Head on over to the thirstproject.com see what it’s all about and how you can be a part of the campaign against the global water crisis.

Help the Rangers vanquish thirst and fight for life. Tweet Power Rangers emojis! @thirstproject #pinkranger #redranger #blackranger pic.twitter.com/yYhLjyP0EH

— LudiLin (@ludi_lin) March 3, 2017