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Legatus Equus

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  1. Legatus Equus
    My, it's been quite some time since I've posted anything here! I've been very busy with work and haven't had much of a chance to write, unfortunately. However, today I went to see Equestria Girls at my local theater, and figured I'd write down my thoughts for anyone still on the fence about seeing it.
     

    As should be obvious, there are EQG spoilers below!


     




     

    The Environment


     
    Before I get into the movie, I'd like to talk a bit about the people who showed up to see it, as I found it very interesting. When I first pulled up to the movie theater it had not opened yet, and there was a very long line of people waiting for the doors to unlock. I thanked my lucky stars that I had bought my ticket beforehand through Fandango, because the movie did indeed sell out, and many people were turned away! Should you decide to go and see EQG in a theater, I would strongly recommend that you also buy your ticket online several days before the showing in order to avoid disappointment. Regardless, it was very inspiring to see such a large turnout for MLP. I had no idea there were so many fans in my area!
     
    As we started packing into the crowded theater, I took a look around at the demographics of the people who had come to see the movie. The majority appeared to be stereotypical bronies: young adult males. There were also a good number of pegasisters, which was very awesome to see! I've always thought that females are tragically underrepresented in the attention the fandom receives, and the presence of so many young women there reinforced that belief. Several families with young girls were also present, though as a testament to MLP's all ages appeal, many of the parents accompanying them also seemed to be enthusiastic fans decked out in pony swag!
     
    I've heard rumblings of concern on the internet that overzealous bronies might behave like jackasses in theaters and ruin the experience for the little girls there. While that is certainly possible, I saw none of it when I went. Everyone was very polite, and when the lights went down, everyone shut up and enjoyed glorious pony, regardless of their age. I suspect the same will be the case in the vast, vast majority of theaters showing EQG.
     

    The Movie


     
    The movie begins strongly, with the Mane Six arriving in the Crystal Empire for a "Princess Summit" with Celestia, Luna, and Cadance. There are some good comedy moments, including allusions to Twilight still not being very comfortable with her new body or her role as Princess. The opening credits roll, and weird as it sounds, I must say they were one of my favorite parts of the movie. Daniel Ingram heavily remixes the theme song from the TV show into a catchy pop style, and a sleek animation shows the outlines of the ponies, who then transform into humans.
     
    Following the credits, Sunset Shimmer steals Twilight's Element of Magic Crown and escapes into the portal to the human world. We then get some decent exposition from Celestia, Luna and Cadence about who Sunset Shimmer is, what the mirror is, and how Twilight only has three days to get her crown back before the mirror closes and strands her there for "thirty moons." While this exposition was sufficient for the story, I found myself wishing to know a little bit more about Sunset Shimmer and why she turned into a such a rotten egg, besides the hurried explanation that she was Celestia's old student who became impatient with her teachings and ran away to the human world, only to return and cause trouble.
     
    Twilight steps through the portal, and Spike rushes after her, and we find ourselves transported away from Equestria! Twilight and Spike's shock at their new bodies makes for some very good comedy moments, and I very much appreciated that Twilight remained rather awkward and ignorant of human movements and norms all the way through the movie. It was not only funny, but added lots of plausibility; it'd take me more than three days to get fully adjusted to being a totally different species as well!
     
    Twilight meets her friends all over again, and has a talk with "Principal" Celestia, wherein she learns that in this world, her magic crown is given to the girl elected Princess of the Fall Formal, and is being held by Vice Principal Luna until then. Probably my only voice acting-related complaint is that Nicole Oliver seems to have changed Celestia's voice a bit in the human world. While Princess Celestia is regal and soothing with a touch of motherly kindness, Principal Celestia's way of speaking seems more short, curt, and cold. I can see the reasoning for it, but when every other VA used the exact same style of speaking for their human counterpart, it sticks out somewhat.
     
    The core of the movie involves Twilight seeking to win over the school in order to be elected Princess. To do that, she must first reconcile the human versions of her friends, who have been driven apart by Sunset Shimmer's meddling. Twilight also has to deal with Sunset Shimmer trying to sabotage her with the help of her minions, Snips and Snails. Snips and Snails were awesome choices for this part, and give us some excellent gags. I won't spoil much more from this segment of the movie, but I will say that the culmination in which the main six engage the school in a big song and dance number to win them over to Twilight's camp had very enjoyable music, as is always the case with Daniel Ingram, although it was by no means the best he's done for MLP. That could just be my bias against girly bubblegum pop speaking, though!
     
