Jem and the Holograms
Universal Pictures | Release Date: October 23, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
42
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
9
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzOct 23, 2015
Jem and the Holograms is one of the weirdest big screen adaptations of a cheap TV cartoon that I've seen. That's praise. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRebecca KeeganOct 22, 2015
In revisiting the pop rock quest of a multiracial group of adopted sisters in suburban California, Chu has made a stylish and self-aware musical fantasy for the YouTube generation. Read full review
68
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeOct 22, 2015
This new “Jem” might be pure cubic zirconium, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be part of a fun night out. Read full review
60
The GuardianJordan HoffmanOct 22, 2015
This movie sure means well, and it’s just entertaining enough to (slightly) slip off the shackles of the great cultural conformity factory it ultimately represents. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattOct 23, 2015
As silly and sometimes nonsensical as it is, the movie is surprisingly sweet and well-intentioned. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTom RussoOct 29, 2015
To Chu’s credit, he does work hard not only to legitimize 30-somethings’ halcyon recollections, but also to make the material relevant to a new generation. Read full review
50
New York PostSara StewartOct 22, 2015
Fans of the cartoon should stick around for Lewis’ after-credits sequence, which introduces a dastardly rival band. It’s the movie’s best scene, setting up a sequel we’ll never see. Read full review
50
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlOct 22, 2015
Chu and screenwriter Ryan Landels's take on fame is more fascinating than most of the film's drab, slow drama. Read full review
50
The PlaylistNick SchagerOct 22, 2015
Jem has less in common with its neon-drenched ‘80s source material than with the real-life Internet-to-red-carpet trajectory of Justin Bieber — a similarly generic teen idol with moves dully modeled on superior artistic predecessors. Read full review
40
Time Out LondonTom HuddlestonFeb 9, 2016
It’s all so horribly cynical, with every line, every twist and every note of music painstakingly focus-grouped to extract maximum cash value from the audience. Read full review
40
The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerOct 22, 2015
There are a few sweet moments early in Jem and the Holograms.... But then the movie’s lumbering, overstuffed, unfocused plot shows up, and whatever high hopes we might have had for this latest exploitation of 1980s nostalgia are slowly ground away. Read full review
40
VarietyGeoff BerkshireOct 22, 2015
Against all odds, “Nashville” series regular Peeples keeps the film watchable, delivering a capable star turn with enough flashes of soul to belie the script’s artifice and credible pop vocals to boot. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckOct 22, 2015
Reduced to a teen girl empowerment vehicle that trots out every show business cliche about sacrificing your values for stardom, the film is a non-starter. Read full review
25
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyOct 22, 2015
Its one saving grace is that Chu’s direction is so wildly inconsistent that it manages to produce a handful of genuinely gorgeous images alongside all of the cruddy ones. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleSteve DavisOct 31, 2015
Sure, Peeples has a nice (if unmemorable) voice, but the vapid storyline with fantastic overtones transports Jem and the Holograms into another dimension, one that’s utterly flat. Control. Alt. Delete. Read full review
12
Slant MagazineEric HendersonOct 23, 2015
It's the screenwriting equivalent of Ryan Adams sucking the pop vitality out of Taylor Swift's deliriously produced tunes. Read full review
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