If all you saw of the new Jem and the Holograms movie was the above image, you'd wonder how this is supposed to be based on the totally outrageous and glitterific cartoon and toy line from the 1980s. But that's just Jem's alter ego, Jerrica Benton (Aubrey Peeples), a shy, normal girl who secretly moonlights as the leader of a popular rock band.

The movie is set today -- and it arrives in theaters on October 23 -- with the Holograms taking on a retro '80s look for their image and sound, all the way down to their keytars. See that image (and a keytar), and ease your way back into the glitzy, glamorous world of Jem and those Holograms, below.

These new photos from the movie come to us via USA Today, and they illustrate the duality of the characters as they rise in fame under their '80s-inspired guises. Enjoy the stills, presented in alternating fashion to show the contrast of the girls' everyday and stage appearances, as well as some quotes from director Jon M. Chu and the cast. 

 

Here are the four girls who become the Holograms, played by Peeples (Jem), Aurora Perrineau (as Shana), Stefanie Scott (Kimber) and Hayley Kiyoko (Aja). 

The movie is "about a group of young people who are going to be inundated with this idea of fame and fortune and products and stuff, and within all that, how do you stay true to who you really are?" Chu says. "That's the real soul of the movie."

"How can you even have a secret identity with all this social media?" Chu asks. "But then it dawned on us: Wait, everybody has a secret identity. The idea of 'Who are you really?' is more relevant today than ever."

 

"She never wanted to pursue the big costumes, lots of makeup, all that stuff. But in a way it helps her hide and have the confidence to come out and be this persona," Peeples tells USA Today of why Jerrica and the others keep their daily identities separate from their rock star personalities.

 

"We see the transformation as she gets brought into it, getting seduced by it, and at the same time trying to find her real self in between those two identities," Chu adds, about the evils of fame.

 

Here's '80s icon Molly Ringwald, playing Jerrica/Jem's aunt/guardian, who also takes care of the other girls -- Kimber is Jem's actual sister and Shana and Aja are their foster siblings.

 

Find out more at USA Today.