Equestria Girls: You People Tricked Me Into Giving This a Chance

[Dangit2019]

DISCLAIMER: If you want a semi-professional review instead of a late-night rant, head down to here instead:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.820374-Dangit2019s-Actual-Review-My-Little-Pony-Equestria-Girls

Rave reviews everywhere. "Oh, we told you it would be good!"

It seems like bronies who saw the movie in theaters were adament on letting me and every other skeptic know how dumb we are for not "trusting the writers" that we loved so much (even though there was only one writer on this, and I'm not a big fan of her work on the show).

Well, after seeing a cam of the movie on YouTube, I had a different reaction.

I started out having small little comments in my head, so I typed them all up in Notepad while I was watching the movie to document my intitial thoughts, starting at the point where human Pinkie shows up:

Spoiler: I present the mad scribbles of a man on the brink of sanity

Why the hell are Snips and Snails here?

Why couldn't they just have Gilda be the villain? It makes just as much sense if you could account for her knowing about the mirror.

Why the fuck is Spike a dog?

The stakes are way too convoluted for any scene to feel immediately weighty.

Trixie's scene was wonderful, but just reminded me more of how much she's being copied and called Sunset Shimmer.

Why the fuck are Snips and Snails in this motherfucking movie.

Wait, if the CMC aren't looking for their Cutie Marks, why did they make the same awful song?

Did they really just take a jab at Youtube comments instead of doing something to move this convoluted plot along.

Oh great, they just repeated the "Show Stoppers", that's a great episode to call back to (not).

Does anything else exist besides this school? They couldn't find a hotel, or stay with Fluttershy?

Dog Spike x Human Rarity = nononononononononononono

Wait till Twilight opens up an anatomy book and learns all sorts of things about her body...

"The whole world depends on [getting the crown]" But we aren't sure of that, are we?

I mean, she has to win the formal, so that she can get the crown, so that Sunset doesn't have it, so that she doesn't do...things...with it? The powers of a single element have never been shown before.

ANOTHER YOUTUBE JAB? NOW WITH POLITICS?

WE WERE FRIENDS ONCE? SDoIFJDSLFKSDLJFOISJd THat CHANGES EVERYTHING

Did all the characters become retarded in the humanverse? They never clarified why they disappointed each other? They never confronted each other about it? They separated after a single mishap?

RD would just show off, she wouldn't challenge an obvious newbie to a game she doesn't know how to play.

RD is still a shitty role model.

WE'RE DOING THE "EMBARASSING VIDEO" THING AGAIN? IS THERE NO OTHER WAY TO MAKE A TWIST IN THE STORY?

Twilight wouldn't blush. Twilight wouldn't play with her hair. Twilight is a confident young women...pony, not a giggling school girl you fucking motherfu

Why couldn't Twilight just find where the crown is and take it?

Wondercolts? What human would name their school mascot that?

WHY WOULD YOU CONSCIOUSLY MAKE A DOG IN LOVE WITH A HUMAN?

You know, the first song wasn't bad, but the 00's Disney pop isn't Ingram's, or any musician's, forte.

How do they know the elements for each other?

BRAD PLAYS THE ELECTRIC GUITAR. HE IS THE ANTI-BRONY.

I can't wait for the EDM remixes to come and fix this monstrosity that could easily be a good song.

If you're going to have Easter eggs, either have them be in the blink of an eye, or have them contribute to the story. Don't waste a single second of this movie just because you have the a surplus of time.

Wait, they photoshopped her into the pictures?

Wow, Luna is a fucking idiot. She's the type of person who would see a picture of Obama in a turban and post it on Facebook claiming "THIS IS YOUR PRESIDENT WAKE UP AMERICA"

I like how she brushes off Brad-I mean Flash Sentry instead of having a stupid first kiss. It would've been nice if she did this throughout the whole movie.

"Sure would like a scratch behind the ol' ears"? Really, McCarthy?

I've laughed about twice so far. I'm 50 minutes in. Andy Worhol's "Empire" had more clever humor than this.

Well, at least Luna has a differently proportioned body. Everyone else is either comically big (Granny Smith lunchlady) or ripped out of the Bratz universe.

"Like the Grand Galloping Gala" is starting to describe this pretty well, actually.

AND FLASH SHOWS UP IN A SPORTS CAR AND EXPENSIVE SUIT. DID SHE BLUSH? REMEMBER KIDS, THAT'S WHAT MAKES A MAN: PLAYS GUITAR, ON THE FOOTBALL TEAM, AND DRIVES A CUSTOM PAINTED SPORTSCAR. STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERIZATION AT IT'S FUCKING BEST.

A sledgehammer?

Okay, the violent implications of that enough outweigh her immediate dismissal of using it to hit something. It's very obvious that Twilight thought Spike was in danger of getting his head caved in.

