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

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

9 minutes ago, Music Chart Fan said:

I just got back from the theater a little while ago. Funnily enough, there were exactly two other people (what looked like a mother and daughter) in the theater other than me, and it was the first showing on the first night. But I did go to a theater in the middle of nowhere, and there were only maybe 20 cars or so in the parking lot for the whole theater in total.

For what it's worth, I thought the movie was good. I was expecting it to be basically an extended episode with higher production values, but after seeing it, I guess I wouldn't quite describe it that way; I might say that it felt a bit like a Disney movie. The animation/visuals might take a bit of adjustment as compared to the show, but as would be expected, they're generally pretty good. In retrospect, one thing that's a bit surprising about the movie is that the plot keeps pushing forward. The movie mostly doesn't linger long in any particular place; in fact, a lot of the time spent in particular locations was done in the song sequences. Speaking of those, they're fine, for the most part; I'm not going to be listening to the songs outside of the movie or anything, but they do what they're supposed to do. I'm not a fan of the "We Got The Beat" cover that plays at the start of the movie, but I'm probably a bit of a purist about old hit songs like that. On the other hand, though, I did appreciate the reference to "The Girl From Ipanema".

There are a few observations I remember having that I'll list below. I'm going by memory, though, so the details may not be quite right.

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Rainbow Dash encourages the pirates to go back to pirating and be awesome again, but don't pirates typically loot and pillage other people's property? Should that really be considered awesome? It might be kind of like how the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies get the audience to root for the pirates.

There doesn't seem like there's any particular reason why the Mane Seven needed to be transformed into seaponies (or fish), other than so that a bunch of seapony toys can be sold. But yeah, I know, selling toys is the name of the game, and all that.

The scene right after Twilight is caught trying to take the pearl and the Mane Seven are kicked out is kind of weird and confusing. If I'm remembering correctly, Twilight only told Pinkie to give Princess Skystar a good time, with no mention of Queen Novo or anyone else (e.g. any guards who might have been guarding the pearl). So if Twilight's plan was to have the party distract everyone so she could secretly take the pearl, it seems like that only occurred by coincidence. Also, Twilight never said anything about winning over the seaponies with Pinkie's party and thus convincing them to give the Mane Seven the pearl, so again, the fact that that was apparently on the verge of happening seems like just a coincidence. If that is the case, then Twilight didn't really ruin that plan because that never was planned in the first place.

The backstory of Tempest just kind of blows by; it didn't seem to me to do much to establish sympathy for her position or the reason(s) she has her current attitude toward friendship.

The new friends that the Mane Seven made on their journey ultimately didn't seem to do much to actually stop the Storm King. As I recall, stopping the Storm King was more or less made possible by Twilight's not being turned to stone, the rest of the Mane Seven blasting in from the cannon at just the right time, and Tempest's turnaround to sacrifice herself, which incidentally turned the Storm King to stone too. Capper, the pirates and Princess Skystar carried out a plan to get into Canterlot, and fought the guards a bit, but that's about it. If Twilight were simply captured before the Mane Seven encountered any of the new characters, what would have changed? Couldn't the same events have more or less played out?

Finally, it seems a bit arbitrary that the staff with all of the princesses' magic in it can reverse essentially everything that the Storm King did, but then Tempest's horn apparently couldn't be fixed.

 

Also important to note that as far as the vast vast vast majority is concerned, the movie comes out tomorrow.

That RT score is disappointing, but I didn't factor in "professional" critics being that braindead.

[Jeric 46,851]

So I am finally fully settled down and have to mull over some things about this film and probably see it again before I give it a final score. I attended it will kids within the demographic and my own kids who are teenagers so my movie going experience could be impacted by their own experience. Each of them adored this film -- some for very different reasons. 

The theater had a few other families and three or four small groups of bronies. One pair of gentlemen who were in their 20's actually saw my hat and shirt and came up and said hello. Turns out one wasn't a fan but was asked to come along so the actual fan wouldn't feel out of sorts. There was also an older couple in their 60's that was adorable. Old people couples always make me laugh. 

