Breaking the silence – thoughts about “Jem the movie”

I decided to brake the silence and to write my thoughts and feelings regarding to the production of Jem the movie.
Jem was my favorite cartoon as a child, and even today it is my favorite cartoon show. I love the beautiful animation, the amazing songs, the fascinating plot and the fact that the show has values and morel in it. Unfortunately where I live, the show stops to appear on the tv (also only few episodes appeared a and not the whole 65) and even the dvd of the show aren’t available. That is the reason that in the country where I live not a lot of people remember it and know what it is and there even any merchandise that associate to it. But my family knows how much I love the show, my brother even sing until this day the song "glitter and gold". As the announcement video on the movie came out I was excited, like many Jem fans I was missing Jem and wanted a Jem movie for a long time.The movie (at least at the beginning) I thought the movie will help Jem to get more recoginaition where I live and maybe they will understand this magical and pretty show too.
Sadly the crew of the productation decieced to change Jem complatly and even lies and used the fans, but you won’t be hearing about all the nasty things they did on the L.A times or at E! as a result I deiced to break my silence and share my thoughts about the movie. I am doing this because I need to express my frustration, anger and disappointed. I am doing that so my voice will be heard and since Flickr is the media which I most active on it (I don’t have Tweeter, Instagram or Tumblr). I am hoping it will encourage more fans to speak and to understand what going on about the movie.
I want to apology if what I wrote is messy and too long, I had hard time writing this and maybe it will be hard to follow. But I want to give to all the Jem fans important link that explain all the dishonesty and the deception of the production, you can understand all the things that happened. bklynbarbie wrote to it all down impressively so If you want more explanations about the lies, she also found proofs, please go to bklynbarbie Tumbler : bklynbarbie.tumblr.com/post/85726414210/jem-the-movie-tru…

