MovieChat Forums > Jem and the Holograms (2015) Discussion > I. Just. Can't.

I. Just. Can't.

posted 8 years ago by !!!deleted!!! (56207245)
12 replies | jump to latest

I'm so so so hurt and disappointed with this movie for so many reasons. I grew up watching Jem and I still watch the shows! I also remember the movie. Why did they do nothing with this film when the script can basically write itself?! Jem was running a foster home and took over Starlight Music to help pay for the foster care home. She was not a teen! Where the hell was Sinergy?? Why would they cut out the most important aspect?! The Hologram is what made them famous, And no one new Jerrika and Jem were the same people... I can totally see modernizing the film, but just keep the basics!

[–] retro4 8 years ago

Sorry, but I still don't get why people have problem making her a teen. Just because it's different from the show doesn't necessarily make it a bad idea.

[–] mattie0808 8 years ago

It does when other things about the character need to be changed because she's not an adult. A teen can't run a record label, a teen can't run a foster home. And when it adds precisely nothing to the story, to update it, or whatever. Just makes her more of a nothing blank slate to put their completely unoriginal "rise to fame" story on.

[–] retro4 8 years ago

@mattie0808 Correct me if I'm wrong but I have heard of teen entrepreneurs. But to your point let's say a teen can't do all those things, she wouldn't be a teen forever as teens do grow up. And wouldn't it be more rewarding to watch her run a record label, to watch her run a foster home through gradual character development with a coming of age story arc?

[–] Xenomaster 8 years ago

to watch her run a foster home through gradual character development with a coming of age story arc

Gradual character development is a wonderful thing, but you don't have any of that in this movie. They become basically the most popular thing on planet Earth fifteen minutes into the movie and nothing ever changes.

What they SHOULD have done was at their first show, only like 12 people should have shown up because no one knows who the hell they are. That would be not only realistic (because, newsflash, when you're just starting out as a band, no one cares about you), but it would make you feel bad for the girls because no one came to see them. And thus, you have a reason to care about their plight and their journey to become famous. Instead, they just start out famous and never have any kind of journey or struggle. That isn't interesting. At all.

[–] retro4 8 years ago

@Xenomaster I think they went with the instant fame route to save time and also because Jem's origin story was loosely inspired by Justin Bieber's rise to fame. And to be fair, their lives to do change, it just doesn't change enough to cause genuine conflict.

[–] mattie0808 8 years ago

Correct me if I'm wrong but I have heard of teen entrepreneurs.

That own major record labels? That run foster homes?

she wouldn't be a teen forever as teens do grow up. And wouldn't it be more rewarding to watch her run a record label, to watch her run a foster home through gradual character development with a coming of age story arc?

So...years are supposed to pass over the course of this movie? She goes from a teen to adult and goes through a couple of careers?

Or, they mistakenly thought this was the beginning of the Jem saga and future movies would show adult Jerrica eventually doing all of that? Even if that were the case, that doesn't do anything for this particular movie, where she's just a random, prototypical teen

[–] retro4 8 years ago

That own major record labels? That run foster homes?

Huh... maybe. There are teens who have done more then that. v

http://www.inc.com/ss/6-richest-teen-entrepreneurs

So...years are supposed to pass over the course of this movie? She goes from a teen to adult and goes through a couple of careers?

I don't understand, the original Jem had several careers in one episode yet you think it's unbelievable for this Jem to go through a "couple of careers" in the span of years? Also, you talk like it the first time that years has passed over one film.

Or, they mistakenly thought this was the beginning of the Jem saga and future movies would show adult Jerrica eventually doing all of that? Even if that were the case, that doesn't do anything for this particular movie, where she's just a random, prototypical teen

I wouldn't go as far as to say she's random, the girl is talented and she does have a living robot by her side. However, I don't think it's bad thing for this version of Jerrica to be a "typical teen" because it makes it easier to identify with her. Sure, they made the mistake of thinking this was going be the beginning of a Jem movie franchise. But if things had worked out I still think it would have been more rewarding to watch her gradually do all those things you've mentioned through the course of several films. To see a character start out one way then become someone very different than before is very compelling storytelling.

[–] mattie0808 8 years ago

Huh... maybe. There are teens who have done more then that.

Okay, so, apparently making Jerrica a teen doesn't preclude her from still having the traits of Jerrica from the cartoon, but they just didn't do it? Would be too faithful to the property they were adapting, I guess? Too interesting?

I don't understand, the original Jem had several careers in one episode yet you think it's unbelievable for this Jem to go through a "couple of careers" in the span of years? Also, you talk like it the first time that years has passed over one film.

So...why didn't they do all this if it was so easy/obvious/whatever? They just did a Jem story without being in the least interested in...the Jem story?