Ok. The film. No spoilers. In general it nails the things that most fans like about the show. The Mane Six and Spike feel like they were on point and well written. In two or three cases, their actors actually do a better job here than in the show. Twilight has a moment before the climax that is absolutely one of Tara's best scenes on Pony. Pinkie plays a major major part in the story and is the second part of perhaps the most emotional moment in the film. Rainbow and Rarity also get their own little arcs that help drive the plot forward. Spike has yep scenes that are great ... one is very subtle but absolutely perfect for his character and is tied into that scene I mentioned above. There are going to be fan complaints about OOC moments with Twilight. I look forward to challenging that view with everything I have in me. 

Fluttershy and Applejack may not have their own independent arcs, but each gets a few little moments of humor or helps in their own way. Even though they have less to do, I didn't feel as if they were completely marginalized in the film. They both get one or two solid moments where I said ... that's perfect for that character! 

The stakes are obviously as high as we have seen before, but I felt actual tension at times. The closest analog for me would be Return of Harmony part 2. 

The new characters were interesting and two or three did leave me hoping this isn't the last we see of them. A few kinda didn't work as well, but I wasn't turned off by them either. 

The animation ... this is where I will have an issue. First and foremost ... the Ponies are done amazingly. Once you get used to the fluidity it feels natural and I almost wish the show could be this expressive at times. Their eyes have more precision in movement that makes subtle moments of thinking work much better. The secondary and new species characters are also animated well, however I noticed a few scenes that didn't use the same level of lighting and depth that the film nails in other scenes, particularly with Capper in a few shots. 

My biggest issue is that some of the computer modeling feels ... off. Not just the actual models, but how they used it. At times it feels like ruins the depth of field illusion ... there is one scene with Skystar as we first see Seaquestria that looks like an earlier CAPS generated scene in an early Disney film. Skystar looks decidedly flat compared to her environment and as I said it hurts the illusion of depth and motion. Moments like that took me a little out of the experience, but it didn't hurt the overall story or enjoyment. It's a nitpick, but one worth mentioning. 

The humor works for me, but there are a few jokes that will be considered corny for others. For example, there was a product placement joke that made me chuckle, but made one of my kids groan. I thought it was clever, but YMMV. 

The music is solid to superb, and as expected sounds great in a theater. I want the score. The opening song after the title was weak though. One Small Thing could have used a few extra touches at parts in the animation 'choreography', because there are parts that felt underwhelming. Almost like a poor man's Under The Sea. Overall the music was great, and they do a thing in Open Up Your Eyes that is a nice touch. 

As a Pony film ... it does exactly what I wanted it to do and actually exceeded my expectations in a few scenes. I'm starting off with a 9/10 as a fan. I reserve the right to lower that once the glow phase of seeing a film ebbs. Again that is judged against the property and as a fan. This does not reach the lofty heights of Disney and Pixar. If I had to judge this film against my favorite animated movies it wouldn't crack the top 10 and if I'm being honest, it is probably closer to a 7/10 as a general animated motion picture. 

There are going to be many questions raised due to some species and lore that is hinted at. Also some easily explained inconsistencies in character absences (Shining, Flurry, etc). None of that bothered me one bit. Though some may fixate on that stuff. 

It's Pony, and it follows a film structure not an episode structure so the comments that it feels like an extended episode are as inaccurate as it is unoriginal. 

In the end it's a decent and fun film with some minor issues unrelated to the story, plot, and characters. That said it's amazing MLP!

 

[Azureth 687]

I just came back from it and was very pleased for the most part, I definitely need to watch it again, of course. I liked the animation for the most part, but for those that have seen it, did the way their eyes look seem somewhat jarring and even maybe off? Perhaps I just need to get used to the new animation which I found more than fine in general, but their eyes looked so strange, especially Twilight's. 

 

Regarding the plot, it was pretty good, some thing shocked me such as:

 

Spoiler

Twilight using her friends to make a distraction to steal the seapony orb thing. Does this seem a bit out of character to anyone else? Beyond that, and perhaps I missed something, but I don't understand how Twilight thought using it would help. Was her plan to just use it to make all Equestria ponies into seasponies? 

One other thing that got me was the part where:

Spoiler

Twilight yells at Pinkie saying "I don't need friends like you!" DAMN! I actually legitimately felt real bad for Pinkie and perhaps along with her trying to steal something it just goes to show how desperate she was but still...wow!

Really fun movie however. 

[Prospekt 11,018]

Just saw the movie and while it certainly wasn't the greatest thing in the world, I felt like it did G4 justice. Lots of cute moments, songs, new characters, etc. I'll type up a more in-depth piece about it in a bit. But for now, well done Hasbro+Lionsgate. You exceeded my expectations.