Let’s start from the beginning- At end of March on youtube appeared video that call to world wide Jem fans to submit videos and take a part in the movie from the actors the to music "we want your creativity", "we want you to be our movie star" they said: www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzVnNVrunAE
So fans spend time, money and efforts by creating videos. Only this is all was a set up, a trick to use the fans so that they will spread the world that Jem movie has been made while the casting and other aspects of the movie for example the music was already been made mouths before and so does the actors (will reach to it).
Let’s start by the fact that Chu decided to "reinvent" Jem, he made her 17 teenager girl, an orhapn and that she and Holograms get famous on the web: " orphaned teenage girl who becomes an online recording sensation, she and her sisters embark on a music-driven scavenger hunt –- one that sends them on an adventure across Los Angeles in an attempt to unlock a final message left by her father". Source: variety.com/2014/film/news/jon-chu-to-direct-hasbros-live…
All those changing raise the question why? Why change Jem plot when it’s already had been exceptional and amazing and it’s attract fans, Jem was great show just the way it was. It has action, drama, comedy, love and good educational values. Another thing that has been change is the personality and psychology of the characters.
Jerrica was a grown up women, responsible, smart and caring and she (and so are Jem) was a role model. A teenage can’t be a role model because he is busy on what the peer group think of him and he busy with building his personality, by changing her and the Holograms to teens he change their personality. Another thing that he chacacter’s psychology. Jerrica turn to Jem after her death of her father. It was the trigger that led chain of events that made her become Jem. After his death she knew she needed to support the Satrlight girls and went to Starlight company only to find out Eric wants the company to support in the new band he found out The Misfit. So he planned to make a false competition and let the Misfit win on it. With the help of last gifts her father made for her (which also include Synergy and the Jem stars earrings) Jerrica mange to stop him and take the whole control on the company.
Jem and the Hologarms didn’t want to be famous, they didn’t become a band because they wanted fame, they became a band because the music helped them to support the Starligh girls. When Chu made Jerrica and her sisters to orphaned and "an online sensation" he changed the whole story and also the motives and the needs of the characters. It doesn’t sound like Jem at all, it sound more like "Maxie’s world" meets Justin Biber story (and honestly with all the changing it was better if was doing a "Maxie’s world" movie, unless he wanted to "reinvent" Maxie and make her to a baby).
Another fact is that the story is set on nowadays. To be honest as a child I saw Jem in the early 90’s and I didn’t realize the show was on the 80’s. I mean the clothes looked like Barbie 90’s clothes and the character looked like Barbie (I even thought Jem was Barbie but that’s story for a different time). Only as an adult I saw how the 80’s were reflected in the show. I do think it was much more good to made the movie on the 80’s or the early 90’s. I understand that it’s much more expansive, but I think that if the movie is set on nowadays at least put 80’s elements on it, like 80’s fashion (the 80’s fashion did made a comeback), 80’s instruments and make up and etc. I think that if the Synergy could do so much more amazing things in 21 century than just Holograms for start she could add textured to her Hologrmas, recently I saw this amazing clip of group called Enra: blog.petflow.com/these-japanese-girls/#ZcSxKml0B1d5UVdQ.01 I can totally imagine Synergy creating these wonderful effects on Jem clips and performances.
But Chu decided he want to aim this movie to new audience instead of aiming this movie the original audience. He decided to neglect the loyal fan base that grow with the show and turn the new audience without paying attention the initial crowed. Instead of trying to make a movie that will appeal the to initial fan base and then the new crowed will come he decided to make a movie to the new crowed regardless of what the initial crowed wants. Regardless of caring f if the original crowed will come. But the loyal fan base are the people who buy the Jem dolls and invest their money on it. These are the people who build Jem sites, making videos, making convection, going to them and of course watch their beloved show. These are the people who talk with the friends about Jem and doesn’t let the name Jem to be forgotten, they are the ones who are devoted to it and because of them her memory isn’t deleted.
But Chu and co. works made another worst move- they used fans for publicity. Like I pointed in the beginning they told in the fans that they would take part in this movie. But it was than reveled the professional actresses already had been chosen mounts before the announcement video , so does the make up artist and etc. In this video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E9QrGly3GE you can see two things: 1) the actresses didn’t even who and what Jem is 2) they saw the youtube videos of the fans. So it’s not that Chu and his co works that acted in dishonorable, misleading behavior towards the fans. I also agree the casting did not a good job in the casting of Aja and Shana. The other thing is that those actresses didn’t even knew Jem. IMO an actor should understand the character to play her well. He needs to learn her personality, feelings, motives and etc. In this case they should have least known what is Jem (I do understand that they watched some episodes from the show, but in my impression they didn’t saw all of it), they should have watched the whole episodes maybe even go the Jem convection just to understand how Jem fans feels about Jem. Evan thought the actresses saw some episodes by their expression on the social media they show their lack of understanding of the show and the characters (twitter.com/BklynBarbie/status/466021433190404096/photo/1)
For them the show is just a carton, for the fans it’s more than a cartoon, it’s something that inspire them and made them feel happy, gave them hope and lift their spirit. But than again what could you expects if the director don’t even bother to stay true to the show and keeps making changing, is it surprise that the actors don’t bother to understand the meaning of Jem and the characters and the plot?. Still this is show the lack of appreciation and caring from all the crew.(They casting did cast an actor to play Zipper but fans suspect that he already has been hired, he also actor with experience and his "fan video" he keeps talk on and on about his nuts, very classy 0_O no I am not putting link .).
Another thing that is simply annoys me! Is the fact that Christy Marx (Jem creator) isn’t a part of this production: www.themarysue.com/jem-movie-christy-marx
and so doesn’t the rest of the original crew (I am sorry I can’t consider the gust show of Britta and Samanta because it’s just a little cameo, it nice that they in it but they don’t take a significant part in the movie). In fact Chu work with all the people that he worked with on past in his projects (LXD, Biber) and Ryan Landels write the script for the Jem movie.
After finding all this info I don’t think that there was any room for Christy or the original crew. What I mean is, if the cast already been selected, there was already a script. I think that when an actor goes to audition he needs to play the script before he is accepted to be in the movie. So if nobody in Hasbro bother to tell Christy on the new movie and only Chu did, I think that there already was a script that had been writhen according to Chu vision and well there isn’t much Christy could do with it.
But Chu made more changes like no Misfits, no Jem star earrings and no Syrangy
Also the original music won’t be in the movie and Eric character maybe will be now Erica (it could be the female version of Eric but it could be new character that wasn’t in the original show). And he also said this movie is the "Batman begins" movie of Jem (twitter.com/CoolTrashMag). But Jem begins with Synergy and the Misfits and Eric, Jerrica become Jem because of them (and Jem without Synergy is like Sailor moon without Luna). And Synergy was the one of things that distinguish the show from any other shows. Honestly the analogy to Batman looks like an excuse to use less money (Jew is low cost movie and that why characters are disappear because if they will appear it will cost more money).
Another thing is that Jem clothes were colorful, fun and yes even a bit crazy but they always have unique glam style that made them look distinguish than the other bands in the show. In fact there were times where in the show you could identify the band by it’s clothes and the punk, rock bands used to have dark back clothes just like you can see on the right pic. At the beginning I thought that they look more like the Misftis because of the dark color (which Pizzaz love) but while looking on the amazing and wonderful
"IT’S SHOWTIME SYNERGY!" tumblr I saw the pic of the rock band that Eric hired on the first episode and I thought that those clothes look like the rock style band.
So lets go over the outfits from the movie:
Aja- No, just no, maybe if you want to be a part of the PCD, this dark revealing look
isn’t glam or colorful and don’t even has any resemble to the clothes that Holograms wear, even when they weren’t famous their clothes were colorful and chic.
Kimber- Again just no, it’s not how Kimber will dress in the 21 century, she would rather break her keyboard than to wear this.
Jem- Cool dress but Jetta from the Misfits wants it back.
Shana- The nackles kinda neat and I like the heart shape line and the jacket, but skulls?!. This is not the Holograms style at all, it’s punk rock style! and even it’s it not 80’s style you could used colors and more stylish girly clothes.
And even the makeup doesn’t look like the Holograms at all, with all the changing can’t you least be loyal the original make up, it’s too much to ask right?. I don’t like the half face make up, it reminds the creepy guy with the coin from Batman. The hair colors also look cheap, Aja has dirty blue color where you can see her black roots rather than soft light blue hair, Jem seems to have pink mix with blonde hair instead of soft pink luscious hair, Kimber hair is orange instead of red and Shana doesn’t even have her big purple afro. They don’t look like the Holograms at all, it may be silly to complain about the hair and makeup but with if you’ll go to see "the Little Mermaid" movie and Ariel would have orange or blonde hair with purple lips?. Those things are matter even if they small and those little details help the actor to be the character and to portray the character well and the correct look help the viewers to see the actor more like the original characters (we wouldn’t want a movie with blonde superman right? not because it’s ugly or bad, but because it doesn’t look like the character that we know and like).