    I'm sure many people are curious about Twilight's relationship with "Brad," or as he's actually known, Flash Sentry. They do engage in a bit of romance, but it is extremely minor, and hardly distracts from the movie's narrative at all. Plus, Twi's awkwardness makes the few moments she shares with Flash quite cute and funny! Flash Sentry does exist in the pony world as well, and when Twilight returns, she does still have a crush on him. Perhaps we haven't seen the last of him, but if he continues to be handled like he was in the movie, I don't see a relationship between him and Twilight derailing the TV show or anything.
     
    The ending climaxes with Twilight winning over the crown, but Sunset Shimmer forcefully stealing it away. The power of the Element of Magic transforms her into a very intimidating giant demon thing, which one of the little girls sitting near me actually found really scary. I can't say I blame her: this was one of the more disturbing villains I've seen in a kid's movie since the ones in the old Disney movies, like Maleficent or the Witch from Snow White. I'm fairly sure that she even said that Twilight would "die," although I might have misheard. I don't think the ponies have ever been explicitly threatened with death before, so if it's true, it was surprisingly dark.
     
    The end of the movie follows standard FiM operating procedure, teaching a very relevant lesson about the magic of friendship, and further driving it home with Twilight's conclusion that friendship is magic in ALL worlds, not just Equestria. Sunset Shimmer is redeemed, but stays back in the human world, where Twilight's friends promise to love and tolerate the shit out of her to make sure that the redemption sticks. Twilight returns to Equestria, we get some cute dialog with her friends as well as the pony version of Flash Sentry, and the credits roll.
     

    Final Analysis


     
    I went into this movie with somewhat high expectations, and for the most part, they were met and surpassed! Not only was the movie very high quality, but the crowd watching it was fun and awesome as well.
     
    Unsurprisingly for pony, the writing was very solid, and every character was characterized well. All of the mane six have several great moments; whether it be Applejack putting two jocks to shame with her strength, Pinkie Pie displaying her freaky intuition, or Rainbow Dash letting everyone know just how awesome she is. There are countless small details lovingly crafted for bronies to enjoy: Scootaloo doing the funky chicken at the dance is a good one, as is Rainbow Dash recreating her famous scrunchy-faced "So awesome~" moment from Applebuck Season. Perhaps best of all, the Great and Powerful Trixie gets a great and powerful speaking part that is extremely great and powerful!
     
    The animation was very smooth and well done, even if the human girls are nowhere near as cute as their pony counterparts. Most of the background ponies are present in human form, and it's fun trying to pick them out. My only complaint on that front is that Octavia, who is obviously the best background pony of all time, is seemingly absent. I may have just missed her in a crowd shot, though!
     
    As mentioned before, Daniel Ingram provides an excellent score to tie things together, although no one song really stood out as particularly amazing or catchy, save for the nice remix of the theme song.
     
    I still feel like the premise of humanizing the ponies and putting them in high school was a silly one, but Meghan McCarthy did an absolutely wonderful job working with it and putting out the highest-quality product that she could. The general quality of the movie makes it evident that everyone else at DHX did the same.
     
    So, is Equestria Girls worth seeing? I'd give an emphatic yes, especially since if you're reading this, you probably know enough about MLP to know what's going on. It loses some of its luster as a standalone movie, since the plot relies heavily on some knowledge of the TV show to really "get it." If you can, I'd also recommend seeing it in a theater! The atmosphere when I went was amazing, and it's cool to see other pony fans in your area!
     
    Plus, it's got freaking Trixie!
     



     

    How could you say no?


  2. Legatus Equus
    Welp, I finally found the time to make another post! Full-time employment is quite a beast. Lately, I've had a scene from The Hobbit running through my mind, and it's something I wanted to share with anyone who may have missed it!
     
     
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWvNjVp3C-c
     
     
    "Saruman believes that it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keeps the darkness at bay... small acts of kindness and love."
     
    On top of being a fine example of the writing and acting in this film, this scene really touches on a truth that goes to the very core of what it is to be human, and I believe that's what makes it so powerful. The ancient Stoics believed that, by virtue of their shared faculties of reason, all men were brothers, and ought to treat one another as such. That was the basis of a just and good society. All of humanity is interconnected, and small acts of kindness and love have a tendency to resonate and inspire others to act with kindness, thus bringing about more good than one might expect from such a seemingly unimportant gesture.
     
