Equestria Girls.. Guilty Pleasure?

[JesseJack 37]

The reason I fell in love with MLP:FIM is because of the way Lauren Faust developed it as a positive place where girls/boys can learn to validate the "feminine" characteristics of play, love, magic and friendship (see Lauren's forward in The Elements of Harmony). I feel like the Equestria Girls have rebelled against that initial goal by reinforcing impossible body images, romances, cat fights and pre-teen drama all for the sake of having a humanoid doll on the market.

 

Equestria Girls looks adorable (especially the little bedroom playsets) but I just can't get over how much of a sellout it is. 

 

Does anyone else have the same problem? 

 

*see Critical Reception section*

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Little_Pony:_Equestria_Girls

Edited April 27, 2016 by JesseJack

[ShadowSJG 62]

I see what you mean about the first one, but for the other two movies, I disagree. I think they developed better.

[Captain Generic. 9]

I see what you mean about the first one, but for the other two movies, I disagree. I think they developed better.

even when Friendship games fared worst at least on memes? (equalling to the third being the least memorable)

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,151]

@@JesseJack

 

As this deals with Equestria Girls I have moved this to the appropriate section. While you are discussing the toys, EqG toy discussions have occurred there in the past.

 

Thanks.

[Steve Piranha 28,778]

The reason I fell in love with MLP:FIM is because of the way Lauren Faust developed it as a positive place where girls/boys can learn to validate the "feminine" characteristics of play, love, magic and friendship (see Lauren's forward in The Elements of Harmony). I feel like the Equestria Girls have rebelled against that initial goal by reinforcing impossible body images, romances, cat fights and pre-teen drama all for the sake of having a humanoid doll on the market.

 

Equestria Girls looks adorable (especially the little bedroom playsets) but I just can't get over how much of a sellout it is. 

 

Does anyone else have the same problem? 

 

*see Critical Reception section*

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Little_Pony:_Equestria_Girls

I can understand that the first movie felt that way, but the other two improved over that aspect. About the body images, I don't think it's that bad compared to other girls dolls. I think they have all the same body shape is because of practical purposes than anything, just like ponies

[Odyssey 5,713]

I don't particularly like Equestria Girls and Friendship Games, but I do consider Rainbow Rocks a guilty pleasure of mine. It still has tonnes of flaws, yet at the same time, there is still a lot that I've enjoyed, especially both the Dazzlings and the music.

[Mesme Rize 15,681]

Rainbow Rocks is a Guilty pleasure of mine. It has some memorable things about it and some of the song are quite good. But i wouldn't put it over most MLP Episodes to be honest.

[Megas 27,064]

Well I liked these movies, flaws and all, so I wouldn't exactly call them "guilty pleasures"

[Guest]

I'll post it again.

 

Everyone insists these movies were bad, but why do they get good reviews and scores almost across the board?

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

I haven't even watched any of the three EQG films yet.  The distinct lack of pony ponies (as opposed to human ponies or human counterparts of ponies) has always been off-putting to me, in and of itself.  So I can't call it a pleasure; let alone a guilty one.  Though it'd probably feel weirder watching an EQG movie than it ever felt watching ponies.

I'll post it again.

 

Everyone insists these movies were bad, but why do they get good reviews and scores almost across the board?

You really can't rely upon the reviews and opinions of others in this regard; particularly when some overwhelmingly positive reviews might have been created in response to the overwhelmingly negative ones.  That's precisely how it works on Amazon; there's a constant struggle between the harsh criticizers and the adorers that renders the entire system completely worthless.  Besides: There's no such thing in entertainment as objectively good or bad; to each their own.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,151]

I wouldn't call it a guilty pleasure at all. While the first film has some cringe-worthy moments, Rainbow Rocks and Friendship Games more than make up for it with great villains, character arcs, general storytelling, and awesome visuals & music.

 

So yeah; not a guilty pleasure.

[Megas 27,064]

I'll post it again.

 

Everyone insists these movies were bad, but why do they get good reviews and scores almost across the board?

I remember when the first movie came out and EQD posted early reviews that were mostly positive, lots people were appalled and couldn't stomach the thought that people actually liked the movie, so much so that you could see people exploding in the comments yelling "WHERE'S THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS?!?!? YOU GUYS ARE BIASED SHILLS!!! FUCK YOU IN THE ARSE FANBOYS!!!"

 

It was really sad actually

Edited April 27, 2016 by Megas

[Guest]

I remember when the first movie came out and EQD posted early reviews that were mostly positive, lots people were appalled and couldn't stomach the thought that people actually liked the movie, so much so that you could see people exploding in the comments yelling "WHERE'S THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS?!?!? YOU GUYS ARE BIASED SHILLS!!! FUCK YOU IN THE ARSE FANBOYS!!!"

 

It was really sad actually

 

And yet... These are all places where the reviews are controlled by fans... Yet... All fairly positive scores.

