My Little Pony: The Movie (2017) - Reviews/Reactions/Discussion Thread

[Ganondox 899]

Good. Anyway, this movie isn't perfect, but it doesn't need to be. What it is is a step in the right direction, and that's what it's important. If we don't send a clear message to Hollywood that this is a step in the right direction, then there are going to treat it as a step in the wrong direction, and then we'll be stuck with more 3d crap. 

4 minutes ago, FlitterFlutter said:

But it does include Marketing because to Hasbro this film is an excuse to make more toys and books and DVDs. It is literally just an hour-and-a-half advertisement. If you were telling me that they spent millions of dollars in did not take that into consideration you are a liar.

That's not how the box office works. 

[Stickman, The Legend 303]

Just now, Ganondox said:

Good. Anyway, this movie isn't perfect, but it doesn't need to be. What it is is a step in the right direction, and that's what it's important. If we don't send a clear message to Hollywood that this is a step in the right direction, then there are going to treat it as a step in the wrong direction, and then we'll be stuck with more 3d crap. 

Or more Equestria Girls movies from hell.

[Thrond 3,257]

1 minute ago, Ganondox said:

Of course it's awfully melodramatic, not assuming the worst and doing something is how we get another Trump. We need to be reaching out to people who might like this film, but aren't committed, because if this thing is a complete flop it sends the message to the film industry that 2d western animation is hopeless cause. 

I don't think we can trust Hollywood to always learn the right lessons. It's more likely that this film succeeding would lead to a lot of cynical TV adaptations with slashed budgets. Furthermore, I swear that this film is filled with 3D modelling, and I'm under the impression that a. 3D animation is cheaper and b. only a niche audience is actually invested in 2D animation surviving. And when was the last time Hollywood changed for a niche?

However, while I didn't like it at all, I'm not happy that it's apparently failing. This means Hollywood probably won't try again, and I'm less likely to get a genuinely entertaining My Little Pony movie. And I empathize with you, because last year I was quite disappointed in the commercial failure of Kubo and the Two Strings. Still, the best case scenario is that this leads to talent returning to the show, which could lead to the second wind I keep hoping for; I'm not convinced this will have severe consequences for the show. 

4 minutes ago, Stickman, The Legend said:

Ganon, just face it, this movie is great. Enough said. We need not worry about it!

While my particular screening was packed, and there aren't a lot of children's films out at the moment, I've noticed that the critical reception has been split somewhere around the middle. I feel this film required strong critical reception and word-of-mouth to attract a wider audience, and I don't think the film itself offers much for new audiences to latch on to, because it presents a fairly simplistic version of the main characters and doesn't spend much time developing them. Ostensibly it has its fans (58% on Rotten Tomatoes means more than half of the reviews are positive, and plenty of people here seem fairly satisfied), but I won't be surprised if this movie doesn't make much of an impact. 

[Stickman, The Legend 303]

Just now, AlexanderThrond said:

I don't think we can trust Hollywood to always learn the right lessons. It's more likely that this film succeeding would lead to a lot of cynical TV adaptations with slashed budgets. Furthermore, I swear that this film is filled with 3D modelling, and I'm under the impression that a. 3D animation is cheaper and b. only a niche audience is actually invested in 2D animation surviving. And when was the last time Hollywood changed for a niche?

However, while I didn't like it at all, I'm not happy that it's apparently failing. This means Hollywood probably won't try again, and I'm less likely to get a genuinely entertaining My Little Pony movie. And I empathize with you, because last year I was quite disappointed in the commercial failure of Kubo and the Two Strings. Still, the best case scenario is that this leads to talent returning to the show, which could lead to the second wind I keep hoping for; I'm not convinced this will have severe consequences for the show. 

While my particular screening was packed, and there aren't a lot of children's films out at the moment, I've noticed that the critical reception has been split somewhere around the middle. I feel this film required strong critical reception and word-of-mouth to attract a wider audience, and I don't think the film itself offers much for new audiences to latch on to, because it presents a fairly simplistic version of the main characters and doesn't spend much time developing them. Ostensibly it has its fans (58% on Rotten Tomatoes means more than half of the reviews are positive, and plenty of people here seem fairly satisfied), but I won't be surprised if this movie doesn't make much of an impact. 