Also, it's certainly more unrealistic for movie Jem to go through a couple of careers, because, unlike cartoon Jem, she's a teenager whose father didn't leave her a couple of businesses after his death.

I wouldn't go as far as to say she's random, the girl is talented and she does have a living robot by her side. However, I don't think it's bad thing for this version of Jerrica to be a "typical teen" because it makes it easier to identify with her.

Well, that's just a matter of prefernce, but I don't understand this idea that Jem is supposed to be a "normal," "relatable" teen. Jem was always a bigger than life, glamourous superstar. But why bother with what the show was about...

To see a character start out one way then become someone very different than before is very compelling storytelling.

Too bad they couldn't have a compelling narrative journey in this movie. Oh well.

[–] retro4 8 years ago

Okay, so, apparently making Jerrica a teen doesn't preclude her from still having the traits of Jerrica from the cartoon, but they just didn't do it? Would be too faithful to the property they were adapting, I guess? Too interesting?

I think it just cost too much money. Because if they were to have Jerrica run a foster home like the cartoon they would obviously mean hiring actors to play foster children, which mean you have to pay more people. But they have let Jerrica run a record label like the cartoon, I'm not sure why they didn't go with that idea.

So...why didn't they do all this if it was so easy/obvious/whatever? They just did a Jem story without being in the least interested in...the Jem story?

They could have done it that way, but for some reason they decided not to. Maybe it was because they wanted to focus on her origin story and not go with a fast forward storyline.

Also, it's certainly more unrealistic for movie Jem to go through a couple of careers, because, unlike cartoon Jem, she's a teenager whose father didn't leave her a couple of businesses after his death.

Hmmm... I don't know maybe movie Jem could have ran a record label then used the money to start a charity organization for foster children because she knew what it was like to grow up an orphan. That one of the many possible ideas they could have went with.

Well, that's just a matter of prefernce, but I don't understand this idea that Jem is supposed to be a "normal," "relatable" teen. Jem was always a bigger than life, glamourous superstar. But why bother with what the show was about...

Why can't she be both? I mean look at larger than life characters like Spider-Man. His both a normal, relatable teen but also bigger than life superhero. Jem can easily be an ordinary teen by day and a glamourous megasuperstar by night.

Too bad they couldn't have a compelling narrative journey in this movie. Oh well.

That's fair, but I do think this film had ideas that could have made for compelling narrative journey.

[–] anxiety attack 8 years ago

Honestly with them not having enough money to make the movie like the cartoon they should have not made it. I mean just watching the cartoon lets you know right there that you're going to need a pretty big budget to get it right. You cant make a Jem movie with a budget for Maxie's world They were stupid to continue with making this and thinking people would come out in droves to see this movie.

[–] mattie0808 8 years ago

I think it just cost too much money. Because if they were to have Jerrica run a foster home like the cartoon they would obviously mean hiring actors to play foster children, which mean you have to pay more people.

Maybe, though, if that's true, they shouldn't have bothered with this so-called "adaptation" in the first place. If child extras that are nobody actors cost too much, you're already in over your head. Don't bother.

But they have let Jerrica run a record label like the cartoon, I'm not sure why they didn't go with that idea...
They could have done that way, but for some reason they decided not to.

Personally, I assume it's because they had no real interest in the actual Jem story, based on this, and many other decisions made for the movie, whatever the budget was.

Maybe it was because they wanted to focus on her origin story and not go with a fast forward storyline.

An origin story that had nothing to do with the show/their source material?

Why can't she be both? I mean look at larger than life characters like Spider-Man. His both a normal, relatable teen but also bigger than life superhero. Jem can easily be an ordinary teen by day and a glamourous megasuperstar by night.

I still don't understand why she needs to be a teenager of any kind, but whatever. Jem has a story. If they wanted to tell a Spiderman-type story, or a relatable teen with a double-life story...well, knock yourself out, make up your own story or take on some other source material that has that. Hell, if Jem, for whatever reason, needed to be compared to a comic book hero for the movie adaptation, she's much more Batman or Iron Man, in the "I inherited my parents'/father's business(es) upon their death and came up with an alter ego and used technology to better pursue that new identity and hide my real identity" way. But you know, if they actually tried to go a Spider-man "I'm a normal to geeky teen who suddenly has powers and a crazy secret identity" route, it would have HAD to be closer to the real Jem than the absolute nonsense this movie tried to pull. However, again, they weren't interested in the Jem story, in any way.

[–] red_rackham_77 7 years ago

I was angry hearing that they were going to do it and when I saw the trailer I just knew it was going to be a flop. I didn't need to see it, I can't believe they even allowed it to be played in theater.