    Especially in today's society, it's so easy to look at the problems of the world and feel powerless. There are more than 7 billion people on this planet, and the notion of doing something to massive enough to effect positive change in any appreciable fraction of those lives is incredibly daunting. However, this apathy, this feeling of powerlessness, is unfounded. You may not be someone great and important, capable of leading nations or creating powerful art or controlling large amounts of money, but you can still make a huge difference in the lives of others with just the simplest of kindnesses. Mankind is interconnected, so improving the life of one, even if it is just by making them smile and brightening up their day, improves the lot of everyone. And if everyone just did what they could to treat those around them not as strangers, but as their brothers and sisters, the world would be vastly improved - those small acts of kindness and love could effectively hold the darkness at bay.
     
    Think of all those who took time out of their day to show you kindness and love, whether it was big or small. Chances are, you wouldn't be where you are today without the consideration others showed for you. Now, it's on you to return the favor and ensure the continued flourishing of humankind. So go out, and help make the world a better place in your own little way. Even if it doesn't seem like much, it's the right thing to do, and you may find that it reaps rewards far greater than the little bit of effort it takes. After all, as a certain yellow pony says, "sometimes we all just need to be shown a little kindness."
     

  3. Legatus Equus
    Well, I'm actually making another entry on this blog, so yay! For the first serious piece, I'd like to review a book I came across in my research for a paper I wrote recently. The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students is a book by Allan Bloom which was written in 1987, and which analyzes and critiques the American education system from a philosophical standpoint. Although it is 25 years old, a great deal of the themes Bloom covers remain relevant today, perhaps even more so than when he initially wrote it. Since I surmise that most of the folks on this forum are either in college or will be attending it soon, I think this is a fitting thing to write on!
     



     
     

    The Book


     
    The first thing that one ought to know about Allan Bloom before diving into this book is that he was a Professor of Social Thought at the University of Chicago, and produced translations of Plato's Republic and Rousseau's Emile. His two translations are an apt summary of the largest influences on Bloom, for he draws most of his criticism of the university system from Classical and Enlightenment thought.
     
    So, what exactly does Bloom see as the problem with the American university? To put it simply, it has lost sight of its core. In the times leading up to WWII, the American university taught a curriculum which focused heavily on the thinking upon which America was founded: Enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and more broadly, the great Classical tradition of Plato, Aristotle, and all those they inspired. For Bloom, this form of liberal arts education was good. Exposing students to the Classical tradition would make them good citizens by giving them a firm understanding of the ideas underpinning American democracy, as well as enriching their souls with the beauty and profundity of some of the greatest writers, artists, playwrights, and philosophers of the world. Most importantly, it would give them a moral center - an ordered way to view the world and know how to live a good life.
     
    In the post-war years, however, this education was rethought and reworked radically. Many people in the Philosophy departments of universities grew tired of such rigid moral positivism and sought answers to the big questions facing humanity in soft sciences such as Sociology, Cultural Anthropology, or Psychology. The thinking in these fields tended to be dominated by German intellectuals, such as Max Weber or Sigmund Freud. Although they were not philosophers by trade, Bloom claims that these German intellectuals had a profound effect on philosophy in America nonetheless because they were all heavily influenced by one of their predecessors who was: Friedrich Nietzsche.
     
    Nietzsche is perhaps most famous for the quote "God is dead," but the quote is often misunderstood. For Nietzsche, society needed to be ruled by invented "Gods" in order to succeed. Irrational beliefs ran to the very core of civilization and human nature, and were necessary for their survival; the rationality and science which had "killed God" were self-defeating and not sufficient to structure a society. Nietzsche thus did not declare God dead as a smug rhetorical flourish from a triumphant atheist, as so many who are only familiar with the quote are inclined to think, but as a deep and anguished lament from someone who desperately wanted to believe that God still lived. Nietzsche claimed that with God dead, we could only descend into nihilism, in which no value or belief system could be judged good or evil, at least until mankind saw the light and created new "Gods." These notions ran contrary to Enlightenment beliefs which held that reason and logic ought to serve as the basis for life, government, and morality, and that the universe was a rational, ordered place. Through his proxies in the form of Weber, Freud, and the rest of the German intellectual establishment, Nietzsche's view on ethics and society came to dominate the American university.
     
    From this, one of the main points of the book comes into view. American democracy is rooted firmly in Enlightenment and Classical ideals. With American universities coming under the sway of Nietzsche, who detested those ideals, an obvious source of dissonance appears. How can young people be expected to participate responsibly in democracy if universities implicitly teach that the values underpinning democracy are poisonous and worthless?
     
