Tuesday, August 9, 2016

MARIAH's THOUGHTS on Jem and the Holograms 2015

Genre:
Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Rating:
PG
Run Time:
1 hr 58 mins
Release Date:
October 23, 2015
(U.S.A.)
Distributed by:
Universal Pictures

Directed by:
Jon M. Chu

Plot Summary:
As a small-town girl catapults from underground video sensation to global superstar, she and her three sisters begin a one-in-a-million journey of discovering that some talents are too special to keep hidden. In Universal Pictures’ Jem and the Holograms, four aspiring musicians will take the world by storm when they see that the key to creating your own destiny lies in finding your own voice. 

Directed by Jon M. Chu (Step Up series, G.I. Joe: Retaliation), the musical adventure stars Aubrey Peeples, Stefanie Scott, Aurora Perrineau, Hayley Kiyoko, Ryan Guzman, Molly Ringwald and Juliette Lewis. Jem and the Holograms, based on the iconic Hasbro animated TV series, is written by Ryan Landels and produced by Chu, Jason Blum for Blumhouse Productions, Scooter Braun for SB Projects, Bennett Schneir, and Brian Goldner and Stephen Davis of Hasbro Studios.

Cast:
Aubrey Peeples, Stefanie Scott, Aurora Perrineau, Hayley Kiyoko, Ryan Guzman, Molly Ringwald and Juliette Lewis


Social Media:


*My Thoughts*
IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, and Metacritic agree with me; I’ve never seen the 80’s cartoon of Jem, but this is certainly a disappointment. The main thing going on through my mind as I watched this movie was, “Generic. Generic sprinkled everywhere.” Jem and the Holograms has many classic elements to a “rising star” movie: the lead singer, an antagonistic Producer, a financial and moral crisis, a gleam of hope/recovery, and an overall sound resolution to the plot. There is a sweet or emotional tone that is mainly aimed at the adolescence, 2000’s babies rather than past audiences of the 1980’s cartoon. Overall, it’s a common family flick.

The trailers give everything away. In it you see the main cast, the hopefully good parts, and how predictable the movie will be. The actors played their part to a T, but don’t leave a lasting impression. On the surface they knew who they had to play but they lacked depth and passion. The acting made me feel like they were not immersed in the role. Synergy the robot felt like an unnecessary Sci-Fi addition to the movie and only forced a sub-plot to move the movie forward. Anything could have replaced it in Jerrica’s scavenger hunt; a computer program, CD’s, DVD’s, Blu-ray’s....

It’s ending leaves a cliff hanger and thus open for a second movie. But with the reception that Jem and the Holograms have gotten and a loss of about $3 million dollars (a profit of ~$2 million for a $5 million budgeted movie), that’s not going to happen. This movie was too much of a cliché drama mess about a rising “pop star” overcoming obstacles.

On a side note, it’s cute to see some cameo appearances. Some of these included: an adult Madeline Zima, Hana Mae Lee, Ke$ha, and Christy Marx, the creator of the 1980’s Jem.

My Rating:


*Own it on Blu-Ray/DVD*
Release Date:
January 19, 2016
Bonus Features:
Deleted scenes, a gag reel, feature commentary with Director Jon M. Chu and more!




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