In the middle of the release schedule for “Power Rangers Mystic Force,” Buena Vista has shaken things up. After the release of the first volume of the series, the special stand-alone disc “Dark Wish” was also released. This didn’t follow the order of the series seen on Jetix, but instead told the story-within-a-story of how the Power Rangers were wished out of existence.

This little miniseries was an interesting view, considering we didn’t know how Jenji the Genie came about, and he played a key role in this story. If you watched the show religiously on Jetix, you’d know, but if you wait for the DVDs, you’d get confused.

Now, the second and third volume of the series are available in chronological order to fill in any gaps and answer any questions you might have had about the “Dark Wish” story arc.

Volume 2 is titled “Legendary Catastros.” This disc follows the Power Rangers as they struggle to keep control of the legendary steed Catastros. Nick (Firass Dirani) is sent into a time warp and must face his own fears. Meanwhile, in the regular world, the rest of the Rangers must keep Morticon in the pit.

Volume 3 is titled “Fire Heart” and tells the story of the Fire Heart, which is found by a map. The Power Rangers fight against Necrolai and the Hidiacs to reach the Fire Heart first. Along the way, Xander (Richard Brancastisano) tries to take control of things, but he learns that teamwork is a part of leadership. In this series, we are also introduced to Jenji the Genie, a mysterious cat-like creature that has been trapped in a lamp with magical powers.

“Power Rangers Mystic Force” continues to have more complex and interesting storylines than some of the previous incarnations of the hyperkinetic heroes. While Dino Thunder had the appeal of dinosaurs, the stories deteriorated into fights with the White Ranger. The storyline of SPD was much better, and Mystic Force continues this tradition.

These episodes show what happens when new (and sometimes more powerful) characters are introduced, or when old characters are separated from the bunch. There’s also a fun cameo of Piggy from the SPD gang in the third volume.

To round out the series arc, there is a bonus episode included in each disc.



Specifications: Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Fullscreen (1.33:1). English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.