Factually incorrect MLP cameo in "Jem and the Holograms" movie?

[Al-1701]

I think the camcorder timestamp and wrong ponies for the time issue is just a symptom of the movie's greater problem.  It was a cheap, sloppy production with no thought put into any facet of it.

[BlushingBlue]

Now I'm wondering if the timestamp was ever explained or . . . ?  In the cartoon Jem was probably in her 20s, did they start out with her in her 20s in the script and then change her to a teen?

This is getting a bit far afield of MLP, but I heard that Jon Chu did initially pitch the Jem movie as something much more faithful to the original cartoon, with adult Jerrica and secret supercomputers and the works, but Hasbro and Universal passed because they didn't think it would make a "realistic" live-action movie. (Apparently giant robotic aliens that turn into cars are believable but holograms and AI are crazytown. Okay. ) It might be possible that "Little Jerrica c. 1999" was an artifact from the first treatment that crept under the rewrite radar.

Or perhaps someone came up with the date using Aubrey Peeples' actual age without compensating for the "Dawson Casting". Either way, it's pretty sloppy even without the pony stuff further complicating things. I'm disappointed that Jem's legacy was treated with such casual disrespect overall. I believe an updated-but-still-Jem movie could have worked if they'd given it a chance and a proper budget. (The new comic is delightful, so I have faith that a modernized Jem can totally be done well, and with accurate MLP cameos too!) But even if it had to be a teen drama/ode to social media, it's still a shame that Jem wasn't given more polish. If the Jem movie fails, it only reinforces the stupid notion that girl-oriented movies are bad investments and

Spoiler

they won't make the teased sequel with KeshaPizzazz omgggg why wasn't this the whole movie in the first place you're killing me

I'll still be sure to catch it on Netflix though, just to see Molly Ringwald and Juliette Lewis do their thing and to play spot-the-reference. That way I can squee and/or grumble without spoiling any little kids' enjoyment of it.

[LadyMoondancer]

I haven't seen the Jem movie and don't intend to. I was so disappointed when I heard Jerrica, the rock star / CEO / generous philanthropist, was being turned into an angsty teenager.  One of the strengths of Jem was that it was about ADULT women working their way into the music business with determination.

But even if I wasn't upset about it not being a faithful adaptation, it just sounds nonsensical and bland.

Thank God they will never make a live action MLP movie (I hope.)

[Al-1701]

(Apparently giant robotic aliens that turn into cars are believable but holograms and AI are crazytown. Okay. )

Giant robotic aliens that turn into cars got more than a million dollars in their budget.  Jem had five million dollars.  They had to use Google Earth (with its watermarks still in tact) for scene transitions.

[Shadoweon]

I don't know much about that this movie other than it was an absolute disaster,probably even worse than that M. Night Shyamalan. movie version of Avatar:The Last Airbender.

One review I watched said they used youtube clips of people talking about Jem (the cartoon version) in the movie as if they were talking about the film version instead!

[Taffeta]

At least you guys have to be happy they brought her back. Or at least what looks like her 

I really hope that was said as an ironic joke .

I haven't seen the film yet - it has bombed at the box office so I am waiting to find out if it will meet it's UK release or not (it was December, now February, we'll see). I won't cry if it doesn't come here, but having collected Jem for the last 15 years and having put up with all the drama over it in the Jem community for the last two or thereabouts, I feel that I ought to see it in one way or another just to be able to comment on it.

I am a Misfit fan, but the dearth of them

Spoiler

And I do know there is a cameo appearance, I also know that for some reason there's no Raya but a Jetta who has a Mexican actress? Very odd)

in this movie is a good thing for me. Fewer things betrayed that way. It's a bit of a kick for Jem/Jerrica fans though to have all the positive attributes of her character from the first eps - the foster girls, company, her determination - reduced to the role of a teenager with a social media addicted sister(although I think modern Kimber would probably be addicted to social media). The clash of Jem/the Holograms is featured in one of the early episodes, Kimber's Rebellion I think (or part of Truly Outrageous) but that's as far as it got.

Jerrica is a seriously messed up individual by the end of the original series, true, creating a third identity and running off with Riot and all kinds of other things - and her actions sometimes as a heroine are enough to make your eyes fall out - but in the very start, she had good intentions, and I feel the movie ran roughshod over all of them.

The one big insult in the film for me is Synergy.

I really think it would have done better as a film if it had not been "Jem" but just a generic story about two sisters, family and the music industry. Jem the movie has to reflect Jem the original even in the modern age, and they just didn't go there. Someone on the Jem list posted a review which had interview information about the story being based loosely around Justin Bieber and also including an unused JB song. I think that says everything about the "true spirit" of the movie.

I'm also pretty sure no sequel is planned, from something Blum said...

[Galactica]

If only having the wrong era ponies in the flashback was the worst thing about this movie.

One interesting thing about the movie is that it made box office history as one of the  biggest wide-release bombs of all time.  Meaning it mostly played to completely empty theaters on it's opening weekend.

I will admit, I was not one of those lonely souls.  I'm sure since it bombed this bad it will be yanked quickly from theaters and we can expect to see it on Netflix or Amazon pretty soon (where I can watch it for free).

