Some things in our childhood we forget; they’re
trivial to our growth and fleeting. Some
things we look at as fond memories with an occasional smile if we see them on
TV or in an old shop window, but they pass through our memories the second they
leave our site; they were a part we remember, but they weren’t huge "shapers" of
it. Some things, however, were such big
parts our childhood that they were more than just a moment. They were a definer. That was Jem for me. I am one of the most non-feminine people that
I know. Jem brought out the girl in
me. I played with the dolls with my
cousin Michelle, we traded the outfits and played pretend (I was Jerrica/Jem
and she was Kimber every time) in our Mamaw Lillie’s neighborhood every
weekend. I dressed up as her for
Halloween, typed out her song lyrics in a book, and stayed up during the summer
one middle school year until 7 AM just to watch Jem, and then I would go to
sleep. It wasn’t just my big cartoon
fandom, it was a huge chunk of my childhood.
Any Jem Girl and Jem Boy knows that talk of the Jem movie has persisted
for thirty years. We fantasized about
who would play what role and the plot…people even made fan sites dedicated to
“The Cause.” When news broke of the
movie truly getting its day, I at first couldn’t believe it to be the
case. When it came straight from the
mouth of Samantha Newark (the original speaking voice for Jem in the 80’s,),
however, I realized that you can’t get a much more reliable source than
that. I couldn’t wait to get to the
theater and get there I did.
Sadly I now find myself disappointed, but not in the
movie. I am disappointed in the fans and reviewers who have panned this
wonderful tribute as something lackluster and untrue. They have missed the mark and need to
re-watch this movie.
I think the biggest problem that people had with this
film has been the gripe that it was not following exactly to the original
source material, and in the case of some Jem characters, the Jem Bible. For those that have reviewed this movie
before me or those that watched it and didn’t like what they saw, you are
right. It didn’t. But hear my counter to your argument,
please. They didn’t follow the source
material and you know what? There is no
way that they realistically could have for the design of the movie that they
wanted to make and they were better for it because of that. Now I am one of the strongest Jem dedicates out
there and one of the originals as well so don’t even think of pelting me with the
same cream pies Pizzazz threw around on the Countess’ yacht; just hear me
out. They made this movie in a modern time frame,
with the Holograms as Millennials, not Baby Boomers. Picture the 80’s Synergy being operational in
a post 9/11 society. The second a power
source that strong was plugged in the Government would Red Flag it. The first hologram she projected would cause
NSA to snatch her up, lock up Emmett (if he were still alive) or Jerrica and
the Holograms if they had activated Synergy, and re-locate every single
Starlight Girl. Even Emmett saw the
potential danger in Synergy in Season 2 Episode 25, “Out of The Past,” when he
watched in amazement and horror as Synergy created an entire Army of marching
military troops in his garage. In Season
2 Episode 17, “The Presidential Dilemma,” the Government did in fact try to dissect
Synergy, and this was in pre-World Trade Center attack times. What could we possibly expect to have fly in a
movie in post terror attack time frames with tech like that, especially if we
wanted it to be acceptable for what we grew up with? If they had made it in the 80’s era it
probably would have been more close to the source material, but society and the
times can’t allow that, children. Accept
it and move on. That being said, take
the movie as it is so you can enjoy it:
An Alternate Universe (AU) Prequel to our favorite 80’s cartoon fandom.
Taking this movie as “from source” I can see where one
could be upset. Things like making Eric
female, the reveal of Rio’s parentage (spoilers,) and even the smallest thing
of Aja drumming (Season 2 Episode 1 “The Talent Search,” where Aja herself
says, “I’m hopeless on drums!”) are enough to make die-hards bite their
knuckles. But if you take this as I
said, as an AU prequel, you can enjoy it as the tribute that it was. Personally, I could not have been happier. They tracked the lives of Jerrica, Shana,
Aja, and Kimber from childhood to teenage/young adulthood…a time period that
you don’t see for anyone except Kimber in the cartoon, albeit briefly in
flashbacks in Season 2 Episode 25, “Out of The Past” and Season 2 Episode 3 “Scandal”
for Kimber. The wonderful thing about
the movie is that they still keep the character’s personalities; Shana is still
the aloof fashionista. Aja is still the
tomboy tech genius. Kimber is still the
overly hyper, overly sensitive, heart on the sleeve little sister. Jerrica is still shy and over protective at
the same time, yet able to break out of that shell when hiding behind Jem’s
“mask.” The fact that they left these
crucial personality details meshes wonderfully with the modern technology of
the Millennial era since, thanks to YouTube, Kimber is able to upload her
sister’s musical debut to make her “Internet famous,” starting the movie off in
the right direction. For me it was a
beautiful thing to see, as in the cartoon you sometimes see the others have to
pull the “for your own good” card on over protective Jerrica too.
I think the modern twist only added to it all, and
this is included in the way that Emmett got Synergy to the girls. A longer journey than the willed earrings and
a van driving through the holographic wall of a movie theater, but just as
entertaining and if anything, it gave it a more inspirational an existential
twist for that whole “inner journey” kind of feel. And the culmination of that trip, having
Jerrica get all of the pieces put together and find what Synergy was all about…watching
that scene all I heard in my head was a scene from Season 2 Episode 25, “Out of
The Past:”
Jerrica: We'll take care of the
house and cook and clean and do everything if only...if you won't...Daddy...
Aja: Please don't Shana and me and the girls away! Please don't!