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

@Jeric Great review!
Have you read the travesty that is IGNS review for the movie?

[Jade The Pegasister 383]

Just saw it, here I go 

 

animation: top notch! Really beautiful and soft on the eyes

 

songs: sia’s song was great! The other songs were average you know meh....

 

plot: I wasn’t expecting the problem to become this big as it is in the film it comes on suddenly and the villain isn’t introduced immediately but we are suddenly met with a new character and new faces, I thought tempest needed some work honestly and I was expecting twilight to at least revive her horn

 

 Atmosphere: I’m actually shocked and surprised  that I was literally like at the exact moment that they were making on my little pony movie and I was actually witnessing it I’ll be honest it was bizarre watching this movie and realizing that it was actually my little pony it was almost in someways out of its element with the drama factor stuff in it and had some moments that were almost unnecessary I mean honestly it was an OK movie and I must say that the way they treated spike kind of made me frustrated they almost just used him LOL I wish Spike would’ve got a better part I also found it interesting how there was a concept of going outside with Equestria that there was other worlds that we almost had no idea about  I mean of course we’ve been to other parts of Equestria etc. this was interesting this might sound weird but what I found really disappointing was the lack of actual scenes I hate to break it to people but 89% of the movie is just singing I wish they would’ve at least added more background pony scenes or scenes back in Ponyville etc. some moments without singing and some familiar moments we share in the fandom maybe!

 Still on that topic I would almost say that it was distant to the actual show and it’s happenings in Ponyville canterlot etc.  I just wasn’t feeling the love between the relationship of the main six and Ponyville and the sense of community was not there there was no scenes with side characters not even starlight or Trixie etc. (I knew we saw them for a second I meant like talking and stuff) which was a little bit disappointing overall I’ll say it was a really great movie with stunning animation and it really betrayed the main six nicely lol songbird serenade was my fave! 

[Jeric 46,851]

3 minutes ago, Ryanmahaffe said:

@Jeric Great review!
Have you read the travesty that is IGNS review for the movie?

Yeah. Not sure if IGN watched the same show as us. 

1 minute ago, Jade The Pegasister said:

Spike would’ve got a better part

Spoiler

He has one of my top ten favorite moments in the film. Right after the fight between Pinkie and Twilight he stands in the middle as the Remane Five walk away upset and Twilight leaves dejected and broken. He is slightly off center between the two points as they separate. He hesitates because it is showing he is torn, and finally decides to run after Twilight to comfort her. That scene is one of the best Spike scenes ever, with almost no dialog spoken. 

 

[Jade The Pegasister 383]

9 minutes ago, Jeric said:

Yeah. Not sure if IGN watched the same show as us. 

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He has one of my top ten favorite moments in the film. Right after the fight between Pinkie and Twilight he stands in the middle as the Remane Five walk away upset and Twilight leaves dejected and broken. He is slightly off center between the two points as they separate. He hesitates because it is showing he is torn, and finally decides to run after Twilight to comfort her. That scene is one of the best Spike scenes ever, with almost no dialog spoken. 

 

I totally agree! I even cry at that part

i just mean he was mostly kinda there and being used when convenient 

lame if you ask me (not including that sad scene)

[Jeric 46,851]

21 minutes ago, Azureth said:

found more than fine in general, but their eyes looked so strange, especially Twilight's. 

They altered the movement so that they are a bit more dynamic at times. The eyes move rapidly when they are thinking or working something out in their head and contract in a different way. They also may track objects and other characters more than in the show. I can see where this would make some feel it's off because the eye animation was actually one of the biggest changes they made. For me it works pretty good, but the difference was noticable. Also more glassy, but that we could tell from the stills. 

[Widdershins 9,959]

  Well, maybe I'll come back to this thread later as memories of it pop back up or when I get around to bloggin' about it or something. Do I... do I really need to spoiler tag? Like, whole thread is tagged as spoiler anyway. Eh, Will do anyway as I see it as the single biggest thing in the movie that surpasses even the world building.

Spoiler

DITZY-DOO TOOK A BULLET FOR TWILIGHT! 

  I mean, really, at this point, if you didn't like the character before, how could you hate her now? If you liked her before and wished she could have more screen time or bearing on anything... then you really do have to just clam up in amazement now! You literally cannot not ask for anything more than saving the last remaining bastion of magical power! This whole movie cannot have happened without Derpy-Doo's quick thinking and caring! And all without having to actually point to her as a character still! Absolutely, unbelievable, clever writing there!

