movie_show_critic
"VR Troopers" (Virtual Reality Troopers) was a syndicated live action show produced by Saban from 1994 to 1996. Saban also created the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series.The series hoped to profit from the obsession with virtual reality in the early 1990s as well as the success of Power Rangers. It featured early video effects and CGI mixed with Japanese stock footage from three different Metal Hero Series: Superhuman Machine Metalder, Dimensional Warrior Spielban, and Space Sheriff Shaider. This kind of adaptation technique, turning multiple shows into one show, was originally used in anime with shows like Robotech and Voltron. This was the first and only time this was used for a Tokusatsu adaptation. On May 7, 2010, the copyright for VR Troopers was transferred from BVS International to SCG Power Rangers.The series was deemed successful, but not as successful as the Power Rangers franchise. Unfortunately, for the series, the Japanese footage was quickly exhausted due to extreme cases where multiple Tokusatsu scenes were put together in a single episode to the point stock footage had to be reused multiple times throughout the series. Similarly, another Saban program, Big Bad Beetleborgs, would do well but ultimately end quickly due to a lack of stock footage. Both series were adapted from the Japanese Metal Hero genre, which ended in Japan around the same time. The show spawned a toy line and a video game for the Sega Genesis (Mega Drive).PLOT SUMMARYSaban's VR Troopers was the first official "sister series" to the most popular "action fighting kid show" at the time, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Much like it, this was an Americanization of a Japanese Tokusatsu children's program by Toei Company LTD.The show focused on three young adults in their late teens, Ryan Steele, Kaitlin Star, and J.B. Reese, living in the fictional West Coast town of Cross World City. They regularly attended and were teachers at "Tao's Dojo", a karate studio. Ryan was the most focused martial artist; J.B. was the computer wizard; while Kaitlin was a photographer & budding reporter for the local newspaper, the Underground Voice Daily. One day, Ryan's search for his long- missing father led him and his two friends to a strange laboratory. Inside, a digitized head of Professor Horatio Hart, a friend of Ryan's father Tyler, explained the truth about his life's work of having developed extremely advanced virtual reality technology in secret. "VR" is a dimension existing alongside our own; within it lie mutants and monsters bent on conquering both worlds. The main ruler of these is a creature known as Grimlord, who, unbeknownst to anyone on Earth, has a human identity as billionaire industrialist Karl Ziktor. As Karl Ziktor tries to overcome the barriers of the true reality to allow his armies easy passage from virtual world, the responsibility falls to Ryan, Kaitlin, and J.B. of defending the planet on both sides of the dimensional barrier. They have assistance in the form of armored bodies having incredible firepower. This included eventual additions to their arsenal, such as a Turbo Cycle, Techno Bazooka, and a flying, laser-blasting Skybase.Other regular characters on the show included Jeb, Ryan's hound dog, who, after an accident in Prof. Hart's lab, is now capable of human speech; Woody Stocker, Kaitlin's wacky hat-loving boss at the Underground Voice Daily; Percy Rooney, the local mayor's nephew and Kaitlin's bumbling rival reporter; and Tao, the wise martial arts sensei who owns the dojo and a family friend of the Steele Family. Recurring villains include General Ivar, a vicious rocket-shaped monster with his own tank; Colonel Icebot, a cold-blooded virtual menace; Decimator, a sword-wielding warrior; the Skugs, gold-headed foot soldiers, and more throughout.During the second season, the show changed format very slightly. Ryan's father was finally found (having been restored to normal off- camera) and quickly left to help the government research further Virtual Reality-based technology. With him came Ryan's new V.R. armor and an upgrade to his powers. Grimlord's base of operation switched from a dungeon to a massive spacecraft, and added new Generals such as Doom Master and his Vixens, Oraclon, and Despera. The Skugs now had the ability to become more powerful in the form of Ultra-Skugs.
manwithabigCOCACOLA
As you will see in my biography, I wrote my doctoral thesis on this show and found it enlightening. Not to mention the eye candy cast and lovable animal sidekick. If i had one wish, it would be to be a VR trooper. Grimlord was soooooooooooooooooooooo evil that I still have nightmares. I couldn't believe the twist ending to series - I couldn't believe it had to end that way, but it did, and I had to live with it. In the end, I think the show is better for it, and could only have been improved by an extended transformation sequence. Nonetheless, If you enjoyed Steel Magnolias or Remains of the day or even that travesty My Dinner with Andre, you will die for the vr troopers.
NickSoapdish
Before gaining fame as Carly(#1) on General Hospital, Sarah Brown played Kaitlin Star on VR Troopers. If I was her I would not want people to know I was on this show. VR Troopers was created by the same people that made the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Although I liked the Power Rangers when I was a kid;I never truly liked VR Troopers. VR Troopers was not very good. That talking dog was creepy and not funny,and that newspaper editor( "I've got an IDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-YAH!!!!") wasn't very amusing himself. this shows' special effects were even worse than the Power Rangers', and the enemies were not as memorable. I remember this show had a big cast change in the second season (mostly just with the villains). The fight scenes were awkward, often the environments would change with little or no explanation ("Escalate to Indigo Sector!"). VR Troopers certainly was a bizarre show. If you're just watching this show in order to make fun of it, you will probably enjoy watching VR Troopers.
Op_Prime
This was a somewhat interesting show. It had an original premise and an interesting group of characters. Granted, the show seemed like a rip off of any of those Power Rangers shows, but the show quickly established an identity for itself. It's a shame it was cancelled after only a couple seasons or so, it was just getting very interesting.