Emmett: Aja...Aja, of course I won't. You're the finest girls a father could ever ask for.
Aja: Please don't Shana and me and the girls away! Please don't!
Emmett: Aja...Aja, of course I won't. You're the finest girls a father could ever ask for.
Yeah…I puddled during the cartoon and I
puddled during the movie too. Sue me.
That wasn’t the only flashback I had
during this movie. Some made me grin,
some made me chuckle, and others made me outright cackle with laughter. Personal highlights for me:
1:
During the dress up session in the beginning of the movie they paid
tribute to the 2nd Generation Aja Doll’s costume, headband and
all. The top that Jerrica wore during
this scene was a throwback to the famous purple dress that Jem wore during the “Deception”
music video as well.
2:
My teenage daughter noticed the blonde/pink mixed wigs that Jem
sometimes wore. I pointed out that this
was a throwback to the 1st Generation Jem doll in her early
run. They made the doll this way so that
when her hair was down she could be dressed as Jem. When you took the first layer of hair up and
put it into Jerrica’s hat the bottom layer could be blonde and you could dress
her in Jerrica’s outfit and voila’…instant Jerrica Benton doll.
3:
The tribute to the original 80’s Synergy by using the symbol that she
wore on her chest on the Synergy robot’s LED lighting in the faceplate and on
the startup display every time she began to project something.
4:
Rio calling the girls “Little Miss Pink Hair and the Sing-Alongs.” Pizzazz called the girls this in Season 1
Episode 11, “The Last Resort.” I cracked
up a little too loudly in the theater over this one.
5:
The minor character tributes.
During the last concert you see people in the crowd sporting Clash wigs,
sporting Astral wigs...it’s hard to notice, but if you look you see the details
like this and it only makes you grin harder.
6:
Lindsay Pierce. Sure, she isn’t our
favorite 80’s V-Jay, but again…modern times.
She can’t be. But she’s there,
people. And that is AWESOME.
7:
The cameos. Seeing Samantha
Newark as the hairstylist (“Pink is my favorite color.” Ohhhh, I giggled!) and Britta Phillips as the
Stage Manager…I squealed. This was my
big seller for the movie. I walked in
cautiously optimistic, but if the two women that were the speaking and singing
voices for Jem herself, the woman that WERE Jem, signed off on this project, that
was good enough for me. I wasn’t
disappointed either.
8:
Anyone that was ever a Jem Girl or Jem Boy could hear Rio’s “I know Jem
is supposed to be all about Glamor and Glitter, Fashion and Fame”
reference. And they all had to smile
when he said that.
9:
The costumes that the girls wore on stage when they sang “Youngblood”
were a blatant restyling of the original outfits that they wore in Season 1
Episode 1 “In The Beginning” from their very first appearance as a band and I
LOVED seeing that. Kimber’s in
particular was amazing.
10:
Last but not least… Rio in a white tux, Jem dressed up, and the two
dancing after they kissed. I saw the
Glitter and Gold video in my head and I half expected Rio to ask if his “Golden
lady cared to dance.”
11:
The video tributes. Those videos
were real people in videos submitted for the movie by fans that grew up with
the movie or were newly exposed to Jem via Netflix or DVD. Those were tributes to what the likes of
Marx, Newark, Phillips, and all the other actors started and what this movie
has carried on. I cried every time they
came on. It was a testament to what
having that kind of power can put a person in the position to do; either great
horror or great good. Those that worked
on Jem have left a huge mark on the lives of people for great good and those
testimonies show that. They left a
magnum opus.
The best part was that my fourteen year
old kept giggling at the same token moments and grabbing my arm with a
smile. My six year old was up dancing in
the aisle- literally dancing- during every song. She has never done that; it moved her that
much. I tucked my children in that night,
sat down, and uncharacteristically…the non girly-girl cried. A thirty year wait had come to an end and I
had gotten to share one of the biggest pieces of my childhood with two of my
children that grew up loving the show because of me and loved the movie just as
much. It was probably one of the biggest
moments of my life and I am so glad that I wasn’t disappointed.
I’m sorry for those that feel that this
didn’t live “Up to code.” If you can
only read my review and look at it from the perspective that I do, and then
re-watch it, maybe you’ll see it from fresh eyes. You're
lying to yourself if you say you still aren't happy that this movie is
out there even if you weren't happy with it. Heck, I heard "Love Myself" from the soundtrack on my local
radio station and squealed, thinking, 'Jem is on the radio! Jem is
ACTUALLY on the radio for the first time EVER!' In that moment I was four again. Quite frankly I can only rate this movie
with two words. Two simple words that
every Jem Boy/Jem Girl should know. But
I’m not gonna say em’. Kimber always
said them much better than me.
Christina Sizemore is trained in only four
things: writing, fighting, paranormal
investigating, and being a mom. At this
point in her life she truly feels that she is not qualified to attempt to learn
any new field. A twenty year martial
artist, mother of three, and writer who is working on the publication of her
first book titled “Finding Your Way: A Guide To Your Path In The Martial Arts,”
she spends her days working out, writing, making fanvids, going to DragonCon,
and playing board games/video games/out in the yard with her kids and husband
who are just as geeky as she is. She is
convinced that one day her skills will be of assistance in the Zombie
Apocalypse and that while she is of no use in the kitchen, she can Buffy that
zombie for ya or teach you the best way to get the blood stains out of your
clothes (Psst…the secret is mixing Crown Cleaner and Shout. Just sayin’.)
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