 

  Oh, and one other thing. Hippogriff Kingdom, eh? I can imagine a certain Silver Quilled reviewer being absolutely ecstatic about that! 

   Still incredibly incensed, as a mythology buff, that they dared muddle Hippogriff with Hippocampi... 

 

[Prospekt 11,018]

Here's my review.

 

6 minutes ago, Widdershins said:

  Well, maybe I'll come back to this thread later as memories of it pop back up or when I get around to bloggin' about it or something. Do I... do I really need to spoiler tag? Like, whole thread is tagged as spoiler anyway. Eh, Will do anyway as I see it as the single biggest thing in the movie that surpasses even the world building.

  Hide contents

DITZY-DOO TOOK A BULLET FOR TWILIGHT! 

  I mean, really, at this point, if you didn't like the character before, how could you hate her now? If you liked her before and wished she could have more screen time or bearing on anything... then you really do have to just clam up in amazement now! You literally cannot not ask for anything more than saving the last remaining bastion of magical power! This whole movie cannot have happened without Derpy-Doo's quick thinking and caring! And all without having to actually point to her as a character still! Absolutely, unbelievable, clever writing there!

 

  Oh, and one other thing. Hippogriff Kingdom, eh? I can imagine a certain Silver Quilled reviewer being absolutely ecstatic about that! 

   Still incredibly incensed, as a mythology buff, that they dared muddle Hippogriff with Hippocampi... 

 

Spoiler

Derpy needs to be a Wonderbolt now. Like come on. Even though she can't hoof-bump, she saved Equestria.

 

[Jeric 46,851]

@Widdershins

Technically there is no need to use a spoiler tag since I added the tag on the whole thread. I just got so used to putting text in spoilers since I was posting so frequently in this sections of the site.

And you are 100% correct about Derpy ... that sacrifice saved the day when you think about it. I actually picked up on her bolting toward Twilight during the top view of the crowd scene and was like ... "What is she doing?"

She deserves a medal!

[Ganondox 899]

Not perfect, but a very good movie. Anyway, I don't know where to put this, but anyone noticed how Twilight doesn't even try to repair Tempest's horn with the scepter? Sure, she treated her better than the Storm King did, but that's still a snub. Guess it might have been due to the fact she wasn't unpetrified until after the scepter was depowered, IIRC, but she could have tried something. 

Edited October 6, 2017 by Ganondox

[Attack of the Pwns 894]

Spoiler

 

I just got done seeing it. Even though it was a really late showing (9:45-11:30) I was expecting to see more people than just myself and the friend I brought along. There were four other tickets reserved, but they never showed up. Hope that was an outlier.

Anyway, the movie itself was great. Even though there are some...jarring new characters, the movie stayed true to the virtues of the show. IGN is on drugs, plot was excellent. Visuals were really amazing, and the ,used was VERY catchy.

37 minutes ago, Widdershins said:

  Well, maybe I'll come back to this thread later as memories of it pop back up or when I get around to bloggin' about it or something. Do I... do I really need to spoiler tag? Like, whole thread is tagged as spoiler anyway. Eh, Will do anyway as I see it as the single biggest thing in the movie that surpasses even the world building.

  Reveal hidden contents

DITZY-DOO TOOK A BULLET FOR TWILIGHT! 

  I mean, really, at this point, if you didn't like the character before, how could you hate her now? If you liked her before and wished she could have more screen time or bearing on anything... then you really do have to just clam up in amazement now! You literally cannot not ask for anything more than saving the last remaining bastion of magical power! This whole movie cannot have happened without Derpy-Doo's quick thinking and caring! And all without having to actually point to her as a character still! Absolutely, unbelievable, clever writing there!

 

  Oh, and one other thing. Hippogriff Kingdom, eh? I can imagine a certain Silver Quilled reviewer being absolutely ecstatic about that! 

   Still incredibly incensed, as a mythology buff, that they dared muddle Hippogriff with Hippocampi... 

 

 

Spoiler

 

I know right! One of the best parts of the movie. I feel like the writers were fully thinking of us when they wrote in that moment. It's symbolic- it's like the entire Brony fandom took a bullet for the franchise, and the franchise itself came through for us in the end. It was beautiful. I've heard rumors we'll see some Derpy in Season 8, I really hope that's true.

