Mean Girls (2024) premiered in theaters on Jan 12. The movie is a theatrical version of the Broadway musical that was inspired by the original movie released in 2004.

The movie is decent. However, I feel like an exact remake with a new cast would have been better received.

It would’ve been more satisfying to watch since a majority of people who went to watch the movie were because of their love for the original.

When you strip away all the things that made the original so good, what you’re left with is mediocracy.

They kept the original storyline and removed a majority of the iconic lines and scenes that solidified the original’s continuous social impact.

As a replacement, we were given songs that were cute but did not hold the same comedic weight as the original scenes.

The movie would be just as good without them if not better. The songs felt like filler scenes rather than something that added to the plot of the movie.

One of the most memorable scenes of the original movie is Cady chasing Regina into the school parking lot. Then, Regina says to Cady, “Do you know what they say about you?

That you’re a home-schooled jungle freak, who’s a less hot version of me.

So you can take that apology and shove it right up your hairy-” and then she’s hit by a bus. Quick-witted lines like that made the movie what it is. It made the movie a permanent part of pop culture.

This version of the movie does not have these lines. It shows Regina and Cady arguing and the only sound is Janis singing a song about how she doesn’t care if all her friends end up disappointing her.

The costumes were also lacking. The costume choices for Plastics were on trend with what high school kids are wearing today but that’s not the point of the Plastics.

The original Plastics were wearing Burberry skirts and limited edition Louis Vuitton handbags. They weren’t meant to be realistic, they were meant to be rich and out of reach.

The movie was also very clear about their sponsor deals. Regina George would not be using E.L.F. products but we were given a 5-second shot of their new lip oil falling out of her bag.

The cast selection was the shining star of the project.

Renee Rapp, who portrayed Regina George, completely stole the show. She did an amazing job of capturing Regina’s cunning demeanor while giving it a flirty twist that differentiates from the original.

Avantika Vandanapu, who portrayed Karen, had one of the most entertaining characters and songs in the movie. Her portrayal of Karen was funny but felt like she went a bit far. Karen was an airhead but still had substance.

Janis and Damian were portrayed by Auli’i Cravalho and Jaquel Spivey. They brought the comedic energy that the movie needed…

Tina Fey and Tim Meadows returned as Ms. Norbury and Principal Duvall respectively.

We also got an iconic cameo from another member of the original cast but you’ll have to watch the movie to see who it is.

The movie was targeted towards a younger generation. This was made clear when they advertised the movie as “Not Your Mother’s Mean Girls.” but that’s where it went wrong. It was missing the raunchiness of the original. Three out of five stars.

The movie was good but it will not stand the test of time in the way that the original did.