Also, "I'm not a monster...but, I will doom you to live the rest of your days in this alternate dimension with me."

How do we know the sledge hammer wouldn't just fall through the portal like the crown did?

Woah, woah, woah...this is giving me a brain fuck. "Equestria can survive without me and my element"? THAN WHY THE FUCK DID YOU COME THROUGH THE DAMN PORTAL TO GET IT? And what damage is Sunset going to do now? Become the alpha ***** popular girl...again? This is why a high school environment is shit, because high school hierarchy doesn't actually mean anything.

RD made that face. The one from Applebuck.

Do Snips and Snails just blindly follow anyone who's evil? What is our reason for liking them at all again? Because they've never been the villains themselves.

Wait, Sunset Shimmer just put on the crown for the first time. Was she above taking it by force earlier? Wait, if she didn't come in with it (Fluttershy retrieved it first), than did it come through before or after her? But wait, she did get it back from Fluttershy in the beginning, so why didn't she just put it on instantly and begin her reign? What the fuck is happening I don't even

What the fuck? (reaction to demon Shimmer)

What the serious motherfucking fuck? (reaction to demon Snips and Snail)

"It really should've been mine all along!" Well then, you should've put it on instead of waiting for this night to happen.

Okay, so we got our fantastic dramatic villain, and all it took was a full hour of lazily written alpha *****. Yay.

(obvious Wilhelm scream) That didn't go into the mix very well.

"I want Equestria!" Well, fuckin' A, you should've come out with that right off the bat, I would've given a fuck earlier.

So, is this entire dimension just a high school? She just called it "a pathetic little high school". Why did Twilight care about it before, again?

Wait, we were saved by a deus ex machina power?

It "connected" with those who made them? But these aren't the ponies who made it?

Why did they just become hybrids?

I'm getting some weird biblical imagery here.

And then they all died. The end. I feel bad, because they actually made me not give a shit about these beloved characters.

Someone is actually crying in the theater of the cam I'm watching. Really, bronies?

Okay, yeah, go suck Hasbro's bulbous dick.

RD instantly knows how to fly. WOIUJKNEFDVOI

Random: Where is Zecora? Or any zebras?

We really had to reform this villain, too? This time without reason? Or setup? Oh, I get it, the mane 5 can teach you. So Sunset is going to be this world's Twilight? I'm still confused about why this world doesn't have a Twilight.

Oh, fuck off Brad. AND STOP BLUSHING, DAMMIT.

WOO LET'S PARTY! THERE'S HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS IN PROPERTY DAMAGE, AND MAGIC IS REAL, AND PEOPLE JUST GOT WINGS AND PONY EARS, BUT LET'S NOT LET THAT DISTRACT US FROM DANCING TO VINYL SCRATCH BECAUSE FANDOM.

I really hope that S4 is better than this. I mean, I liked Season 3, but damn.

Were the ponies standing there for two days?

STOP BLUSHING, ************.

Final laughter count: 2. In 70 minutes. A usual episode of the show will make laugh more before it gets to the fucking theme song.

In closing, this has some charm, but the writing is just too sloppy and amateurish. The story comes off like a slightly bearable fanfiction, which is about a 3/10 in the show's standard. I suddenly have so much appreciation for Magical Mystery Cure because that had potential for a two-parter, but was compressed beyond its limit, whereas this had the potential for a 20-minute episode, and was dragged out to 70 through insipid jokes and conflicts that were stretched out in setup, but made almost meaningless by their redundant resolutions.

It's like they knew that people wouldn't give a shit about a high school dimension, so they tried to convince us, and then came back saying "OH WAIT SHE ACTUALLY WANTS EQUESTRIA WHICH IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT" and then turned back around and wanted us to care about the human world again.

Speaking of, it's common for these "duel universe" stories to have some closure when the connection (here being Twilight and Spike) is severed. Like a little note, or a gift, or a hint that the 2 worlds will meet again. Here, she just leaves, Pinkie says "bummer", and each world's supposed to sort of just forget what happened with the other. Like a one-night stand, the human world's expected to move on and push the events with the other world to the back of their minds.

I think the reason I dislike this movie so much right now is really just two reasons:

1. It made me not give a shit about the characters. That took a lot. I mean, these are some of my favorite characters ever, and for the first time...I honestly either despised them or couldn't give a shit about their being there. They acted like retarded school girls in service of the plot, and were flanderized to all hell. What's RD's character in this movie? I'll tell you: she plays sports and says "awesome" every now and then. That's Star Wars prequel levels of shit characterization.