Made an impact on me, dude. A HUGE impact large enough to make me wanna stay in the fandom. Forever.

[Thrond 3,257]

17 minutes ago, Stickman, The Legend said:

Made an impact on me, dude. A HUGE impact large enough to make me wanna stay in the fandom. Forever.

Well, that's good for you. 

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,152]

Guys, calm yourselves. Don't let this thread go too far off topic please. Be careful what you type.

[Ganondox 899]

Since the original was locked after being derailed, I'm starting a new one. Here is my own review: https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/766038/movie-review

[Ninja(Pinkie)Midget 180]

Oh good.  Another place to post reviews.  Here's mine;

It was pretty much what I expected; a longer version of one of the TV episodes, which is fine with me since that's really all it's meant to be. The songs were all very good, but the one done by Tempest really stood out to me. The new animation used in the film was absolutely beautiful. A true step up from the flash animation. All of the characters had their moments, from Pinkie Pie's party canon to Fluttershy telling one of the big baddies "You seem tense. Do you want to talk about it?" Rarity is absolutely adorable with her meltdown proclaiming "The bad guys have won!" Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom looks awesome with the new animation. The storm king seemed more like an afterthought than a real villain with Tempest playing the biggest role on the bad guys side. Extremely well done animation and voice acting. Fans of the show will love it, but it will not get many new fans. I would say a rock solid movie effort well worth another one in the future.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,152]

All right fellas; I hid quite a few posts; a lot of which had contributed to an argument that derailed the thread. Please, let's not do that again or else I will have to resort to private notices or more. We have a good discussion here; let's keep it at that.

Thank you.

@Ganondox

Merged your thread with the main one.

[bwrosas 252]

 

(Caution : Spoilers Contain Within This Video)

Here I discuss four of them. 

Comments are Welcomed

#MLPMovie #MyLittlePonyMovie #MyLittlePonyTheMovie #2017

[n1029 224]

I'm hoping it's just barely profitable enough that they might be willing to try making another movie if the series remains successful for another few seasons. I want a Pony movie I can be proud of supporting, which was not this one.

[Baykush 328]

So I actually got to watch it on the big screen. I wasn't expecting any theater would play an English version of the movie (with subs of course) given that the main demographic is little children who wouldn't bother with subtitles, but surprisingly I randomly found a theater that was doing it, miles away in a place I didn't know and only 2 hours before it started, getting there was quite the journey (I barely had money for the movie, let alone a cab) . I did feel awkward around all those parentswith their little girls but it was worth it 

Anyway, now my thoughts: 

The movie was... alright, great for kids and fans of the show, although for anyone else, while not a bad flick by any means, I'd just tell them to watch the show in instead. The best part about it was the animation, it was absolutely gorgeous, even if the movie had sucked watching it on the big screen would've worth it just because of that. I really appreciate how it is bringing back 2D animation to the cinemas, and the way it's mixed with some 3D animation as well shows that both styles can co-exist, which is something I wish more movies tried. I guess the movie is also worth a shot if you miss 2D animated movies. 

Aside from that, the humor was also very good, some of my favorite moments were the "we scar them.... emotionally!" line followed by Fluttershy's reaction, Rarity checking herself in the mirror while falling, her "the bad guys have won!" line, Fluttershy becoming therapist of one of the villains, and how the party cannon saved the day. I also liked the little conflict Twilight had with her friends, or rather, I liked the fact that she was doing a morally reprehensible act but that I also couldn't blame her for doing that, even if the conflict was kind of predictable. The villains were alright too, Tempest didn't have a lot of charm but she was intimidating, and I liked the way she told her backstory, even if her redemption and everything else was just ok, the Storm King didn't do much and was just an excuse to make the plot happen, but as far as excuses to make the plot happen go he was actually kind of good, the little screen time he got was fun, there's also the sidekick that looks like Dr. Hämsterviel from Lilo and Stitch, which was very bland and just forgettable, thankfully he didn't get a lot of screen time.