Also, I felt like Spike was actually written pretty well here. You have to remember that a lot of this was written back in Season 4, when Spike was largely still comic relief at best and a punching bag at worst. He was very mature here, and had this been a Season 4 episode, everypony would have been hailing this as the moment that "Spike grew up". So yeah, it wasn't a perfect portrayal (he didn't exactly do THAT much), but he had a bigger role than Applejack, Fulltershy, or Rarity. I liked it. 

I'm looking forward to (maybe? hopefully?) seeing Tempest in the show sometime. She's a cool character, and I must say she had a better backstory than Starlight (I know, not setting the bar high, but Glim Glam is great so Tempest should be just as good, amirite?).

Overall, muchos recommendes. It was a great time for all ages.

 

 

Edited October 6, 2017 by Attack of the Pwns
Spoiler didn't work.

[GeekySonic 1,150]

I liked it. Here's a video where I talk about it cuz I'm lazy and tired and I have school tomorrow

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kL6Qtmxo1Zc

[Jeric 46,851]

1 minute ago, Ganondox said:

Not perfect, but a very good movie. Anyway, I don't know where to put this, but anyone noticed how Twilight doesn't even try to repair Tempest's horn with the scepter? Sure, she treated her better than the Storm King did, but that's still a snub. 

I think the idea was it can't be repaired. The moral being that ... yes you have a disability but it doesn't have to hold you back. 

[Ganondox 899]

Just now, Jeric said:

I think the idea was it can't be repaired. The moral being that ... yes you have a disability but it doesn't have to hold you back. 

I understand that, which is why I said "tried". If that is the case, it's puts the Storm King's betrayal in a different light than otherwise. 

[Jeric 46,851]

Just now, Ganondox said:

I understand that, which is why I said "tried". If that is the case, it's puts the Storm King's betrayal in a different light than otherwise. 

If she tried and failed, what does that serve though? Seriously. At that part in the film what does that do that makes the narrative better other than to sadden a scene that is meant to have an uplifting message. A message that an eight year old who was with me got. 

In writing that's called bad tonal consistency. 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

There is NOTHING like watching a movie with a ten year old little girl... and it was a wonderful experience, even WITH having to walk a round-trip total of four miles to see it!

 

[THE GOOD]

Sweet Luna's Crown, it was an extravaganza!  Ponies, magic, heroes, villains, bad mistakes, great escapes... it had quite a bit to keep up with, but it handled things wonderfully, I feel.  The music had me tapping my feet (even though I gave a bit of a blush at the silliness of the first song), and the visuals were much better than many folks seemed to fear they would be.

The story moved along well enough, with lulls being interspersed with active moments, and the vocal cast sounded as though they were just as pleased as punch to FINALLY be doing a movie with these characters they've grown to portray for us all.  There were so many moments that just felt beautifully scripted, and the humor nor the plot is left wanting.

 

[THE BAD]

Well... the movie at times felt like it was VERY Twi-heavy, and it sorta felt as though the rest of the Mane 6 were more or less tagging along for the ride.  There were high moments for each one, but overall it kinda felt as if the movie was a bit more focused on Book Horse than the whole group.  Honestly, there could've been at least one or two more bits for AJ, Rarity or Flutters... but that's a tiny complaint, to be honest.

Those EYES... good grief, I dig expressive eyes and such, but it felt as though they were trying just a tweeeeee bit TOO hard to convey emotion through the eyes.  Folks may say they're windows to the soul... but in this case, it kinda felt like they were great big Bay Windows - which was a little distracting for me.  But, all the same, it was just another minor detail; no big issue.

 

[THE VERDICT]

8/10 

I really did enjoy it, to be truthful - even with the above minor gripes.  There were a number of times my daughter and I were all like:

"OOOOOOH!  That was COOL!"

"Yeah - that's AWESOME!"

And we enjoyed watching every little second of this lovely little pony flick.  Would definitely see again.  Maybe even twice again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BONUS:  Quote from us seeing the movie, about an hour in:

"Are you my little Rainbow Dashie?"

*eyeroll* "DAD-DEEEEEE!  I'm a PINKIE PIE!"

*smiles* "That you are, Bitty - that you are."