2. It felt like a business venture just to sell toys. Which it is (and so is the show itself), but you know...the main reason people liked the show was that it never felt like that. It had these stories that felt so engaging even though they had been done hundreds of time before. Similar to a grandfather telling older-than-dirt jokes, MLP isn't original in any way, but it nails it on the sincerity and the execution. Equestria Girls lacks both. If we hadn't known about this movie's every detail before we saw it, the human world would've come out of nowhere, and almost every joke is a self-aware, Joss Whedon-style, snark instead of a lighthearted gag. And that can work, but it's not even close to being MLP.

So yeah, 3/10. I've never disliked an MLP work as much as this one. The whole thing felt to me like a direct-to-DVD Barbie movie, and while I am self aware to know that they're in the same ballpark, FiM really is just so much above this.

Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to sacrifice a small goat in hopes that the Almighty will be pleased and grant me a better season 4.

 

[Ishal]

Rave reviews everywhere. "Oh, we told you it would be good!"

It seems like bronies who saw the movie in theaters were adament on letting me and every other skeptic know how dumb we are for not "trusting the writers" that we loved so much (even though there was only one writer on this, and I'm not a big fan of her work on the show).

Well, after seeing a cam of the movie on YouTube, I had a different reaction.

I started out having small little comments in my head, so I typed them all up in Notepad while I was watching the movie to document my intitial thoughts, starting at the point where human Pinkie shows up:

Spoiler: I present the mad scribbles of a man on the brink of sanity

Why the hell are Snips and Snails here?

Why couldn't they just have Gilda be the villain? It makes just as much sense if you could account for her knowing about the mirror.

Why the fuck is Spike a dog?

The stakes are way too convoluted for any scene to feel immediately weighty.

Trixie's scene was wonderful, but just reminded me more of how much she's being copied and called Sunset Shimmer.

Why the fuck are Snips and Snails in this motherfucking movie.

Wait, if the CMC aren't looking for their Cutie Marks, why did they make the same awful song?

Did they really just take a jab at Youtube comments instead of doing something to move this convoluted plot along.

Oh great, they just repeated the "Show Stoppers", that's a great episode to call back to (not).

Does anything else exist besides this school? They couldn't find a hotel, or stay with Fluttershy?

Dog Spike x Human Rarity = nononononononononononono

Wait till Twilight opens up an anatomy book and learns all sorts of things about her body...

"The whole world depends on [getting the crown]" But we aren't sure of that, are we?

I mean, she has to win the formal, so that she can get the crown, so that Sunset doesn't have it, so that she doesn't do...things...with it? The powers of a single element have never been shown before.

ANOTHER YOUTUBE JAB? NOW WITH POLITICS?

WE WERE FRIENDS ONCE? SDoIFJDSLFKSDLJFOISJd THat CHANGES EVERYTHING

Did all the characters become retarded in the humanverse? They never clarified why they disappointed each other? They never confronted each other about it? They separated after a single mishap?

RD would just show off, she wouldn't challenge an obvious newbie to a game she doesn't know how to play.

RD is still a shitty role model.

WE'RE DOING THE "EMBARASSING VIDEO" THING AGAIN? IS THERE NO OTHER WAY TO MAKE A TWIST IN THE STORY?

Twilight wouldn't blush. Twilight wouldn't play with her hair. Twilight is a confident young women...pony, not a giggling school girl you fucking motherfu

Why couldn't Twilight just find where the crown is and take it?

Wondercolts? What human would name their school mascot that?

WHY WOULD YOU CONSCIOUSLY MAKE A DOG IN LOVE WITH A HUMAN?

You know, the first song wasn't bad, but the 00's Disney pop isn't Ingram's, or any musician's, forte.

How do they know the elements for each other?

BRAD PLAYS THE ELECTRIC GUITAR. HE IS THE ANTI-BRONY.

I can't wait for the EDM remixes to come and fix this monstrosity that could easily be a good song.

If you're going to have Easter eggs, either have them be in the blink of an eye, or have them contribute to the story. Don't waste a single second of this movie just because you have the a surplus of time.

Wait, they photoshopped her into the pictures?

Wow, Luna is a fucking idiot. She's the type of person who would see a picture of Obama in a turban and post it on Facebook claiming "THIS IS YOUR PRESIDENT WAKE UP AMERICA"

I like how she brushes off Brad-I mean Flash Sentry instead of having a stupid first kiss. It would've been nice if she did this throughout the whole movie.

"Sure would like a scratch behind the ol' ears"? Really, McCarthy?

I've laughed about twice so far. I'm 50 minutes in. Andy Worhol's "Empire" had more clever humor than this.

Well, at least Luna has a differently proportioned body. Everyone else is either comically big (Granny Smith lunchlady) or ripped out of the Bratz universe.

"Like the Grand Galloping Gala" is starting to describe this pretty well, actually.