What did deserve more screen time in my opinion was the pirate crew and the cat (I forgot their names), I really liked them but I feel their interactions with the mane 6 that made them become inspired, and just about everything they did, was too rushed for it to make any meaningful impact whatsoever. The story was good but perhaps a bit too standard, and the pacing was alright until the end, in which I felt everything was resolved too quickly. In a lot of ways, this feels a lot like talking about pretty much every Meghan McCarthy's two-parter, a diamond in the rough that may need a lot of polishing but still works despite its flaws, probably being more ambitious than it's allowed to be. The experience of watching it on the cinema is more than worth it, and I'll remember it fondly for years, the movie is exactly what you'd expect a My Little Pony to be and because of that I'm not being too hard on it, but it is far from perfect and just like the Equestria Girls franchise, while I like it I can't help but appreciate more what the show can do that they can't, and it makes me excited for the future of MLP. Also, I hope this also sends the right message to Hollywood about why 2D animation is worth it, just that would make it one of my favorite movies for reasons beyond the movie itself.

Also, to be nitpicky, the whole Sia thing was pointless, but it did made me laugh how when Twilight was captured she looks very ashamed when she sees the Sia pony, it's almost like she's just trying to save Equestria for her 

 

[Ivan The Adorable 304]

18 minutes ago, Baykush said:

...Aside from that, the humor was also very good, some of my favorite moments were the "we scar them.... emotionally!" line followed by Fluttershy's reaction, Rarity checking herself in the mirror while falling, her "the bad guys have won!" line, Fluttershy becoming therapist of one of the villains, and how the party cannon saved the day...

Oh yeah. I haven't given enough time to praise some parts of the movie. The humor in the movie is usually top notch when they pull it out. I've seen some detraction, but I liked the final battle scene a lot. I feel like it's the perfect example of what I think high-action MLP should be like. Lots of mayhem, but also just the characters like Rarity and Fluttershy doing their own little things.

Have we talked about the part where Pinkie Pie recreates a gangster machine gun scene with cupcakes, making a guard soldier slump against the wall  while frosting splatters conspicuously as if it were his blood because oh my god I can hardly believe they put that in

 

[blackstarraven 142]

I'll be honest.. I was a bit stunned by how 100% Useless / Helpless the Ponies seamed at times in this movie in the first half...

Like it was Jarring...

 

It was still better then I figured it would be. (I give it 7 out of 10)

[OtakuBrony 349]

Howdy all!

Saw the movie yesterday

I Loved it!

Great roller coaster of action, comedy .

The songs were freakin AWESOME!

Getting the OST by  the end of the week.

I hope to Celestia that Daniel Ingram gets a Oscar nod for the songs.

(Sia too)

Mane 6 VAs were SUPERB!

While Taye, Emily,Kristin, Zoe,Etc. were great!

Cant wait for the DVD/BD!

See ya!

[Jeric 46,835]

Considering adding a poll to this topic now that the film has been out for a week and people have had enough time to digest everything.

[Ivan The Adorable 304]

17 hours ago, blackstarraven said:

I'll be honest.. I was a bit stunned by how 100% Useless / Helpless the Ponies seamed at times in this movie in the first half...

Like it was Jarring...

 

It was still better then I figured it would be. (I give it 7 out of 10)

Might be that they went a bit overboard on trying to make Tempest threatening. It's more than a little ridiculous that she single-handedly conquered the nation in a flat-out direct assault, and it's kind of odd the arc of the Mane 6 is more then flailing around into situations instead of actively trying to achieve things until the very last encounter.

Usually there's allowed some image of competence to the ponies by making some instance of subterfuge and deceit the reason for the big bad initially succeeding and then the ponies find a way to take them down at full power. The movie does pretty much the opposite.

i mean, they did succeed in making Tempest threatening I thought, but you can still do that if she was overpowering more competent resistance.

[blackstarraven 142]

1 hour ago, Ivan The Adorable said:

Might be that they went a bit overboard on trying to make Tempest threatening. It's more than a little ridiculous that she single-handedly conquered the nation in a flat-out direct assault, and it's kind of odd the arc of the Mane 6 is more then flailing around into situations instead of actively trying to achieve things until the very last encounter.

Usually there's allowed some image of competence to the ponies by making some instance of subterfuge and deceit the reason for the big bad initially succeeding and then the ponies find a way to take them down at full power. The movie does pretty much the opposite.

i mean, they did succeed in making Tempest threatening I thought, but you can still do that if she was overpowering more competent resistance.

