How was this not like the TV show?
There are so many elements that are taken or an homage to the original series. Also a straight up live action remake of this would just be silly so I get why they added the more grounded elements.
shareJem is in no way, shape or form supposed to be grounded in reality. It was a cartoon about a young woman who transforms into a rockstar via a hologram disguise, all while running a record company and an orphanage. The cartoon had zero realistic elements, something the movie sorely needed. Among other things:
- SYNERGY isn't supposed to be the ******* robot from Earth to Echo, she's supposed to be a sophisticated AI program that dispenses wisdom and uses her holograms to help Jem out of scrapes.
- Outside of the whole 'we have to save the house' plotline, there were no stakes in this movie, at all. Worst case scenario, Jerrica goes back to living a simple life in a smaller house. In the cartoon, there was a constant threat of Jerrica losing her business, her relationship with Rio, or from the Misfits outright murdering them.
- THE MISFITS. They could have made this movie SO much better if they'd been the main villains of the movie.
And let's not even discuss how the dad basically said "**** Kimber" during the message scene. Did the man forget that he had TWO daughters?
This film wasn't made for fans of the Jem cartoon. I don't think the writers even watched the cartoon, they just browsed the Wikipedia page and said "Okay, let's toss this reference in, that'll satisfy the fans", which it didn't. A few odd references to
Starlight Mansion and the Rockin' Roadster? You want references from the original show?
How about when the valet hands Rio the CD, it says 'The Limp Lizards' on it? How about we see a poster for the Stingers somewhere in Erica's office? Or when Jerrica unlocks the final piece of Synergy, we actually get her female form projected, telling Jerrica that she's now there to guide her like her father planned, and now she has the power of holograms to help her in her music career?
Getting back to the point, the fans don't want a REALISTIC Jem movie. We want a Jem movie that delivers what the cartoon did: A goofy, fun ride that has action, romance, run, and MUSIC, something else this film was lacking. Two- TWO SONGS! That was a it. A two hour movie, and we only got TWO SONGS?
****.
This.
Movie.
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shareBut all of that could of been in the sequel. If anything this was Jems origin story. Which is clear when watching the film.
shareSorry but Jem's origin story is not her becoming famous and Erica Raymond not only knowing her identity but creating it. It doesn't matter if Emmett called Jerrica Jem (elements of that are in the cartoon with the Roadster too) but a prequel should be the build up to Jem becoming famous- not her becoming famous and everyone important knowing her identity. The element of Jem's secret identity is crucial to Jem.
shareTrue
shareYeah but the element of secret identity in the cartoon is that, way too cartoonish. It's fine for a kids film but they obviously wanted to target this to an older teenage audience. Have you guys watched Hannah Montana? It's just childish. I like the idea of the identity you project to an audience (ie: social media) versus the identity you actually have in real life, it's just way more interesting. In saying that it wasn't nearly explored enough.
shareMy thing is if it's too "cartoonish" to make it into a live action movie why make it at all? If the cartoon is so silly why use the names and title? Make a realistic story and name it something else. I don't think the target was for older teens. This movie was made for children and maybe preteens. Believe it or not a lot of older teens have seen the cartoon on Netflix or the hub and wanted the cartoon version as well as the older fans.
A lot of people on this site has argued with the fans who wasn't for this movie staying true to the cartoon and said we ruined it for a seqel because we didn't support it. I understand that some of you loved and enjoy the movie version and that's fine and dandy with me but without a lot of what the cartoon had to offer being cut out because it was too cartoony what exactly would this sequel have been about?
My thing is if it's too "cartoonish" to make it into a live action movie why make it at all? If the cartoon is so silly why use the names and title? Make a realistic story and name it something else. I don't think the target was for older teens. This movie was made for children and maybe preteens. Believe it or not a lot of older teens have seen the cartoon on Netflix or the hub and wanted the cartoon version as well as the older fans.