AND FLASH SHOWS UP IN A SPORTS CAR AND EXPENSIVE SUIT. DID SHE BLUSH? REMEMBER KIDS, THAT'S WHAT MAKES A MAN: PLAYS GUITAR, ON THE FOOTBALL TEAM, AND DRIVES A CUSTOM PAINTED SPORTSCAR. STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERIZATION AT IT'S FUCKING BEST.

A sledgehammer?

Okay, the violent implications of that enough outweigh her immediate dismissal of using it to hit something. It's very obvious that Twilight thought Spike was in danger of getting his head caved in.

Also, "I'm not a monster...but, I will doom you to live the rest of your days in this alternate dimension with me."

How do we know the sledge hammer wouldn't just fall through the portal like the crown did?

Woah, woah, woah...this is giving me a brain fuck. "Equestria can survive without me and my element"? THAN WHY THE FUCK DID YOU COME THROUGH THE DAMN PORTAL TO GET IT? And what damage is Sunset going to do now? Become the alpha ***** popular girl...again? This is why a high school environment is shit, because high school hierarchy doesn't actually mean anything.

RD made that face. The one from Applebuck.

Do Snips and Snails just blindly follow anyone who's evil? What is our reason for liking them at all again? Because they've never been the villains themselves.

Wait, Sunset Shimmer just put on the crown for the first time. Was she above taking it by force earlier? Wait, if she didn't come in with it (Fluttershy retrieved it first), than did it come through before or after her? But wait, she did get it back from Fluttershy in the beginning, so why didn't she just put it on instantly and begin her reign? What the fuck is happening I don't even

What the fuck? (reaction to demon Shimmer)

What the serious motherfucking fuck? (reaction to demon Snips and Snail)

"It really should've been mine all along!" Well then, you should've put it on instead of waiting for this night to happen.

Okay, so we got our fantastic dramatic villain, and all it took was a full hour of lazily written alpha *****. Yay.

(obvious Wilhelm scream) That didn't go into the mix very well.

"I want Equestria!" Well, fuckin' A, you should've come out with that right off the bat, I would've given a fuck earlier.

So, is this entire dimension just a high school? She just called it "a pathetic little high school". Why did Twilight care about it before, again?

Wait, we were saved by a deus ex machina power?

It "connected" with those who made them? But these aren't the ponies who made it?

Why did they just become hybrids?

I'm getting some weird biblical imagery here.

And then they all died. The end. I feel bad, because they actually made me not give a shit about these beloved characters.

Someone is actually crying in the theater of the cam I'm watching. Really, bronies?

Okay, yeah, go suck Hasbro's bulbous dick.

RD instantly knows how to fly. WOIUJKNEFDVOI

Random: Where is Zecora? Or any zebras?

We really had to reform this villain, too? This time without reason? Or setup? Oh, I get it, the mane 5 can teach you. So Sunset is going to be this world's Twilight? I'm still confused about why this world doesn't have a Twilight.

Oh, fuck off Brad. AND STOP BLUSHING, DAMMIT.

WOO LET'S PARTY! THERE'S HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS IN PROPERTY DAMAGE, AND MAGIC IS REAL, AND PEOPLE JUST GOT WINGS AND PONY EARS, BUT LET'S NOT LET THAT DISTRACT US FROM DANCING TO VINYL SCRATCH BECAUSE FANDOM.

I really hope that S4 is better than this. I mean, I liked Season 3, but damn.

Were the ponies standing there for two days?

STOP BLUSHING, ************.

Final laughter count: 2. In 70 minutes. A usual episode of the show will make laugh more before it gets to the fucking theme song.

In closing, this has some charm, but the writing is just too sloppy and amateurish. The story comes off like a slightly bearable fanfiction, which is about a 3/10 in the show's standard. I suddenly have so much appreciation for Magical Mystery Cure because that had potential for a two-parter, but was compressed beyond its limit, whereas this had the potential for a 20-minute episode, and was dragged out to 70 through insipid jokes and conflicts that were stretched out in setup, but made almost meaningless by their redundant resolutions.

It's like they knew that people wouldn't give a shit about a high school dimension, so they tried to convince us, and then came back saying "OH WAIT SHE ACTUALLY WANTS EQUESTRIA WHICH IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT" and then turned back around and wanted us to care about the human world again.

Speaking of, it's common for these "duel universe" stories to have some closure when the connection (here being Twilight and Spike) is severed. Like a little note, or a gift, or a hint that the 2 worlds will meet again. Here, she just leaves, Pinkie says "bummer", and each world's supposed to sort of just forget what happened with the other. Like a one-night stand, the human world's expected to move on and push the events with the other world to the back of their minds.

I think the reason I dislike this movie so much right now is really just two reasons:

1. It made me not give a shit about the characters. That took a lot. I mean, these are some of my favorite characters ever, and for the first time...I honestly either despised them or couldn't give a shit about their being there. They acted like retarded school girls in service of the plot, and were flanderized to all hell. What's RD's character in this movie? I'll tell you: she plays sports and says "awesome" every now and then. That's Star Wars prequel levels of shit characterization.