Ya that's my guess also.

But at the same time, this kind of helps my point of bad writing in the first part of the movie.

 

Making Tempest even nearly as competent as Twilight would have made her more then powerful enough. And just give her more actual competent backup.. I mean the.. Yeti things where pretty impressive. Just give her more of them. Give her more then one ship...

But really just making the ponies seam less competent was what really threw me.

This movie really does feel like two of the worst episodes I have seen followed by two of the best... 

[Ivan The Adorable 304]

This probably seems obvious to everyone, but it just occurred to me that Tempest as a character is basically mirror Starlight. Given that the production for the movie and Season 5 probably started at roughly the same time, I wonder if the creative team basically divied off alternate concepts of the same character when the movie team went off to do their thing.

[brkpon 6]

Having seen it twice now, I feel ready to compose my thoughts!  Well right off the bat, I can credit this movie with having reignited my interest in the show.  I stopped watching regularly during Season 5 only to come back every several months to play catchup, but my anticipation for this ensured that I was fully caught up before seeing it!

Did the movie itself live up to expectations though?  Yes, absolutely.  I really was caught off guard by how much I enjoyed it.  The first half or so I thought was perfectly good, but the second half really impressed me.  Like most people, I really enjoyed Tempest as a character, and, seemingly unlike a lot of people, I actually wasn't underwhelmed by her backstory at all.  In fact, quite the opposite.  I guess some people were hoping for her horn to have been broken in some epic battle or something, but given the themes of this franchise, it was all the more poignant for the broken horn to drive away her "friends."  In many ways, I found this to be the most satisfying redemption for a character yet, because she really was actively turned away by other ponies and burned by friendship, whereas someone like Starlight wasn't really burned by it; Sunburst just left for Canterlot very abruptly, resulting in her feeling alone.  And Starlight even gets to reconcile with her old friend.  Tempest doesn't get that luxury- she had to live with the fact that her friends betrayed her.  Plus it was very rewarding to see someone truly care about her for the first time in her life, to the point she's willing to sacrifice herself.  Long story short, some of the redemptions in this show have grown to feel disingenuous, rushed, or just plain unearned, but this one really was worthwhile.

The animation was also gorgeous.  How great it is to see 2D on the big screen again!  I really appreciated how they would just let certain moments breathe and have the visuals speak for themselves.  The scene in which they nearly drown was very evocative; the movie absolutely had a lot of excellent atmosphere, and the 3D integration made for some dynamic staging and exciting sequences.  Especially though, the animation really brought to life the choreography in the songs...

The whole soundtrack is just fantastic.  "Open Up Your Eyes" should be up for Best Original Song, it's utterly chilling and extremely catchy.  Definitely the best villain song I've heard in years.  "Time to be Awesome" is also a favorite of mine, but I really did enjoy them all.  It's really a shame how reviews haven't been kind to these songs- you got Kristen Chenoweth singing a duet with Pinkie Pie, what more could you ever want?

As much as I love Discord, I totally understand why his inclusion would have been confusing for newcomers.  I also didn't mind how easily the princesses were taken out, since of course, this has happened in the show multiple times before, and I thought the way Celestia desperately tried to send Luna off to the Badlands was pretty intense, even though of course the effort had to be in vain.  I did have some issues with the film though.  I guess mostly my problem is the comedy?  There were definitely some good jokes (Pinkie: "I met that guy in the desert!" and Spike sarcastically asking if there was anyone else they'd helped along the way who'd be joining the climax) but Grubber definitely had a lot of duds.  I get it, we apparently need an obligatory comic foil for the villain, but the Storm King was already rather silly while still having an actual role in the story.  The jokes aren't really my focus in any media though- it's just a shame since I feel this is the main thing that alienates non-fans.  I think the world and characters were explained enough, and if not, all would be forgiven if there was some more humor on display, Lego Movie style.  More frequent clever lines like "scar you... emotionally!" would have made a big difference for the critics, I feel.  I also do wish that Twilight's early scene with Celestia, Luna, and Cadence had more thematic relevance to the rest of the movie.  I guess it establishes that even though she wanted their magical assistance, all the magic you need is inside you, which is what she ends up teaching Tempest at the end.  But it's not really threaded throughout the rest of the story in between the very beginning and very end, and also contradicts the whole "friendship" mantra a bit since it's sorta preaching self-reliance.  Speaking of, some more scenes highlighting the Mane Six's close friendship would have been very welcome.  "We Got This Together" and them insisting they accompany Twilight on the adventure was great, but some more moments highlighting their chemistry like "Raised in a barn!" would have been very nice.

