All Rise...

Give him a spandex jumpsuit and watch Judge David Johnson roll.

The Charge

"I wish I had the sword Excelsior then I can use its power to destroy you forever!"
—Thrax

The Case

When we last saw our pals the Operation Overdrive Power Rangers, they were locked in a mortal struggle with bad guys in plastic suits for the fate of the world. The Forces of Good and the Forces of Evil are in a race to find the magic jewels of the Corona crown, which will give its owner unbridled power.

Volume 4 barfs up six more episodes:

• "Once a Ranger, Part 1"
When a douchebag named Thrax convinces the super-villains to unite as an Evil Alliance, the Power Rangers are soon overmatched. They promptly get smoked by the combined evil firepower and their link to the universal morphing grid (whatever that is) is severed, leaving them Ranger Power-free. The Sentinel Knight uses his mojo to summon former Power Rangers, who promptly take over, leaving the Overdrive kids with nothing to do.

• "Once a Ranger, Part II"
Thrax's plan to track down a mega-powerful sword that will destroy the Sentinel Knight is revealed. Unfortunately, the Overdrive Rangers have gone back to their old lives. But Mac, the Red Ranger, takes it upon himself to hunt down the sword and the his pals join him and it all leads to a gigantic showdown between two generations worth of Power Rangers and the Evil Alliance.

• "One Fine Day"
The Rangers have a day off and decide to go picnicking. But as we all know, there is no such thing as a day off for Power Rangers. Some bad guys happen to be searching for super weapon called the Centurion Torch and it's up to the Mercury and Pink Rangers to get the job done. Meanwhile, the Pink Ranger deals with her intimacy issues.

• "Ronny on Empty, Part 1"
Moltor and his a-holes ambush the Power Rangers and make off with the Black and Yellow Rangers as well as the Sentinel Knight. That's a major screw-up. Worse, the Power Rangers stumble upon a jewel signature and choose to ditch their captured comrades in favor of going to Egypt and hunting down another Corona jewel.

• "Ronny on Empty, Part 2"
Moltor succeeds in draining the Yellow Ranger's power to operate his colossal evil robot. Plus, the Sentinel Knight is now under his command. Can the Black Ranger free the Yellow Ranger before she's an emaciated husk? And will the rest of the Rangers be able to retrieve a secret tablet with the Corona jewel's location? You bet!

• "Things Not Said"
Um, I didn't see this one coming. Mac's true nature is revealed. And that's all we'll say about that.

So many explosions, so many plastic toys, so much evil on a cosmic scale. These Operation Overdrive episodes are probably the worst things you could show to children, besides, maybe, hardcore German pornography. OK, that's overstating things. But it really is amazing how ridiculously overproduced these shows are. Flush with constant laser blasts and senseless pyrotechnics and sword-fighting and gun-blasting and somersaults and did I mention the senseless pyrotechnics, Operation Overdrive is primed to nuke any unsuspecting kid's senses.

Yet I couldn't look away. And that plot twist in "Things Not Said" was actually shocking.

Full frame and 2.0 stereo for the technical merits and a featurette on the Rangers' genetic enhancements and an interactive trivia-based "training course" game for the extras.

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