From 1985 to 1988, the animated TV show “Jem” was an inspiration to many young girls. Almost three decades later, the popular TV series will become a movie, which will to premiere Oct. 23.

Sophomore Hailey Adams said she started watching ‘80s show to understand references and jokes her mom made. The first TV shows she watched was “Jem,” and she said it was funnier, more memorable and less annoying than TV shows today.

Adams said, “For me, (‘Jem’) made (the superstar life) seem a bit glamorous, but it made the girl seem independent. It made you want to move a bit out of your comfort zone. It made you want to be able to do things that you can be confident with doing. I thought that was really cool.”

According to Adams, “Jem” is about a girl named Jerrica Benton, owner of Starlight Music. Jerrica becomes Jem, her other identity, with the help of Synergy, a holographic computer, built by Jerrica’s late father. With Synergy, Jerrica can transform into Jem by disguising her features and giving her different clothing. The episodes concerned Jerrica keeping her identities separate and making sure no one found out about Synergy.

English teacher Kathleen Overbeck watched “Jem” when she was a young girl. She said she loved the music in the show, the bad teenage romance and the angst. She said she also enjoyed the good guy versus bad guy motif that was present with the rival band The Misfits, who messed up situations for Jem and her group.

“They would actually go to music videos as part of the show. I don’t know why, but I thought that that was really cool. It was also the time when MTV was coming out, so (Jem) was like a kid version of music videos,” Overbeck said. “They always had these really superficial plot lines that appeal to young girls. The music was the high point for me because I think many little girls aspire to be performers. So, ‘Jem’ kind of tapped into that.”

The movie is geared to the new generation. Many people who watched the TV show when they were young have expressed their outrage, as the director changed many aspects of the original material. Among the many changes is Synergy, now a small robot who plays videos of Jerrica’s childhood. Also, Jerrica is not the owner of Starlight Music. Instead she is a high school girl who becomes recognized through YouTube by Star Music, a famous music brand.

Jim Peterson, director of theater and film, said the changes, as is the case with many movie adaptations, were made because of the intended audience had changed. He said he thinks the producers were smart to change aspects of the TV show for the new movie.

“I think it’s a business. If you are going to make money, you’re going to appeal to the widest audience possible. They’re not going to risk a bunch of money on putting something that’s very niche. Nobody wants to make a cult classic. There’s no money in it,” Peterson said. “It’s great if it does turn in because you can let that revenue trickle. But a corporation’s not going to back a film to make a cult classic.”

Adams, who said she is excited to see the movie, said she believes when people watch the trailer they’re either going to be interested and watch the movie or they’re going to hate that it’s not like the ‘80s show. There has already been controversy online over the release of the new Jem trailer. Overbeck, however, said she will wait to see the movie at home, and she understands that they needed to change certain aspects of the TV show to appeal to the new generation.

“I think that to make any sort of movie about Jem, we’re constrained by the audience’s ability to believe in the science fiction of the original Jem. I don’t think that an audience today would really go and see movie where if you push your earring you transform with a hologram and become a new person,” Overbeck said. “The show may have a little increase in popularity because people may be curious as to what the original ‘Jem’ is and why the movie is being critiqued for not being accurate. But I don’t think it’s really going to be a blockbuster.”