2. It felt like a business venture just to sell toys. Which it is (and so is the show itself), but you know...the main reason people liked the show was that it never felt like that. It had these stories that felt so engaging even though they had been done hundreds of time before. Similar to a grandfather telling older-than-dirt jokes, MLP isn't original in any way, but it nails it on the sincerity and the execution. Equestria Girls lacks both. If we hadn't known about this movie's every detail before we saw it, the human world would've come out of nowhere, and almost every joke is a self-aware, Joss Whedon-style, snark instead of a lighthearted gag. And that can work, but it's not even close to being MLP.

So yeah, 3/10. I've never disliked an MLP work as much as this one. The whole thing felt to me like a direct-to-DVD Barbie movie, and while I am self aware to know that they're in the same ballpark, FiM really is just so much above this.

Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to sacrifice a small goat in hopes that the Almighty will be pleased and grant me a better season 4.

Meh, I thought it was good for what it was.

All I see is a bunch of rage obssessed lunatics who want to hate anyone and anything for liking something they don't. (note: not saying you are one of those people)

Could it be possible that your opinion on it was colored by all the fans telling you it was going to be so good, and when it wasn't in your opinion, it hurt that much more? I'm not being accusatory, I'm seriously asking.

Personally, the reintroduction of the mane cast was very similar or "copy pasta" from the first two episodes. So you thought that was bland and uninteresting? Fair enough. Although it is my personal opinion if they attempted to do something different the fandom, mainly the more intense... and dare I say... troubled... parts would have claimed they did it wrong, or whatever.

This was going to be a hit or miss with the bronies. No getting around it. I don't see where there was "joss whedon snark" I tend to dislike snark and disingenuous humor... maybe I missed it. I dunno.

All I know is that the music was good, people said they were let down by Daniel Ingram. I can't disagree more. I didn't love the music, the first two songs were good and I already have a remix of the twilight wing the crown thing on my music player. I think it showcased his talent for making something pop and high school related.

Most importantly, i think the writing is going to be amazing in season 4. Twilight GIVING a lesson to SS at the end of the movie? Proving she is indeed ready for her role as a princess? All of my yes. Plus Spike was at his absolute best in this movie. I don't know... I'm not a big fan of movies as an art form, I think a lot of other mediums do it better.

But when you say this...

What's RD's character in this movie? I'll tell you: she plays sports and says "awesome" every now and then. That's Star Wars prequel levels of shit characterization.

It makes me facepalm. I don't expect them to give RD the amount of characterization in 1 movie the characterization she has built in the 60 something episodes of the show. I don't expect that from a movie, I just don't. Am I wrong for having low expectations? I don't know, you tell me. I don't expect these things from movies as I said, so I think a statement like that is a bit unfair.

My problem is with people proclaiming already that season 4 will be crap because they think this was. I don't get it.

 

[Dangit2019]

Meh, I thought it was good for what it was.

This isn't really shining praise.

All I see is a bunch of rage obssessed lunatics who want to hate anyone and anything for liking something they don't. (note: not saying you are one of those people)

Could it be possible that your opinion on it was colored by all the fans telling you it was going to be so good, and when it wasn't in your opinion, it hurt that much more? I'm not being accusatory, I'm seriously asking.

Actually, I had low expectations, and then was turned around slightly by all the praise it got around the fandom. So believe it or not, I didn't want this to suck, and if I did, I would've rather it had been more entertainingly bad instead of just being sort of broken like it is.

Personally, the reintroduction of the mane cast was very similar or "copy pasta" from the first two episodes. So you thought that was bland and uninteresting? Fair enough. Although it is my personal opinion if they attempted to do something different the fandom, mainly the more intense... and dare I say... troubled... parts would have claimed they did it wrong, or whatever.

I think redundant is the word I'd describe it with. We know these characters. The target audience knows these characters. And even if we don't, just borrowing from the first episodes is not a formula for success. And who cares if someone on 4chan doesn't like the way the new introductions are handled? The kiddie audience will still give money, so they should have the balls to try something new. I for example, found more wrong in them wasting my time going through the motions of an already well-told story.

This was going to be a hit or miss with the bronies. No getting around it. I don't see where there was "joss whedon snark" I tend to dislike snark and disingenuous humor... maybe I missed it. I dunno.

That was more pointed towards the metahumor, ie the entire CMC Youtube scene (which did nothing to move the plot along, btw)

All I know is that the music was good, people said they were let down by Daniel Ingram. I can't disagree more. I didn't love the music, the first two songs were good and I already have a remix of the twilight wing the crown thing on my music player. I think it showcased his talent for making something pop and high school related.

That's something no one can argue about. I just didn't like the Disneypop approach. If you did, okay then.