[Taffeta]

Even more ironically, given the delay/uncertain status of Jem in the UK, currently My Little Pony Friendship Games is airing at vue cinemas and they are having great fun advertising it all over their website.

So Hasbro must be happy in one quarter at least.

Christy has been very...tactful about the movie thus far and its airing. I think she's basically said nothing at all, but although I know she has a cameo, I am pretty sure it probably isn't the vision for Jem that she would have liked to see in a movie.

[Wardah]

If only having the wrong era ponies in the flashback was the worst thing about this movie.

One interesting thing about the movie is that it made box office history as one of the  biggest wide-release bombs of all time.  Meaning it mostly played to completely empty theaters on it's opening weekend.

I will admit, I was not one of those lonely souls.  I'm sure since it bombed this bad it will be yanked quickly from theaters and we can expect to see it on Netflix or Amazon pretty soon (where I can watch it for free).

I'm still worried they yanked the dolls. If they were as nice as the Descendants they would have sold well without the movie's help since the Descendants dolls started selling well before the movie. But I'm afraid retailers are going to say "why stock dolls for a movie that was the biggest bomb of all time?" and that will be that. I don't like the rubbery limbs the  vintage dolls have and the Integrity dolls while nice are way out of my price range.

[Taffeta]

I'm still worried they yanked the dolls.

I don't think there were ever actually going to be dolls, were there? There were a lot of rumours about it but nothing concrete ever came forward...it was not really aimed at a doll age group, and IT are continuing with the vintage ones regardless...

[LightingElectricDream]

I Hate you Hasbro!

I hope that someone that works for hasbro has a account here on the arena just so maybe they can see what people actuelly want, and I mean real people not popular movie stars.

Hasbro bring back the orginal JEM, and no we don't need a movie.
Hasbro how about making diffrent brushable ponies.

[Wardah]

I'm still worried they yanked the dolls.

I don't think there were ever actually going to be dolls, were there? There were a lot of rumours about it but nothing concrete ever came forward...it was not really aimed at a doll age group, and IT are continuing with the vintage ones regardless...

One of the actors got to see a head based on her character and talked about it in an interview. The IT ones are nice and I like to look at other ppls photos but they are too rich for my wallet.

[LadyMoondancer]

I doubt there were any plans for new Jem dolls, as they would be directly competing with the battle-of-the-bands Equestria Girls.

Which is part of the reason that set is weird to me.  If Hasbro KNEW they would be making a Jem movie, why not use the Rock 'n Roll theme for Jem dolls, not Equestria Girls dolls which could have literally any theme?  I don't get it.

Edit:  Okay, if an actor saw a headsculpt for a doll then I stand corrected.  That makes the whole thing seem even weirder to me, though.  In the 80s I could see a company making multiple rock' n roll lines profitable, but I'm not sure about today.

[Taffeta]

I doubt there were any plans for new Jem dolls, as they would be directly competing with the battle-of-the-bands Equestria Girls.

Which is part of the reason that set is weird to me.  If Hasbro KNEW they would be making a Jem movie, why not use the Rock 'n Roll theme for Jem dolls, not Equestria Girls dolls which could have literally any theme?  I don't get it.

I think Jem was quite simply incorporated into MLP as a better selling franchise. It's a safer bet, especially with Barbie's Rockin' Royals out as competition. It's a very poorly kept secret that Barbie and the Rockers did a lot of damage to the original Jem line, because Jem doll proportions made it harder to dress them with generic clothing and they were also more expensive. The line got cut at short notice but Barbie's line had an impact on it. Hasbro are safer with My Little Pony, because it's always been a more successful brand and the crossover in species allows them something that Barbie doesn't have.

In terms of new dolls, I didn't hear that story but I guess it didn't make it from production if that's the case. The sites that are usually on the pulse with stuff like this don't make any mention of a doll prototype for the movie line so it must have been shut down pretty quick as an idea.

[Sapphire-Light]

I doubt there were any plans for new Jem dolls, as they would be directly competing with the battle-of-the-bands Equestria Girls.

Which is part of the reason that set is weird to me.  If Hasbro KNEW they would be making a Jem movie, why not use the Rock 'n Roll theme for Jem dolls, not Equestria Girls dolls which could have literally any theme?  I don't get it.

I think Jem was quite simply incorporated into MLP as a better selling franchise. It's a safer bet, especially with Barbie's Rockin' Royals out as competition. It's a very poorly kept secret that Barbie and the Rockers did a lot of damage to the original Jem line, because Jem doll proportions made it harder to dress them with generic clothing and they were also more expensive. The line got cut at short notice but Barbie's line had an impact on it. Hasbro are safer with My Little Pony, because it's always been a more successful brand and the crossover in species allows them something that Barbie doesn't have.

In terms of new dolls, I didn't hear that story but I guess it didn't make it from production if that's the case. The sites that are usually on the pulse with stuff like this don't make any mention of a doll prototype for the movie line so it must have been shut down pretty quick as an idea.

Good explanation, I'm also assumning that Disney made pressure to Hasbro  to have ready the Desendants  dolls stock for the movie's premier and for the holidays, since Hasbro is also making the regular MLP, EG dolls and other toys of they own franchises I guess that they didn't had enough time, space or employees to further making experiments in the Jem movie dolls

That and plus the negative reaction of the first trailer