[Dark Qiviut 22,173]

Yes.

 

Is there a lot to like in EQG? Absolutely.

 

But are any of the films objectively good? Not even close.

[AlbaTross 1,581]

I think anything pony related is a guilty pleasure, but I happen to like anything pony related, including EQG, even though EQG can easily be on the most cringey end of the MLP spectrum at times. The first movie is the most full of girly tripe, but so is the spinoff media. Rainbow Rocks and Friendship Games at least have more excitement to them, and while they still exist to sell dolls, they're at least a little more clever about it. "This is Our Big Night" indeed, when the fate of the world hangs in the balance and the mane six is busy shooting as literal an ad for the dolls as it gets...yeah, I'm so glad they were focused on what was important. Rainbow Rocks has some great villains and music to boot, while Friendship Games managed to keep its third act a surprise until it happened, so I think the series is getting progressively better.

 

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I'm not opposed to enjoying even the girly aspects of the EQG films, comics and chapter books. EQG isn't my favourite, but it still satisfies my craving for new pony related stories, and I do like Sunset Shimmer. Even the first film is entertaining enough and fun to riff on, so meh.

[VengefulStrudel 1,486]

I'm not sure if I'd call all of them a guilty pleasure. I think Rainbow Rocks was great - loved the villains (especially the chemistry between them ) and really liked the music. I think Friendship Games was decent too, though its villain was a step-down in my opinion. I found Cinch to be bland and boring compared to the Sirens, and even Sunset.

Speaking of, in the first movie, I really disliked Sunset, but in the other two movies, she almost instantly became one of my all-time favorite characters.

 

The first one, I enjoyed it, even though a lot of people seem to dislike it, so I suppose it'd be fitting to call it a guilty pleasure. Then again, I generally enjoy nearly everything MLP:FiM-related, including episodes generally considered to be bad ones.

[cmarston1 5,951]

Well seeing as someone who was a fan sense the first movie, I wouldn't really call them a guilty pleasure. I really enjoy all of the unironically even with their flaws. Especially Rainbow Rocks which is one of my all time favorite episodes. I would even go far to say that I like the EQG series over certain fanfavorites such as The (Overrated) Cutie Map and Bloom and Gloom.

Edited April 28, 2016 by cmarston1

[JonasDarkmane 19,777]

I can't call it a guilty pleasure, since I love EG and I don't feel guilty for doing so :D <3 <3 

 

I think the movies were great, but different opinions will always exist  

[Guest]

 

 

But are any of the films objectively good? Not even close.

 

You do realize that the term "objective" means factual without influence of opinions. Technically making your statement not correct. There is no way a movie can be factually without opinion bad. Quality is completely subjective.

 

Also judging by the ratings they got, they would disagree with your assessment.

[Casbyness 48]

I was all set to dislike the EQ movies and then Pinkie Pie just had to ruin everything with that perfectly-timed and totally out-of-nowhere Transformers reference. Twas still laffing at that joke by the time the credits for the first movie were rolling

[Moon Sugar 532]

Oh no, it's a total sell out for merchandising--But the hipsters can claim that MLP has always been about that. 

[EverEverOn 346]

I personally don't care for Equestria Girls, despite it being the first thing I watched from MLP. I'm surprised it didn't turn me off being full of numerous flaws, ridiculously small plots that get fixed within five minutes, and cringe-worthy moments. But if someone told me they absolutely love the Equestria Girls movies and dolls, I wouldn't care one bit. I mean, watching MLP in general is already considered abnormal for someone my age and even older. To each their own. In entertainment, nothing is good or bad. Everyone has a different opinion on movies and TV shows.

[Wind Chaser 4,767]

I still maintain that the existence of EqG is forced and unnecessary for any reason other than competing with Mattel. It's only a part of the MLP franchise to save Hasbro the risk and effort of creating a new IP.

 

That said, just because it's a shallow attempt to capitalize on the success of a rival product doesn't mean it automatically sucks. I know the crew tried their damnedest.

 

Guilty pleasure movies to me are films that fail in their original intention, but are nonetheless still charming and fun to watch. To be honest, I haven't watched an Equestria Girls movie since Friendship Games came out. They don't have the same charm or rewatch value to me that any other movie I'd list as a guilty pleasure would have.

 

The first EqG left a lot to be desired. The second movie was better, but I'd still rather look at clips and memes of the Dazzlings than watch the movie again. Same goes with Lemon Zest (a character with only one line yet more personality than the rest of the villains) in the third one. The latter two examples are as close to a "guilty pleasure" as it gets for me. I like the characters, but I can't stand the movies or the franchise.

 

Also, the Vinyl Scratch short is pretty badass.

[powerpuff-tsubasa 447]

i count that as guilty pleasure. never too old to try one of these

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

It's a pleasure, and I feel absolutely no guilt about it. What's wrong with enjoying a pleasant fun filled cartoon?