Overall though, this was a very fun film.  It's so great to hear all of the voice actresses on the big screen, and I appreciated the fact they got to showcase some emotional depth to their performances by the third act.  I'm very relieved and pleased to say that this is a film worthy of representing the show.

[bwrosas 252]

This is my Review on The MLP Movie.
Hope you enjoy!
#MLPMovie #MyLittlePonyTheMovie
Comments are Welcomed

 

 

[blackstarraven 142]

2nd Time watching the movie.

Watched it with Three friends. (All male's in our late 20's early 30's)
Got a 9:40pm showing. Where the only people in the theater.

Coming out of the Theater after the movie ended the Theater besides us was letting out. (Happy Death Day)

Girl and guy come out maybe early 20's. (Its a college town)

And the girl see's us coming out and with both hands motions to us looks at (I assume her boyfriend) and at at pretty noticeable volume was like.

"SEE THEY WENT TO THE PONY MOVIE!"

 

We all four lost our stuff and where just cracking up for about 10 minutes.

---------

 

Now as far as what I thought?
Well as a stand alone movie? I give it a 7 out of 10.

As a fan of the show I give it a 9 out of 10.

-

If you like the show you will like the movie. If your taking kids who like the show they will love the movie.

_______

So let's get this out of the way... Why a 7 out of 10 if we just take it as a movie?

1st. Well the movie has a bad case of Franchise movie syndrome. That is to say if you are not familiar with the franchise your going to be lost and its going to be hard to enjoy the movie. This is not a big deal, because if you don't know the Franchise your most likely not going to see the movie.

2nd. Well let's say this. If this where cut into episodes it would be 4.5 episodes.

And it would be two of the worst episodes of ponies I had ever seen. And then two of the best.. and then a 11 minute music video....

The first half of the movie was actually hard for me to watch because.. well characters that I know and love where acting like... Well helpless candy colored ponies... Seriously this movie needed to ether amp up the forces they where facing at time. (Like Tempest and two yeti things vs the Mane six + spike...) Ya should have not been a contest. Tempest needed more back up for us to really get why they where cowering. (Not hiding, that's understandable) But actually cowering when caught.

More then once I was like "Why is falling a issue? Half of you have wings? One of you can carry a entire group while flying.. One of you can use Magic.. what the hay are you doing?"

...

THE PINK ONE... Look I'm not normally a fan of pinkie.  But MAN was she. well not annoying but a PROBLEM in the first half of this movie.. I mean wow...

 

Also... WHERE THE HECK WHERE THE DARN GUARDS! I mean I know they are basically useless, but they where literally no where to be scene? Did they call get sent to the Crystal Empire? Where was Shining armor? (I mean I guess with the baby? Which would be cute actually)

___________

So things that DID not bother me...

Twilights.. Mistake. Actually does not bother me, and Its really not out of character for her... Its desperate, but understandable for her. She's losses her cool when things get desperate. We have seen this before...

Pacing. Really.. didn't bug me.. Its a kids movie, its death in the production industry to make a kids movie drag out. (Also costs more)

____________

The Movie Proper.

Plot. - Other then the points already noted, There was nothing really wrong with the plot. It was perfectly serviceable, Nothing special but nothing wrong with it per say. As I stated the delivery in the first half is off in that the Ponies seamed really helpless/useless. And this could have been fixed simply but giving them a bigger threat (Physical) in a lot of the scenes. More then just Tempest and two guards...

Music. - I'll go song by song actually. But over all the sound track was great, Ingram does not disappoint in this outing. (not that he does normally)

-The opening song.... I'm not a go-go's fan. This song is fine... but at the same time. Its  a little jarring. I could have done without this song. (We got the beat)

-We got this together... This is pretty A+ for the show. Not quite Disney level, but pretty darn good non the less. I'm not a huge fan but critically its a good song.