Most importantly, i think the writing is going to be amazing in season 4. Twilight GIVING a lesson to SS at the end of the movie? Proving she is indeed ready for her role as a princess? All of my yes. Plus Spike was at his absolute best in this movie. I don't know... I'm not a big fan of movies as an art form, I think a lot of other mediums do it better.

Twilight teaching a lesson would've been freakin' awesome if Sunset Shimmer didn't immediately accept this lesson without any previous setup or precedent for her huge shift in character. I mean, one minute, she's ready to destroy everything, the next, she's a tame little puppy. It takes more than a defeat and a paragraph-length speech to have a character do a 180 like that.

And what did Spike truly do in this movie? I mean, besides jokes and such, what was his importance to the story? The only things I could find were that he was:

A. Someone Twilight could verbalize exposition towards.
B. A quick plot device when Snips and Snails took him at the end.

I wouldn't call it his absolute best.

But when you say this...

What's RD's character in this movie? I'll tell you: she plays sports and says "awesome" every now and then. That's Star Wars prequel levels of shit characterization.

It makes me facepalm. I don't expect them to give RD the amount of characterization in 1 movie the characterization she has built in the 60 something episodes of the show. I don't expect that from a movie, I just don't. Am I wrong for having low expectations? I don't know, you tell me. I don't expect these things from movies as I said, so I think a statement like that is a bit unfair.

Her character in this movie is one-note, her actions don't affect the story or the conflict in any way, and she acts along with the rest of the non-Twilight Mane 6 as being in the background while Twilight solely drives the story. Her character in this movie is moot, and the only reason she's here is because the situation and show expectation demands her being here. Snips & Snails had better characterization in this movie than her because their actions actually affected a lot of what happened in the plot.

Also, if we are looking at a movie of any kind on a critical level, low expectations aren't usually helpful to the discussion. It's fine if you enjoyed it despite it's (cough cough numerous) flaws, but that doesn't mean anything to a discussion of the movie's overall quality.

It's like someone saying that people should stop criticizing the Transformers movies because all they wanted to see was robots blowing shit up and Shia Lebeouf running away from them.

My problem is with people proclaiming already that season 4 will be crap because they think this was. I don't get it.

And I never said it would be. In fact, I'm still very hopeful for some reason.

Anyway, if you want to see my problems with the movie in full detail, I made an actual review right here. Maybe it'll clear up a few concerns as I wrote this rant at 1 AM just trying to finish it so I could get some sleep.

 

[Ishal]

This isn't really shining praise.
snip

That's true. Where you rate it a 3 I'd give it more of a 6 or 7. It's not perfect, but its not a disaster either.

And who cares if someone on 4chan doesn't like the way the new introductions are handled? The kiddie audience will still give money, so they should have the balls to try something new. I for example, found more wrong in them wasting my time going through the motions of an already well-told story.

Fair point. But I think there is something to be said about sticking with the tried and true proven formula instead of trying something new and risky in their (first?) movie. This was meant to be a pilot for a new show they will put together if this does well. I can understand why they would want to play it safe. I completely understand why you don't like it. It strikes me as similar to why moviebob doesn't like JJ Abrams because he plays it safe. At least I think that is hi reasoning. It didn't bother me too much.

Twilight teaching a lesson would've been freakin' awesome if Sunset Shimmer didn't immediately accept this lesson without any previous setup or precedent for her huge shift in character. I mean, one minute, she's ready to destroy everything, the next, she's a tame little puppy. It takes more than a defeat and a paragraph-length speech to have a character do a 180 like that.

A lot of people seem to be hung up on this. I don't think its a big deal. I wouldn't call her evil like NMM or Chrysalis, I'd call her misguided. She's very much on the same level as Twilight in regard to her name (mirror of Twilight Sparkle) and being a former student of Celestia. I would have liked to see that expanded on, but no such luck. She was utterly defeated using all the power she thought she could have, what else was she going to do? Also the way the students all looked at her, I think peer pressure came into it too. Also, bear in mind they really seemed to set her up to learn about the magic of friendship from the human mane 6. To me, that indicates her as the possible main character in the EQG show if it does indeed happen.

And what did Spike truly do in this movie? I mean, besides jokes and such, what was his importance to the story? The only things I could find were that he was:

A. Someone Twilight could verbalize exposition towards.
B. A quick plot device when Snips and Snails took him at the end.

I wouldn't call it his absolute best.

I kinda would call it his best, or close to it. Many people consider spike at your service to be tied for worst episode of the series, if not the worst. I certainly didn't like it either. It was all about him failing and being an idiot about being an assistant, his job. It also made him look dumb, whereas previously he has been shown to have common sense and be a source of sarcastic jokes at the expense of the mane 6. He's kind of a douche, but in a loveable way.

