The early 2000s was a time built upon emerging talent, eclectic fashion sense, theatrical makeup, and incredible moxie. 

 The 2004 “Mean Girls” comedy picture written by Tina Fey that stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, and Amanda Seyfried played a monumental role in this former generalization, and it also helped construct the foundation that many other 2000s pop-culture movie legends have assembled their own franchise upon. 

 Earlier this month on Jan. 12, the “Mean Girls” franchise made its way back to the big screen for the second time since its debut in 2004. 

 However, to many individuals’ surprise – especially those who did not do their research before watching the film in theaters – the movie had quite a different approach to the storyline than the 2004 film version. 

Rather than taking a traditional movie remake approach with the same script and delivery, the new 2024 version of the movie was – well, a movie musical. 

In 2018, the “Mean Girls” musical hit the broadway stage and was a massive hit right from the get-go. The “Mean Girls” musical soundtrack is incredibly diverse in musical structure, and has a myriad of astonishingly catchy lyrics. 

Similar to the cult classic movie “Legally Blonde,” the “Mean Girls” franchise followed a similar avenue to becoming a musical: the movie was taken apart, dissected, reworked, and put back together in song verse. 

 Nonetheless, the musical rendition of the film was sure to include most of the unforgettable quotes and hilarious one-liners from the original script. 

“Musical adaptations of beloved films and TV shows have been exploding in popularity in the past few years, becoming some of the most successful Broadway productions in recent memory. The trend is likely to continue,” the Backstage website described. “While the theatergoing public may be clamoring for new stage versions of famous movies, the trend presents a challenge for those in charge of writing each musical’s book. Creating a successful Broadway adaptation requires searching for the thin line between presenting something new and pandering to loyal fans of the original. Going too far in either direction risks being mocked as writing a retread of the original or trying too hard to distance itself from the source material.” 

The new 2024 movie musical version of “Mean Girls” has been getting mixed reviews from the media and critic community for the most part; mainly due to its newfound musical rebirth. 

Despite the theater community having loved the movie’s comeback as a musical in 2018 – and also loving it in theaters currently – the typical movie-going crowd has seemingly been on the unfavorable side of the criticism. 

Regardless of the adverse reactions to the film, it is still getting an abundance of praise as well. The 2024 “Mean Girls” plastic posse is portrayed by a new, talented, and downright stunning cast of actresses and actors. 

 “Get in loser, “Mean Girls” is entering its 2024 era,” the USA Today website encouraged.  “Featuring Angourie Rice in the Lindsay Lohan role as Cady Heron, the film focuses on Heron, a new student as she navigates the social pitfalls of high school and falls for the ex-boyfriend of Regina George (Reneé Rapp), imperious leader of the A-list Plastics clique.”

Additionally, the rest of the headlining cast is completed by Bebe Wood as Gretchen Wieners, Avantika Vandanapu as Karen Shetty, Auli’i Cravalho as Janis Ian, Jaquel Spivey as Damian, and Christopher Briney as the handsome-heartthrob Aaron Samuels. 

In spite of its mixed reviews and controversial content, many reports say that it is still one of the most perfect movies to kick-off your 2024 film viewing experience. 

Moreover, for those who are fans of the original film, the new rendition is an absolute “must-watch” seeing that there is an unmistakable, Easter egg appearance in the film by a member of the original cast – other than Mrs. Tina Fey who plays the same role as Ms. Norbury in both movies. 

 Whether you are a math-minded person similar to the main character Cady Heron, or an A-list popular diva like Regina George, all cliques and everyone in between, should give the “fetch” new “Mean Girls” movie-musical a chance. And if you happen to see the movie on a Wednesday, do not forget to wear pink. 

For information regarding the “Mean Girls” franchise and its new 2024 movie musical rendition, please visit www.meangirls.com/home/ and www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2023/11/08/mean-girls-2024-official-trailer-what-to-know/71510523007/.