-I'm the friend you need... I'm actually a big fan of Tay Diggs. Great in Rent, does a amazing version of hallelujah. But I really was not feeling this song, I mean this may be the low point of original songs in this song. But its not bad. Its just not great.. actually I don't know that I would call it good. Serviceable is a good word.

-Time to be Awesome!.. I am a HUGE fan of Ashleigh Ball's singing, and Rainbow Dash singing voice is so wonderful. This is the point in the movie that I actually got really hooked, this was literally both in the story a turning point. This was the start of the 2nd half of the movie for me. - And it was not just me, the other people I watched with both times really got more energized and interested after this. This is what the movie needed at that point. A energetic bombastic song. I might go as far as to say this Song Saves the movie at this point. (Also Zoe Saldana strikes that really good balance of 'not a professional singer' but still really charming)

-One Small Thing!.. Two things. #1: I'm not a fan of pinkie pie. And early on in the series I'm really not a fan of her singing. But in the later episodes she gets some good stuff. #2: I'm a big fan of Kristin Chenoweth, my best friend is a HUGE fan and in this song both Pinkie and Skystar are GREAT in this song. Actually the whole movie is really really fun. I mean stunning catchy. (Great Brass section helps) - But Chenoweth really sells it... And As my Best Friend put it.

PinkieStar? SkyPie? Ship it! SHIP IT LIKE FEDEX!

 

-Open up your eyes... Any one else get real HellFire Vibes form this song? I like Frolo's song from Hunchback? Which brings me to a point, this is one of the best villain songs I have listened to in a long time. Like solid mid level Disney stuff here, Not quite Scar or Poor Unfortunate souls. but Solid 

-Rainbow... Songbird Grenade's song.. A lot of people have a issue with this song (And pony) Really I don't care one way or the other. Its a good way to actually have the song for the out credits and wrap up be in continuity.

-Off to see the world... I really like the credit song/sequence. Might be one of the best part of the movies, Super Cute. Great song.

--------------------------

Characters.

Mane six-

-Twilight... I dig it, I actually don't mind the huge screw up, because I don't see it as out of character. I see it as just her being THAT desperate. And not holding it together. Also crying twilight. 8(

-RainbowDash... I like Dash anyways. And she's fine in this movie, until her song... then she's... well Awesome. Even with her screw up, because well that's really just dash. Again I'm bothered by the ineptness of the ponies in the first half of the movie. She should have been able to handle one ship in the air. But ~sigh~ I can just except this was a animation saving issue in not giving Tempest more back up, not a real excuse but understandable.

-Applejack/Fluttershy... Well I mean she's fine, when we see/hear her... I mean we get so little of them that I can just throw them into one entry. They had a few instances of being note worthy, but over all.. nothing really.

-The PINK ONE... Pinkie was solid later season Pinkie that is to say not openly annoying to be, but less then enjoyable at times. She's always super hot and cold for me, I ether love her or hate her. Her/Skystar's song is totally worth it however. She does however... seam to screw up A LOT in this movie.

-Rarity... Only slightly better then AppleJack/Fluttershy. She at least has more lines and presence, And of the three interactions that got them help. I feel like if this movie was longer we would have gotten two more groups that helped. Like.. A animal or animals and.. I don't know.. Farmers or something.. Apple monsters.

-Skystar... I loved this character, I think I already stated I'm a fan of Chenoweth. THIS is actually the level of weird that I wish they would shoot for with Pinkie. She never got annoying. (We don't get a lot of her, but Pinkie can annoy me in that time span) - Also Hippogriffs might be my new favorite kind of ponies. - on a note about her character design, I'm thinking (wishing) that they made her Hippogriff model first, and then made the pilot fish version 2nd. Because I'm not a huge fan of the fish version. And I am of the Hippogriff version.

-Tempest... If there are characters I want to see in the show again its Skystar and Tempest. I really really like this character, to the point that she might be the best part of the movie. Song is amazing, character is great. The things you can do with this character would be great. I really want her to be the new captain of the canterlot royal guard. Or captain of the guard at twilight castle. (Because really that pony needs security already.)