Agreed. This was not Jem at all. They took the name, patched a movie together, and made fans of the original show think it would be something nostalgic. Instead, it was Hannah Montana disguised as Jem. Rather than try something original, they took the name of an existing show, even though this film had next to nothing to do with that show. share
The crazy should have been in the origin story...add the emotional weight in the sequel.
shareOutside of the whole 'we have to save the house' plotline, there were no stakes in this movie, at all. Worst case scenario, Jerrica goes back to living a simple life in a smaller house. In the cartoon, there was a constant threat of Jerrica losing her business, her relationship with Rio, or from the Misfits outright murdering them.
These things you mention weren't *constant* threats at all - they were individual threats that were either present or were not depending on which episode it was throughout over TWENTY hours of storytelling. When you break that twenty hours into chunks of story - there is usually just one or two threats to contend with at the same time. That said, could the movie have had higher stakes than it had? Most definitely. But the extra, more high octane stuff would have required a bigger budget - because it would have forced them to pay more actors to act out bigger roles or would have required more special effects. What everyone doesn't seem to get is that type of movie was never going to be made. It was (and now likely still is) completely not feasible.
And let's not even discuss how the dad basically said "**** Kimber" during the message scene. Did the man forget that he had TWO daughters?
Yes. Kimber is needlessly sidelined in this movie but, you know, that's a minor criticism. And that's because Jerrica is the golden child in the cartoon too - let's face it, Jerrica inherited everything and Kimber inherited nothing.
Or when Jerrica unlocks the final piece of Synergy, we actually get her female form projected, telling Jerrica that she's now there to guide her like her father planned, and now she has the power of holograms to help her in her music career?
Now *THAT* I agree with. That would have silenced and pleased A LOT of people. I agree this would likely have been seen in a sequel - it's only an issue because that sequel will now never likely happen.
Getting back to the point, the fans don't want a REALISTIC Jem movie. We want a Jem movie that delivers what the cartoon did: A goofy, fun ride that has action, romance, run, and MUSIC, something else this film was lacking. Two- TWO SONGS! That was a it. A two hour movie, and we only got TWO SONGS?
Hit Me Up, Alone Together, We Got Heart, Youngblood, The Way I Was, I'm Still Here = six songs.
It really bugs me when one person tries to speak for all of Jem fandom. Especially because the fandom categorically does not agree on what an ideal Jem movie would be like. Jem wasn't one thing to everybody, it meant lots of different things to lots of different people. I know Jem fans if you dared reduce the cartoon to nothing but a "goofy fun ride" would tear you to shreds in a heartbeat. share
It really bugs me when one person tries to speak for all of Jem fandom. Especially because the fandom categorically does not agree on what an ideal Jem movie would be like. Jem wasn't one thing to everybody, it meant lots of different things to lots of different people. I know Jem fans if you dared reduce the cartoon to nothing but a "goofy fun ride" would tear you to shreds in a heartbeat.
It's not just me that feels this way, otherwise this film wouldn't have bombed so badly that Universal had to pull it out of theaters after a mere two weeks of release. I may not speak for the entire Jem fanbase, but being a huge Jem fan, I know a crappy adaptation when I see this, and this was the epitome of crappy adaptations.
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It's not just me that feels this way, otherwise this film wouldn't have bombed so badly that Universal had to pull it out of theaters after a mere two weeks of release.
You're obviously not alone, no. But the movie being pulled from theatres doesn't prove anything other than most people didn't go to see the movie. It doesn't offer any insight whatsoever as to *why* they didn't go - which in all likelihood will include a multitude of different reasons. share
Damn. You nailed it. I haven't even seen this film, but if what you say is true, then I think I'll be sorely dissapointed from what I remember of this cartoon growing up as a child in the 80s!
shareJem is in no way, shape or form supposed to be grounded in reality.
To be fair the new comics are more grounded in reality and that worked out fine. share
To be fair the new comics are more grounded in reality and that worked out fine.
Yes, but we still have Synergy as the hologram projecting advice spewing entity we all know and love, and the plots are still pretty sci-fi-ish in nature. Just look at the 'Dark Jem' arc that's currently going on.
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Exactly!
share