So after the changing the looks, style, plot the personality of the characters (even the Jem logo had been changed)what left?. Only the name, it’s awful Jem and Jem fans deserve a better production crew and Hasbro also shouldn’t give Chu and his co workers free hand to change their franchise so much. It also shows the lack of caring Hasbro has to the fans and to Jem and to the original crew that created Jem.
I think that a good Jem movie needs to include as many people that were a part of the original show, it’s has be with the original plot, characters and songs and to stay loyal to the show, which the fans love. I also think that maybe animation movie was better because we could see Jem in 3D or with computer animation that is close as much as it can be to the cartoon animation (a movie like this can also give Brittan and Samantha the opportunity to play Jem again and so for the rest of the people who did speaking nd singing voices in the show).

To all Jem fans out there I want to tell you to speak up! If what is happing in this movie upset you use the social media, you don’t have to write it if you can’t, you can just give the link that I posted: bklynbarbie.tumblr.com/post/85726414210/jem-the-movie-tru…
and show you protest by advertise it, just break the quite and speak.

Links:
The cartoon pics of Jem taken from the amazing "IT’S SHOWTIME SYNERGY!" tumblr:
xshowtimesynergyx.tumblr.com/
The cast link take from farrian twitter, she just like bklynbarbie, is a Jem fan that speaks her mind against all the lies in the movie:
twitter.com/fairren
The pic of the Chu and his co workers were taken from the the announcement video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzVnNVrunAE
More links to fans the trying to show the lies:
leggyone.tumblr.com/post/83910320326/jemthemovie-jem-movi…
everybodywearsamask.tumblr.com/
twitter.com/novemberfire
starlight100685.tumblr.com/
This is an example of how modern Jem movie could look like, I do admit that Jerrica is a bit out of her character and I don’t like the fact everybody knows she is Jem. But you can see the respect to the show and it’s always an amazing thing and the style is great and the whole video looks so cool: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGKqjs3KDiw
This is another example to a person who appreciate Jem and show his dedication and respect to the show, I don’t always agree with the casting choice (or with the outfits) but the music and the little comic in the video is really lovely:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghAdiwvvVpo

Thank you for taking the time to read it, even if you just read just some of the things it’s enough for me.

Posted by Turquoise _Cutie on 2014-05-31 19:04:42

Tagged: , notes,ZcSxKml0B1d5UVdQ.01 , ZcSxKml0B1d5UVdQ.01 , notes