-Grubber... If there is a weak point in the cast its this. Not storm king... Because this guy was a failure even in his role. Which is to say none of the children I was with liked him at all. I really think he was just around to break up Tempests CONSTANT LURKING/SEETHING.

-The Storm King. A lot of people had a problem with this guy. I was ok with him. Just ok. And the thing is he was more or less just a backdrop. The real story was with Tempest/Twilight. People who think he was inept / a giant manchild.. Ya.. that's how a long of stupid conflicts start. I really liked the performance just knowing it was Liev Schreiber. The concept that he was not menicing enough I disagree with, if anything having some one that unstable with that much power is actually more terrifying.

----------------

 

In the end it was better then I thought it would be, but I didn't go in expecting anything super impressive.

[FlareGun45 2,221]

Sup brahs? It's been a few days but I finally watched it! Better late than never, right? I'm still drinking some coke from the theatre right now as I write this! I didn't plan to have any popcorn, but my mom really wanted it. I just wanted an Icee! Yeah I went to see the movie with my mom, and we both really enjoyed! But she wouldn't stop talking! XD She kept asking me questions, pointing out certain characters, and repeating something a character said or did that I already heard! I'm trying to watch the movie, mom! Please pipe down! XD Those kids behind me wouldn't stop talking either. However there weren't many people in the theatre, just how I liked it! I like watching movies without so much talking happening at once. But I did say a few snarky comments here and there, like Spike's pufferfish moment, I said, "Oh SpongeBob! Whyyyyy?" Yeah, that was my theatre experience - it was really lame! Oh, but the movie itself, it was '''perfect'''! Well, perfect enough! A couple of flaws here and there, but it doesn't bother me! Let's talk about the movie now!

Where do I begin? Alright, let's start off with the story! Now this story does not connect to any past episode. It's pretty much a way to bring in newcomers to the show! I mean it kinda spoils Magical Mystery Cure because of the "princess of friendship" thing, and maybe Crusaders of the Lost Mark because we see the CMCs with their cutie marks, but that can be avoided. But basically, it's a story about a villain known as The Storm King attacking Canterlot to steal the princesses' magic so he can take over the world and all that jazz! Three of the princesses get captured, but Twilight and her friends escape! They meet new friends along the way, some accidents happen, but it all works out in the end! All the cool new environments, Canterlot had a makeover, both Celestia AND Luna have their own thrones, so it would be nice if the show had a new throne room makeover as well! I mean c'mon, there's only one throne, and it's been that way for how long? C'mon, give Luna her own throne! The battles were really clever, and character motivation was top-notch! And best of all, no rushing! The movie did not feel rushed at all! Unlike the show, the movie doesn't have a specific timespan, so it was easier to have things fall into place at the right time! Nice use of the budget for a new all-star cast! I'll get into the characters in a bit though. There were a couple of issues in here though. There were times that certain pegasi (or Twilight) could've flew, like at the waterfall scene! That didn't make sense to me. And another thing that kinda felt out of the ordinary, was the part where Twilight and Pinkie fought. That kinda felt forced in so Twilight and the Remane Five could separate. But those are the only parts that I had a small problem with, but I can overlook them easily! Fantastic story overall! Even if it was pretty similar to Twilight's Kingdom, it was a really different experience! How about the characters though?

I wanna start with the new characters! Now, the Storm King, a typical villain that wants to take over by stealing all the princess magic to take over the world. Yeah, big woop, slow motivation. I mean he's funny and all! He pretty much represents the brony hater! But all in all, he's just another Lord Tirek. Nothing wrong with that though! But the real interesting story goes to his second in command Tempest Shadow! Now of course she's just another Starlight Glimmer - bad friendship experiences. However, Tempest really did have some bad friendship experiences! Her friends forced her to go in, get her horn clawed off by an Ursa, and her friends just abandoned her! That's SICK! Tempest is really understandable in this scenario! It was only until Storm King betrayed her and Twilight saved her that really reformed her! That was not forced, that felt completely natural! And I'm glad Tempest's horn didn't come back, cause that would lead to the '''perfect''' ending, and I like how Tempest went with the "make the best of it" ending. Ya can't always get what ya want! But if you tried some time, you just might find, ya get what ya need! Grubber... I expected more from him. He's ok, but I expected a Grubber-Spike comparison. Grubber is pretty much '''old''' Spike, comic-relief without doing anything special. Michael Pena did a great job with him, and Grubber was funny! Capper is my ''favorite'' new character! He is so interesting and mischievous at times! He wasn't a bad guy, but he had bad problems which led him to betray the Mane Seven! But he did redeem himself by offering to help them help, and his song was amazing! I didn't hear him say "you ponies are crazy" at all, like he said in the trailer. Maybe he did though and I just didn't remember, or there could've been some scenes cut. But all in all, I loved Capper! Now Captain Celaeno and her crew were interesting too! Just some laborers of Storm King cut from their prime, but Rainbow Dash's leadership brought them back and running! I also loved the seaponies too and their part in the movie! Princess Skystar was like an Areal from Little Mermaid, and [[Queen Novo]] was her sassy parental ruler who didn't trust outsiders! All the new main characters had some sort of icon in the movie in which made them really interesting!