In the movie he proves himself invaluable by giving twilight advice, providing a place for her to sleep. He attempts to make her seem less awkward and corrects her every time she almost reveals something about equestria or says "everypony" etc. After Spike at Your Service, it was nice to seem him return to form.

Her character in this movie is one-note, her actions don't affect the story or the conflict in any way, and she acts along with the rest of the non-Twilight Mane 6 as being in the background while Twilight solely drives the story. Her character in this movie is moot, and the only reason she's here is because the situation and show expectation demands her being here. Snips & Snails had better characterization in this movie than her because their actions actually affected a lot of what happened in the plot.

Bias aside, since RD is arguably my least favorite next to Pinkie Pie, this really didn't bother me all that much. I can see what you mean though. I remember watching and thinking they were taking a really long time to introduce her character.

I read your review, and understand a lot of where you were coming from. Thing is, for me, I was different from a lot of other bronies. The setting actually doesn't bother me, but its what goes on there that bothers me. I feel they downplayed all the stuff that would have rubbed me the wrong way like the drama and the love interest. Having Flash Sentry was my real big criticism of the movie, no matter what they did with him it still felt like he was just put in there to be there because reasons.... marketing reasons. The movie should have been a straight to DVD thing, but Hasbro likely wanted to drum up talk around it like they did with the coronation thing at the end of season 3.

The big part of the movie that sold me on it was the climax. I thought it was well done if a little rushed. SS's redemption felt genuine and the writers actually seem to be acknowledging that Twilight Alicorn is a thing. I can't stress how important I think that is. It was feared by many that the writers would just act like Twilight is no different and the princess thing never really happened. But with her giving a friendship lesson at the end it seems to solidify that the "learning about friendship" arc is over, at least for Twilight. As someone who genuinely thinks she is best mane 6 pony, I couldn't be happier.

 

[Mocmocman]

Wow, Luna is a fucking idiot. She's the type of person who would see a picture of Obama in a turban and post it on Facebook claiming "THIS IS YOUR PRESIDENT WAKE UP AMERICA"

THEY. DID. WHAT?!?!?

 

[AlbertoDeSanta]

I heartily disagree. Whilst I was among the bandwagon that loathed the idea of it, I gave it a chance and was pleasantly surprised. Out of 10, I'd give it an 8. The story, was inevitably, very contrived and the ending didn't make too much sense, but I very much enjoyed it. The songs were pretty good as well. Overall, it was much better then the Season finale of season 3, which is always a welcomed site in my opinion.

 

[ThreeName]

Fandom creeps me out. I literally don't understand it.

Like, what the fuck

 

[Dangit2019]

Fandom creeps me out. I literally don't understand it.

Like, what the fuck

Well, your about 2 years late. But please feel free to add another "why are bronies a thing" thread to the pile currently stacking up in off-topic.

Wow, Luna is a fucking idiot. She's the type of person who would see a picture of Obama in a turban and post it on Facebook claiming "THIS IS YOUR PRESIDENT WAKE UP AMERICA"

THEY. DID. WHAT?!?!?

Okay, I'm not sure what you're freaking out about, so here's 2 answers depending on what you're responding to:

A. Assuming this happened in the movie

It didn't, it's just a joke.

B. This actually happens in real life

Yes it does, and all you have to do is go to the American south.

 

[kortin]

Fandom creeps me out. I literally don't understand it.

Like, what the fuck

Good for you.


The entire thing was shit. I want three hours back or however the fuck long that shit movie was. The most disheartening to come out of it is proof that bronies have no standards.

 

[silver wolf009]

I hate this movie. So much. I haven't even seen it, and I hate it with all my fucking soul.

Why?

Because none of my fanfic has ever been given a budget!

Fandom creeps me out. I literally don't understand it.

Like, what the fuck

There's so much content, you're sure to find something you like, ponified with a few puns thrown in. It's good fun.

And some may even get you to tear up...

And a good amount is diabetus levels of cute.

And sorry, cannot spoil, because some F***ing ad is in my way.

 

[Klagermeister]

Fandom creeps me out. I literally don't understand it.

Like, what the fuck

If that's all you came here to say, then wow man, way to beat a dead horse.

I've het to see Equestria Girls,but when it comes to movies I find it hard to truly hate something. Plus with the source material I feel I'd enjoy it.

Some like it, some don't. Just like with MLP itself.

 

[Dangit2019]

Fandom creeps me out. I literally don't understand it.

Like, what the fuck

If that's all you came here to say, then wow man, way to beat a dead horse.

No. I will not allow such horrifyingly bad puns in my thread.

LEAVE MY PRESENCE!

 

[silver wolf009]

Fandom creeps me out. I literally don't understand it.

Like, what the fuck

If that's all you came here to say, then wow man, way to beat a dead horse.

