Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
New student Cady Heron is welcomed into the top of the social food chain by the elite group of popular girls called ‘The Plastics,’ ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George and her minions Gretchen and Karen. However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina’s ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels, she finds herself prey in Regina’s crosshairs. As Cady sets to take down the group’s apex predator with the help of her outcast friends Janis and Damian, she must learn how to stay true to herself while navigating the most cutthroat jungle of all: high school.
The 2024 Mean Girls musical film is a adaptation of the Broadway musical, which itself was based on the 2004 film, making it doubly derivative — it scores very low on Novelty as a result. The plot follows the original beat-for-beat with little reinvention beyond the musical numbers, and the cinematic translation of the stage show feels awkward, with murky cinematography and staging that never fully escapes its theatrical origins. Acting is the relative bright spot, with Angourie Rice and Reneé Rapp delivering committed performances, particularly Rapp who commands attention as Regina George. The ending is formulaic and rushed, mirroring the original without earning its emotional beats in the new format. Overall a competent but largely unnecessary adaptation that struggles to justify its own existence beyond fan service.