How about the main cast? How did they do? Well, of course Twilight Sparkle was the leader, and she did the most stuff; but she wasn't the main hero, because she actually needed her friends to help her out! She couldn've done it all on her own, she needed them! Even though she did an accidental screw up, it shows how unperfect she is! I mean, do we really have to go through this again?  ALL of the main cast got to do something important! Pinkie Pie seemed to be the one in the main cast other than Twilight doing the most stuff though, and she won the  seaponies over for a little bit! She was also pretty funny and completeld in-character the whole time! Rainbow Dash showed leadership and helped the pirates go back up and running, and I gotta say, Time to Be Awesome is my personal favorite song in the entire movie! She even got a chance to do a sonic rainboom, but perhaps that was a bad idea, huh? XD Rarity]s main part in the movie was to win Capper over, and she did just that! Out of all the main cast, it seemed like Applejack and Fluttershy did the least amount of stuff. They were awesome in the movie, don't get me wrong! Fluttershy was completely adorable throughout the whole thing and AJ thinks were lasso all the time! But whatever they did wasn't very different from what they usually do. I really think the writers could've given AJ and Flutters a little more. Spike... he was truly amazing in here! He was actually part of the Mane Six for a change... Mane Seven! This is the Spike I wanted - to be 100% part of the group without anything missing! He was completely equal to the Mane Six! He got to sing, he got to use his firebreath to win battles (especially the part where he burned the soldier's hand, that was AWESOME)! Yes, unfortunately, his crush on Rarity was still around, but that was expected. At least with the movie over, the writers are now allowed to make an episode with the crush ending! XD But yeah, he did fantastic! '''He was NOT comic-relef in here!''' No, he was actually character he was meant to be: a loyal and helpful friend, with some lulz here and there! Grubber pretty much took old Spike's position!

So many cameos in here too from the CMCs to Big Mac to Granny to Cheese Sandwich to Sassy and Coco to the Wonderbolts to Tree Hugger, to Trixie and Starlight to Discord in the credits, they really squeezed in as much characters from the show as they could! Not all of them though, the movie can't fit ALL of them! :3 I enjoyed all the songs in the movie, especially Time to Be Awesome, and Capper's song! What made this movie special was that there was no stress! In the show I really want something to happen, and I either get really excited or disappointed. In the movie though, I had that same feeling I used to have when I first started watching the show: where I just enjoyed it! The movie reminded me why I loved this show in the first place! All the main cast got to do something without another character overshadowing another, or one character doing too little. Meghan McCarthy, back when she was running things was the last time I enjoyed the show without hoping for anything to happen! She was the best thing this show had! I didn't get the same feeling in seasons 5, 6, or 7, unlike the wonderous feelings I had for the show from seasons 1-4 when the show was at it's prime! Yes, these past seasons were great, but ever since season 5, the show really felt different, like SpongeBob after the first movie. Maybe with the movie outta the way, the show can go back to it's prime again! We'll see though!

But yes, the movie was incredible! I WILL get the Blu-Ray when it comes out and watch it again! This movie had the classic feeling that I used to have in the show!

The season 7 finale was a great start at it, so maybe season 8 will gimmie that same feeling again!

Best movie ever! 
 

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,329]

On the non-brony review side of things, here’s Animat: 

 

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,152]

And another from a non-brony angle; Tamara Just Saw!