Jem and the Holograms
What good intentionsJem and the Hologramshas are weighed down by its cheap aesthetic and thinly-drawn storyline.
Jem and the Hologramstells the story of Jerrica Benton ( Aubrey Peeples ) , a gifted young singer who populate in a small California town with her sister Kimber ( Stefanie Scott ) and surrogate sisters Aja ( Hayley Kiyoko ) and Shana ( Aurora Perrineau ) , all of which are likewise aspiring player , under the maintenance of Jerrica and Kimber ’s Aunt Bailey ( Molly Ringwald ) . When Jerrica hesitates to upload a video of herself performing in camouflage , going by the nickname " Jem " ( which her later Father of the Church gave her ) , Kimber admit the go-ahead and send the time online - unexpectedly turn " Jem " into an all-night viral collide with in the summons of doing so .
Shortly thereafter , Jerrica and the others are offered a tour deal from Starlight Music head honcho Erica Raymond ( Juliette Lewis ) which they take on , sending the four young player further on their way to becoming musical mavin . However , when Jerrica is confront with a career decision that would put her at betting odds with her sisters , she is forced to re - evalute her priorities - and consider what itreallymeans to be true to yourself .
Jem and the Hologramsplays out as a modernise root story for the " musical superhero " lineament that are portray in the popularJemcartoon serial : a show which air from 1985 - 88 . Unfortunately , the film ’s script by Ryan Landels ( The LXD : The League of Extraordinary Dancers ) does so by using a thinly - draw and very by the numbers storyline about player whose dreams of stardom are granted - squeeze them to navigate the pitfall that do with celebrity , along the way . ManyJemcartoon devotee will also be disappointed by how the live - action flick reimagines factor of the original TV show , such as the automaton Synergy ; who , in the film , is reduced to being a stereotypical cutesy robo - sidekick , as part of a rather under - whelming subplot . Even with a mid - credits scene ( yes , there ’s one of those ) that promise a sequel with more elements from the original animated series , there ’s not a whole lot of the originalJem and the Hologramsin this live - action loop .
Moreover , as a standalone undertaking , Jem and the Hologramsis just under - make from a storytelling perspective ; it ’s riddled with contrivances , two - dimensional characters , and plot developments that ( to be blunt ) do n’t make any sense , even agree to the movie ’s own rule . As a result , when the film examines how Jem and her sisters have exalt their mint of adoring fans by " being themselves " - while also examine how young hoi polloi apply tools such as YouTube to connect with others and embrace their own identities - its content follow across more as hollow and calculated , rather than earnest . Jem and the Hologramsincludes a telephone number of sequences where the great unwashed ( including a smattering of veridical - aliveness celebrity ) talk about their sexual love for the eponymic striation , but it breaks because it doesn’tshowwhat makes them so admirable .
The meretricious , yet empty , fashion in which theatre director Jon M. Chu ( Justin Bieber : Never Say Never , G.I. Joe : revenge ) stages the proceedings inJem and the Hologramsfurther give to the hollowness of the film ’s themes and its life lessons . The movie was give rise for a comparatively cheap $ 5 million , mostly as a solution of its DIY aesthetic ; including , lots of simplistic handheld camerawork and enough in the way of either YouTube clips or footage shot by the movie ’s characters thatJemalmost feels like one of producer Jason Blum ’s found - footage horror movies , mode - wise . However , Chu does do it how to stage music / dance figure with panache - and the succession where Jem and her band perform live are all the more impressively staged ( in damage of visuals ) for it . Some of the movie ’s original songs are catchy too - if also about as on the nose and shallow as the modal bubblegum pop birdsong can get .
alas , the bulk ofJem and the Hologramsdoesn’t involve melodic performance numbers ; rather , they involve domesticated drama situations , where the camerawork tend to be weaker ( even when it ’s not material shot by characters in the actual movie ) and the moving-picture show ’s limited budget startle to become glaringly obvious . Chu and his frequent editor Jillian Twigger Moul - with carbon monoxide gas - editor Michael Trent ( Joy Ride 3,Sinister 2 ) - sometimes attempt to contribute more punch to the film ’s melodrama aspect by splicing in footage of YouTube television boast amateur musicians in action . That stylistic fanfare tot some ringing , but largely proves ineffective and fails as either a celebration of individualism ( even when it exhibit real people show their talent ) or as a useful dramatic storytelling tool . The goal final result : aJem and the Hologramsmovie that reckon and feels as artificial as the very corporal mindset it aspires to condemn .
The young main cast members ofJem and the Holograms- Aubrey Peeples ( Nashville ) , Stefanie Scott ( Insidious : Chapter 3 ) , Hayley Kiyoko ( CSI : Cyber ) , and Aurora Perrineau ( A House is Not a House ) - are burden with two - dimensional role to trifle ; though , each of them do bring projection screen charisma to the table . Similarly , Ryan Guzman ( Heroes Reborn ) as Rio , the Jem dance band road manager , has his charms and shares a harmless love story with Jerrica , but the character is otherwise forgettable . As it were , the best performances are by former ' 80s teen wiz Molly Ringwald and Juliette Lewis as , respectively , the quirky maternal trope and over the top villain of the motion picture ; more often than not , though , they wind up being sidelined .
What dependable intentionsJem and the Hologramshas are librate down by its cheap aesthetic and thin - eviscerate plot line . Director Jon M. Chu serves up enough in the way of glazed ( but empty ) visuals , snappy ( yet vapid ) music , and entertaining ( though unintentional ) campy melodrama that the movie should have some appeal to certain members of the younger demographic that it ’s clearly direct at . However everyone else and especially those who delight theJemcartoon series for what it is and what it represented back in the ' 80s - this is far from the ( here it come in ) " truly unconscionable " cinema you might ’ve hop for .
TRAILER
Jem and the Hologramsis now playing in U.S. theaters . It is 118 minutes long and is Rated PG for thematic cloth include foolhardy behavior , brief suggestive content and some language .
Let us know what you thought of the celluloid in the remark section below .
Jem and the Holograms is a 2015 melodic drama centering on Jerrica , a young young lady living a quiet animation until she takes on a hush-hush identity operator and becomes a global superstar . Jem and the Holograms was critically pan off and also lose $ 3 million at the box agency . The film is loosely based on the ' 80s TV show Jem .
Aurora Perrineau, Stefanie Scott, Hayley Kiyoko, and Aubrey Peeples in Jem and the Holograms
Aubrey Peeples and Molly Ringwald in Jem and the Holograms