 

[Luminance 2,186]

The Musical score was great in the movie. Really cinematic feeling with the bassy orchestra and string instruments tugging the emotional aspect of the characters and scenes into one. This is one of Daniel Ingram's most stunning work yet. It really draws you into the action, sincere, sad and funny parts of the movie so well. I didn't realize how much music can totally help set a tone for a scene, especially for a movie and definitely this one hits the spot.

I'll see to add more later about the movie specifically but definitely the musical score has me moved and amazed. 

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,499]

I found the movie more enjoyable than I expected. Was it perfect? No, but I didn't expect perfection. I just wanted it to be good and fun and for the most part, that is what we get.

WHAT I LIKED

The animation: While the CG effects in some parts were really jarring, damn, this movie has some really good animation here. Very clean movements, a ton of expression with Pinkie Pie of course being a showcase for that, the lighting effects were dazzling so when magic was going off it looked great. I simply loved the animation here even if in some small parts it was weird.

The Storm King: His betrayal to Tempest is obvious from a mile away, but I liked him a lot as a villain. He had lot's of personality and I really liked that his goal was not to acquire power that goes to himself, but rather to a weapon that he controls. That was different.

The songs: These were mostly really good as well. Even Sia (I think that's how you spell it), I enjoyed her musical performance as well. The songs all fit the mood and worked well. 'Open up your eyes' was amazing.

The characters we know and love: Pretty simple, it was just wonderful seeing our wonderful characters and their interactions with each other. Each had their personalities shown off and while the focus was obviously on Twilight here, I think each character had a chance to shine.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

The mid-movie conflict: This was, to me, the worst part of the movie. Twilight trying to steal the orb and then her snapping at her friends, all of this felt sudden and quite out of character. It doesn't do a great job at showing who is to blame here too, as the others were kinda treating the situation like it was a party when their home was..um, in great danger? So Twilight's paranoia is understandable, yet I don't think she would go so far to steal the orb. Then she snaps at her friends in a way I just see don't her doing. "Maybe it would have been better if I didn't have friends like you!" Just...why? Twilight would NEVER say that, even under such stress. This was a part I didn't enjoy.

Capper: NOW, Capper IS a good character. The problem is how he was handled. He sorta came by and went by in a flash in his introduction and he never quite felt like he was all that important, despite getting an entire song section. That was the one song I felt could have been cut simply because it didn't do much for his character. Him also making friends with them was a tad too sudden, again, the song took up precious time.

Tempest's backstory: This I feel was a bit underwhelming. She lost her horn against an URSA Minor apparently and that was it. While it works for this, I feel it didn't quite have the emotional impact I hoped for, because it didn't help Tempest's cause much.

 

So this is a scattered post, just woke up and trying to remember everything. I did quite enjoy the movie despite the weak conflict in the middle. The critic response has been rather jarring to me as some of the complaints don't make sense. One reviewer even said the film had a bland look, even though its animation was really well done. I don't know what they expected. Despite my badly written mini-review thing here, I did enjoy the film a lot. The music was epic, the animation was stunning and we got to see our wonderful ponies go on what felt like a legit adventure. If had to give a score to the film, it would be a solid 7/10 at the very least.

Also, Transformers sound effect when Grumble got out that megaphone thing. That was comically great.

[Jeric 46,851]

5 minutes ago, Kyoshi said:

The mid-movie conflict: This was, to me, the worst part of the movie. Twilight trying to steal the orb and then her snapping at her friends, all of this felt sudden and quite out of character. It doesn't do a great job at showing who is to blame here too, as the others were kinda treating the situation like it was a party when their home was..um, in great danger? So Twilight's paranoia is understandable, yet I don't think she would go so far to steal the orb. Then she snaps at her friends in a way I just see don't her doing. "Maybe it would have been better if I didn't have friends like you!" Just...why? Twilight would NEVER say that, even under such stress. This was a part I didn't enjoy.

I figured some would have an issue with the scene. As far as whose fault it is, it is Twilight's fault. Pinkie does make the suggestion to cheer up Skystar, at which point AJ says they can't and is interrupted by Twilight who already concocted the the theft in her mind, with the very real reason that ... they need time to figure out how to even get home before they leave. AJ's comment that they can't coupled with Twilight giving them a pragmatic reason why they can't bolt now. 

As far as the theft, this movie is supposed to represent one of their lowest points. Canterlot was taken by surprise, invaded, and Tempest was shown to be relentless and a force to be reckoned with. Literally every time they get one step forward, something happens that screws our heroes over. Now they made it to what Celestia thought was their only hope (which actually wasn't the case but that is for another thread) and are told ... so sad to bad. 

