I absolutely had to write a review on this movie. Ok, so Tara is this super shy girl, and everyone knows it right? But then, Radio Rebel announces publicly that she wants to let her voice be heard?
How is it even a secret who Radio Rebel is? Also her voice isn't even changed, the pitch is the same, her tone, inflections, everything! So those two guys recording her voice and trying to match it to everyone's should match her identity to Tara's in seconds. Or at least know what her voice sounds like!
Also, Principal Moreno states that anyone who knows Radio Rebel's identity, and doesn't report it to her, will be in serious trouble. Yet:
-Two boys still desperately try to find who she is. (Still knowing they can be suspended for it)
-Tara lets her friend Audrey know, even though she knows the dire consequences her best friend may face. (Why?)
-People don't draw logical conclusions that Tara is Radio Rebel, even though their personalities and voices are the same.
I have a theory that the students know Tara was Radio Rebel all along because of how obvious is was, and that they were too afraid to report her to Principal Moreno because it'd take away their only chance to dance at school.
So what do we have here in terms of plot? Nothing, like I just explained, the central conflict is contrived and impossible to function as a story.
Characters?
None. All are cliches. The stereotypical bubbly best friend (Audrey), the mean principal who wants to shut down all the teenagers voices (Moreno), the guy who wants his music to mean something (Gavin), and the mean popular girl who is in almost every Disney movie (Stacy).
And the message? Done over a million times.
Pump up the Volume not only worked better as a story, but it included characters who were actual people, not caricatures. They started out and were presented as cliches, but they slowly became more nuanced. Nothing in the narrative shifts like this. Not even a little.
It's not a remake of Pump up the Volume, its just a more dumbed down version of its plot. So don't watch this film, go watch an anime, much more complex than this, much more unique, more unique characters/settings etc.... I'd recommend Naruto for beginners, or perhaps My Hero Academia.
How is it even a secret who Radio Rebel is? Also her voice isn't even changed, the pitch is the same, her tone, inflections, everything! So those two guys recording her voice and trying to match it to everyone's should match her identity to Tara's in seconds. Or at least know what her voice sounds like!
Also, Principal Moreno states that anyone who knows Radio Rebel's identity, and doesn't report it to her, will be in serious trouble. Yet:
-Two boys still desperately try to find who she is. (Still knowing they can be suspended for it)
-Tara lets her friend Audrey know, even though she knows the dire consequences her best friend may face. (Why?)
-People don't draw logical conclusions that Tara is Radio Rebel, even though their personalities and voices are the same.
I have a theory that the students know Tara was Radio Rebel all along because of how obvious is was, and that they were too afraid to report her to Principal Moreno because it'd take away their only chance to dance at school.
So what do we have here in terms of plot? Nothing, like I just explained, the central conflict is contrived and impossible to function as a story.
Characters?
None. All are cliches. The stereotypical bubbly best friend (Audrey), the mean principal who wants to shut down all the teenagers voices (Moreno), the guy who wants his music to mean something (Gavin), and the mean popular girl who is in almost every Disney movie (Stacy).
And the message? Done over a million times.
Pump up the Volume not only worked better as a story, but it included characters who were actual people, not caricatures. They started out and were presented as cliches, but they slowly became more nuanced. Nothing in the narrative shifts like this. Not even a little.
It's not a remake of Pump up the Volume, its just a more dumbed down version of its plot. So don't watch this film, go watch an anime, much more complex than this, much more unique, more unique characters/settings etc.... I'd recommend Naruto for beginners, or perhaps My Hero Academia.