Jem and the Holograms – Film Review by Emily Elphinstone

Director: Jon M. Chu
Writer: Ryan Landels
Stars: Aubrey Peeples, Stefanie Scott, Aurora Perrineau

Based very loosely on the 1980s cartoon of the same name, Jem and the Holograms follows teenager Jerrica Benton (Aubrey Peeples) and her singing alter-ego Jem. Now transplanted to modern day California, Jerrica and her sisters are paid up members of social media savvy Generation Z, uploading every moment of their lives on to the internet. Uncomfortable with showing her face on camera, Jerrica dresses up as alter ego Jem to record a heartfelt ballad; which her sister Kimber (Stefanie Scott) secretly uploads on to youtube. The track goes viral immediately, and the girls are approached by spiky record label boss Erica Raymond (Juliette Lewis), CEO of Starlight Enterprises, who immediately whisks the girls away to Los Angeles to transform them into the latest pop superstars.

Fans of the original cartoon are best advised to steer clear. The characters may have the same names and echoes of the 80s post punk styling; but little remains of the cartoon’s feisty atmosphere. Rather than being the label boss herself, Jerrica is as powerless in her carefully manipulated transformation as many of today’s manufactured popstars; and the only remnant of the original sci-fi elements is robot S1N3RGY, created by her long-departed father, which takes them on a treasure hunt around LA, in order to teach them valuable life lessons. Add to this a focus on internet celebrity (including a number of YouTube videos of other performers, and low-resolution messages from fans to Jem), and a highly predictable romantic subplot with the two dimensional Rio (Ryan Guzman); and the film becomes over complicated, with a whiff of trying to please everyone but satisfying none.

Targeted firmly at girls in their early teens, Jem and Holograms foregoes subtlety in favour of a glittery morality tale; but many elements seem to contradict each other: The girls, who were raised by their Aunt Bailey (an underused Molly Ringwald) are in danger of losing their home, but are constantly surrounded by the latest gadgets; we’re taught how it’s ok to be who you are, by a popstar with a secret identity; and Jem and the Holograms markets itself as a celebration of ‘girl power’ but when it comes down to it, the resolution is largely down to the men. Overall, Jem and the Holograms is a sparkly bubblegum pink film, with some catchy tunes and entertaining moments; but with heavy handed morals, blatant product placement (hello, Google) and hefty plot holes, it’s a bit too sickly to be satisfying.