    As the American university began unwittingly adopting Nietzschean views, the curriculum and philosophies guiding it naturally changed as well. One of the most important marks of this shift in philosophy was the move away from an attempt to give students a firm moral center and towards a hollow and poorly-understood notion of "tolerance," in which all values and beliefs are equally valuable, and students are constantly taught that the greatest sin is to judge the beliefs of others - the only evil is that of "intolerance." Bloom argues that this tolerance is merely a mask for nihilism; if all values are equally valuable, then they are all worthless. What is the point of believing anything under such circumstances? The curriculum also changed; the focus shifted away from a strict and rigorous education in the Classics and towards a huge range of electives which would afford students a broad array of paths to a degree. For Bloom, this was essentially an admission that the universities themselves no longer claimed to know what represented a decent education.
     
    This is the essential framework in which Bloom operates. Within this context, he assaults the university culture on several fronts, discusses the fall into Nietzschean thinking and its effects on democracy, and also considers the implications that this teaching has in the lives of university students in numerous areas, from their views on books and music to their approach to relationships, sex, and love.
     

    My Analysis


     
    This book was an extremely fun and enlightening read for me. Although I don't agree with everything in it, I was quite impressed with many of Bloom's major points. I have observed that moral relativism (the belief that no morality is actually correct, that everything is relative to time, place, and person) is on the rise in America like never before, and this book provided an interesting and often convincing narrative on how that came to be. I especially like Bloom's argument that this anti-rational thinking permeating the American university system is hazardous to democracy. Voter turnout is shamefully low in America, and an intellectual and philosophical explanation for the apathy is the most convincing route to take, in my opinion. If young people don't understand and appreciate the thinking that went into building the American political system, how can they be expected to make choices that will guide it responsibly? If the perverted "tolerance" doled out by American educators claims that their views are worthless, just like everyone else's, how can anyone be expected to care about making their voice heard by voting?
     
    The book does have a few problems, though. Bloom's views on music read hilariously like an old man whining about how the music was better in the old days. Which, to be honest, is exactly what he's doing. His views on relationships and the family are also somewhat idealized. He has an extremely romantic view of love, and comes out strong against divorce, due to the harm it does to children. While divorce is a major decision that must not be taken lightly, it is sometimes the lesser of two evils. Bloom does not seem to consider that a toxic relationship between parents might be more damaging to a child than a divorce. He is also very dismissive of modern psychology. He makes an extremely good point about psychologists often "inventing" new "problems" that their patients may not have even considered in order to keep them paying for sessions. However, psychology can also be very helpful to many who have legitimate mental problems.
     
    Overall, I can heartily recommend this book to any who are interested in education and philosophy and/or who are currently or will soon be attending college. I am roughly one year away from a bachelor's degree, and it very much bothers me that at no time was I ever assigned a serious reading of Plato, Locke, Rousseau, Shakespeare, Voltaire, and many other great minds who helped define the Western Tradition in which America is firmly planted. I've been left to discover them for myself, but others may not be so active in seeking out a good education. Bloom levels a critique at the American university system that struck a chord with me on a deep level. Whether you agree with everything Bloom says or not, The Closing of the American Mind is an impressive, well-reasoned, and fun to read text with a message that is worthy of careful consideration.
     
    For those interested, the book can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/Closing-American-Higher-Education-Democracy/dp/B002A44TXI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1367719956&sr=8-3&keywords=the+closing+of+the+american+mind
  4. Legatus Equus

    Inaugural Entry

    By Legatus Equus,

    Hello there! I'm Legatus Equus, and I have made the questionable decision of starting a blog!
     



     
    First, for context's sake, a bit about myself. I'm a 23 year-old male living in the Western USA. I'm presently pursuing my BA in History, and will be starting my senior year next fall. I'm a classically trained cellist (hence why I've invoked Octavia in the blog name), although I'm kind of down on my luck and out of work in that department. I love reading non-fiction, especially philosophy. Western Antiquity is my particular area of interest in History, and I plan to try and teach myself Latin this summer. I'm also a fan of our little ponies, of course! Rarity is definitely my favorite of the Mane Six, and Octavia is, unsurprisingly, my favorite minor/background character.
     
    Anyways, the purpose of this blog is primarily personal. Sometimes I think it'd be nice to be able to write down my thoughts and observations. I guess I'll see how worthwhile such a pursuit really is. Not that I mind people reading and following, of course! I wouldn't be making a public blog if I did. If you have a comment on what I have to say or your own experiences and thoughts to share on a subject, I'd certainly love to hear from you as well. I also plan to use this blog to share cool things I find on the internet, so that might be worth sticking around for as well, depending on if you and I define "cool things on the internet" in a similar fashion.
     
    And that's all for tonight. I'll hopefully post with something of actual substance soon!
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