No. I will not allow such horrifyingly bad puns in my thread.

LEAVE MY PRESENCE!

You called him out on it when I wouldn't. I applaud you good sir.

 

[Valkrex]

Well sir I must say that I wholeheartedly disagree with everything you said. I personally loved it and didn't see any of the flaws you pointed out, but whatever, not everyone is going to like the same stuff.

Props for giving it a chance.

 

[Mocmocman]

Wow, Luna is a fucking idiot. She's the type of person who would see a picture of Obama in a turban and post it on Facebook claiming "THIS IS YOUR PRESIDENT WAKE UP AMERICA"

THEY. DID. WHAT?!?!?

Okay, I'm not sure what you're freaking out about, so here's 2 answers depending on what you're responding to:

A. Assuming this happened in the movie

It didn't, it's just a joke.

B. This actually happens in real life

Yes it does, and all you have to do is go to the American south.

It's actually just me worrying about the how they handled the character. I really like Luna. My statement was more of a "comical overreaction" and I can see how it wasn't clear. Sorry.
Oh, and I don't even need to go south. I live within biking distance of Focus on the Fucking Family,so I'm quite familiar with that kind of idiocy.

 

[Dangit2019]

It's actually just me worrying about the how they handled the character. I really like Luna. My statement was more of a "comical overreaction" and I can see how it wasn't clear. Sorry.
Oh, and I don't even need to go south. I live within biking distance of Focus on the Fucking Family,so I'm quite familiar with that kind of idiocy.

Don't worry, your waifu beloved character is handled just fine in the movie. That is to say, she shows up for that one scene, does her part, and disappears without any further lines.

I was just making a joke about how easily she fell for an obvious redneck photoshop job.

 

[ThreeName]

Well, your about 2 years late. But please feel free to add another "why are bronies a thing" thread to the pile currently stacking up in off-topic.

Implying I'm only talking about "bronies". The concept of getting so mad at a piece of media is beyond me. It's not even approached from a rational, level-headed "Man I would have preferred they did this", it always has to be "THEY'VE RUINED EVERYTHING FOREVER". The seriousness with which people take fictional worlds is baffling.

 

[Mocmocman]

It's actually just me worrying about the how they handled the character. I really like Luna. My statement was more of a "comical overreaction" and I can see how it wasn't clear. Sorry.
Oh, and I don't even need to go south. I live within biking distance of Focus on the Fucking Family,so I'm quite familiar with that kind of idiocy.

Don't worry, your waifu beloved character is handled just fine in the movie. That is to say, she shows up for that one scene, does her part, and disappears without any further lines.

So pretty much just like every one of her appearances so far.

I was just making a joke about how easily she fell for an obvious redneck photoshop job.

Yeah, just as I said I got my own piece of Redneck-ness here where I live (Most all the cars around have stickers that read things like "Hide your Bibles, Hide your Guns, Obama won", so that observation was like comparing the character to the antichrist. Hell, even if it was Pinkie Pie. Also, I wrote the first reaction as a joke. Looking at it now I don't know why I though it was funny. Sorry for any confusion.

 

[Dangit2019]

Well, your about 2 years late. But please feel free to add another "why are bronies a thing" thread to the pile currently stacking up in off-topic.

Implying I'm only talking about "bronies". The concept of getting so mad at a piece of media is beyond me. It's not even approached from a rational, level-headed "Man I would have preferred they did this", it always has to be "THEY'VE RUINED EVERYTHING FOREVER". The seriousness with which people take fictional worlds is baffling.

You realize I'm not actually getting physically mad over this, right? Believe it or not, All Caps doesn't signify me actually yelling at my screen.

Spoiler: here is a good portrayal of what my expression was while supposedly getting mad at a piece of media

only more handsome and official looking, of course

The only reason I "got mad" at it was because writing in that style is a lot more fun for me than just taking on a emotionless and objective stance. Also, I was trying at humor, but I can forgive you for not thinking I'm funny in the slightest.

 

[ThreeName]

You realize I'm not actually getting physically mad over this, right? Believe it or not, All Caps doesn't signify me actually yelling at my screen.

Spoiler: here is a good portrayal of what my expression was while supposedly getting mad at a piece of media

only more handsome and official looking, of course

The only reason I "got mad" at it was because writing in that style is a lot more fun for me than just taking on a emotionless and objective stance. Also, I was trying at humor, but I can forgive you for not thinking I'm funny in the slightest.

Hey man, emotional or stoic, I was just expressing my incomprehension at these type of threads and some of the opinions within. It's not a personal attack, and I'd like to think you're not rampaging around your house breaking windows. Like you are looking for people sympathising with your perspective, I am looking for people sympathising with mine. And I find the people in this thread complaining about me really funny. Not you, you've actually been relatively nice about it considering it's your thread. So, kudos?