The next 80's cartoon to get the film treatment is the truly outrageous girl rocker series Jem and the Holograms. And as someone who actually watched the show, I was very interested in seeing what they'd do with the property. Jem was a lot more than just glamour and glitter, fashion and fame. There was science fiction elements, every episode had adventure elements in it. While yes, it was a glofiried commercial like most cartoons of the 80's, there was still a lot to it that made it more than just a hollow cartoon.
In the original cartoon Jem is more than just a pretty faced pop star. Jerrica Benton is an owner of her family's music company Starlight Records. Her alter ego of Jem is created by Synergy, a computer being created by her father. And it did a lot more than just give her pretty dresses and fancy instruments. It could also help disguise Jerrica when she's in danger. The main storyline of the cartoon also has both Jerrica and Jem be the love interest of Rio Pacheco, as he's constantly left in the dark over the true identity of the rock star.
Almost every episode of the series sees Jem and her fellow holograms take on their rivals the Misfits, and usually this leads to characters being kidnapped, high speed chases, explosions, and lots of excitement for what is normally perceived a cartoon about a girl rock band. While not a truly violent cartoon, The music is also a classic part of the show, despite now being somewhat corny in how dated it is now. The cartoon is quintessentially eighties, which means despite the good about it, it doesn't hold up in the public eye as well as cartoons like G.I Joe and Transformers. Despite that, it's still a fun cartoon, and surprisingly smart for its time, albeit flawed in some areas.
So, knowing this cartoon is about double lives with sci-fi and action, how does the film look?
Pretty bad, honestly.
Everything that made the Jem character is gone. Jerrica isn't running a company, she's just an average teenager. Jem isn't a creation to help save Starlight Records, instead Jerrica on;y becomes a music star because her song got popular on Youtube. Jem isn't even her own creation, as the story's plot sees Jem as a marketing idea from the evil music executive. There's no misfits to rival, as the only enemies in the film are the holograms themselves as they squabble over Jem's success. Hell, Rio knows that Jerrica is Jem, taking away what was one of the show's biggest ongoing stories. The movie goes the generic "teen rock star" route and tears away any ounce of character or originality that the animated series brought to the table.
It looks like one of the worst adaptations of an animated series ever. Other than the character names, there is nothing in this film that feels like the show. Even Inspector Gadget for all its flaws still felt a little like the series. This? This is a hollow, bland, run of the mill knockoff that hits every note you've seen in hundreds of movies and tv shows. I get that for it to work with a modern audience that changes were needed. But to strip away any semblance of what made Jem and the Holograms a unique cartoon is just another example of how lazy Hollywood has become and how little they care about the products they handle. It's all about attracting people with the name and nothing else.
I also see a lot of people comparing it to Josie and the Pussycats, but here's the thing. Josie and the Pussycats still at least felt like a representation of its cartoon. It was overly campy and the story, while bad, at least felt like something you'd get from the show. Jem and the Holograms however almost seem disgusted to even try to feel like what the show was and would rather go the safe route. But then again, this is from the same director behind the Step Up sequels and Pitch Perfect movies, so why would I expect him to actually try?
Also, while I haven't read it yet, the IDW comic series looks to be a far more respectful reboot of the Jem franchise. It updates Jem and the Holograms for a modern audience without abandoning any of the things that made the cartoon a staple of many childhoods in the first place. It dares to stay true to the Jem lore instead being ashamed of what it is.
So, will this be a future Tooncrap induction? At this point, it's pointing to a yes. Hell, my induction would likely have more passion and love for the original Jem series than what this shell of a movie would ever even attempt to be. I guess in the end you could say that yes, I'm truly truly truly outraged.