I’ll say this, I could be wrong and way off about the upcoming live action JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS movie from director Jon Chu, but I’m betting fans of the original JEM aren’t going to like much of what they see here. First and foremost, outside of the look of the characters, there’s not much to this adaptation that remotely resembles the classic cartoon series. No magic, no adventures, just girls playing music and getting caught up in the dramatic underbelly of that industry – this might as well be another JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS movie. I’ll try to reserve too much judgement until I see the finished product, by right now I’m wondering why it’s even called the same name. The new trailer, which you can see below, introduces Synergy the robot, which is Jem’s way of holding on to her father’s memories and guidance – in the original animated series Synergy was a computer that projected holograms and protected Jem’s identity, but here he’s an adorable little droid robot. Chu directed the Justin Bieber documentary/concert film NEVER SAY NEVER, so I guess he fits with this… though he also directed G.I. JOE: RETALIATION. The film stars Aubrey Peeples, Stefanie Scott, Hayley Kiyoko, Aurora Perrineau, Juliette Lewis, Ryan Guzman and Molly Ringwald. Check out the new trailer below and see what you think.
As a small-town girl catapults from underground video sensation to global superstar, she and her three sisters begin a one-in-a-million journey of discovering that some talents are too special to keep hidden. In Universal Pictures’ Jem and the Holograms, four aspiring musicians will take the world by storm when they see that the key to creating your own destiny lies in finding your own voice.
Directed by Jon M. Chu (Step Up series, G.I. Joe: Retaliation), the musical adventure stars Aubrey Peeples, Stefanie Scott, Aurora Perrineau, Hayley Kiyoko, Ryan Guzman, Molly Ringwald and Juliette Lewis. Jem and the Holograms, based on the iconic Hasbro animated TV series, is written by Ryan Landels and produced by Chu, Jason Blum for Blumhouse Productions, Scooter Braun for SB Projects, Bennett Schneir, and Brian Goldner and Stephen Davis of Hasbro Studios.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
