For those of you who are fans of the Broadway musical, here is a list of the missing music:
"It Roars" (replaced with a song that's not as good)
"Where Do You Belong?" (What were they thinking by leaving out this showstopper?!)
"Meet The Plastics" (Only Regina's first few verses were sung. Gretchen & Karen's parts were cut)
"Fearless"
"Stop" (Again, what were they thinking by cutting out a showstopper?)
"What's Wrong With Me" (reprise)
"Whose House Is This?"
"More Is Better"
"Do This Thing"
This is supposed to be a film version of the musical, not a remake of the original fetch & flawless film. So, leaving out so many songs was a bad idea. The characters all suffered from this choice; they all seemed too bland.
Cady did not sing "Apex Predator." Instead, Damian sang "And though Janice is great, she does not have this power," while Janice shrugged. This was such a poor choice, because we didn't see Cady falling under Regina's spell. Gretchen's changing relationship with Regina didn't play out well. The actress who played Gretchen captured the character when she spoke, but when she sang "What's Wrong With Me" in Regina's closet, it just didn't make me feel for her. Something got lost in translation.
A lot of the comedy was lost in this version. Although "Sexy" was filmed well, Karen just wasn't as funny as she was in the 1st movie or the Broadway version. Damian wasn't as funny; without his biggest songs, he didn't shine.
"Fearless" may not have been the biggest hit song, but I felt the loss of it. There needed to be a sharply hit moment when Cady realizes she is the new Queen Bee, freed of her oppressive relationship with Regina. The original film used voiceover to convey that realization and the musical used the song "Fearless." The film musical kind of glossed it over.
Another thing that was missing was the image of all the plastics walking together, all looking beautiful and glamorous. "Being in the Plastics was like being famous." On Broadway, "Apex Predator" captured that feel, but in this movie, the song focused on Regina alone and lost the power of the clique.
The Plastics just weren't feminine enough. Everyone looked too tough. It was like this version took place at the "south side" school that the principal said he left in the original. Even the nerds didn't seem nerdy enough. Regina started out looking like she had already been eating Calteen bars for months and we didn't see her change after Cady tricked her.
The chemistry between Cady and Aaron also did not come through. Leaving out "More Is Better" and the Aaron's part in "Stupid With Love" didn't help.
"I See Stars" was a magical finale on Broadway, but this film did not end with musical magic.
What did I like? "Revenge Party" was still lots of fun and it was filmed in a colorful way. "World Burn" was done well, and "I'd Rather Be Me" had a great energy.