The movie does a great job to make us believe that Twilight feels as though this is all on her. She first voices it ...  then a series of events occur setting this up. In her mind her concerns are ignored with Capper. Pinkie almost gets herself killed, Twi feels that Dash isn't focused on the big picture and that annoys Twilight. Then Dash gets so caught up that she Rainbooms which let's Tempest know where they are. Then hiding she pans the room and all her friends have checked out. She now feels isolated. Hence the play on the opening song with the line, "I got this."

At this point she has lost trust in her friends due to the circumstances and stress. Because of her friends mistakes she is not wholly wrong, so she would have no reason to believe that there is any hope. That lead to a really bad call. 

The fight addresses this and in the best emotional conflict I've seen in MLP. Best because this is realistic. This kind of fight happens with the best of friends. Her remark was in anger and frustration, and she instantly regrets it. Not only that she recognizes it's her fault and has a full breakdown. Not the comedic kind we are used to, but one forged in fires more real than most we see on the show. She is experiencing a level of hopelessness and depression that leads to Tara Strong's best vocal performance on the show. 

What makes this even more poignant is that when she is captured she is very nearly broken completely. Tempest makes this worse when her story allows her to empathize with her tormentor. Through all this she believes she fucked up royally. She did, and she continues to screw up because she wouldn't expect her friends to come after her. That makes the moment when the Five plus Spike shoe zero hesitation on going back for her. All of this is tied together like a narrative string. 

If Twilight felt no immediate remorse I would be screaming that it was OOC, but she does feel remorse and it's soul crushing regret. 

..

 

Unrelated, but did anyone catch that Storm King basically kicked the shit out of a caged Twilight. She was caged in one shot and in the next she is blasted by the staff through a wall. (O_O)

Also the castle rebuilds itself at the end once the Alicorn Magic returns. It's possible that Canterlot itself is magically infused by Alicorn mojo. 

[Applejack1989 35]

To people worrying about what the box office will say vis a vi money: Don't worry about it. Compared to most animated films, the budget for this is low- estimated to be around $25 million. That seems like a lot of money but it really isn't. Just to look at animated films released this year: Cars 3? Budget at $175 million. The Emoji Movie? $50 million. Nut Job 2? $40 million. Ninjango? $70 million. Captain Underpants? $38 million. Lego Batman? $80 million. Despicable Me? $80 million.

Some of those films have advantages and disadvantages but the point is, MLP was a low-cost proposition with. It doesn't need to hit $100 million total Box Office to break even. If it hits between $8-$10 million opening weekend domestic, it'll probably make its money back through domestic alone in the long haul. Worldwide? Who knows. If the show wasn't on a premium channel and was instead on Cartoon Network or better yet on network television, there'd be more eyeballs and probably a higher ceiling. As it is, the movie will likely be a success for those involved, which is what studios want. It would be better if it was a megahit of course, but studios are made and broken on more modest fare. 

 

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,499]

2 minutes ago, Jeric said:

I figured some would have an issue with the scene. As far as whose fault it is, it is Twilight's fault. Pinkie does make the suggestion to cheer up Skystar, at which point AJ says they can't and is interrupted by Twilight who already concocted the the theft in her mind, with the very real reason that ... they need time to figure out how to even get home before they leave. AJ's comment that they can't coupled with Twilight giving them a pragmatic reason why they can't bolt now. 

As far as the theft, this movie is supposed to represent one of their lowest points. Canterlot was taken by surprise, invaded, and Tempest was shown to be relentless and a force to be reckoned with. Literally every time they get one step forward, something happens that screws our heroes over. Now they made it to what Celestia thought was their only hope (which actually wasn't the case but that is for another thread) and are told ... so sad to bad. 

The movie does a great job to make us believe that Twilight feels as though this is all on her. She first voices it ...  then a series of events occur setting this up. In her mind her concerns are ignored with Capper. Pinkie almost gets herself killed, Twi feels that Dash isn't focused on the big picture and that annoys Twilight. Then Dash gets so caught up that she Rainbooms which let's Tempest know where they are. Then hiding she pans the room and all her friends have checked out. She now feels isolated. Hence the play on the opening song with the line, "I got this."

At this point she has lost trust in her friends due to the circumstances and stress. Because of her friends mistakes she is not wholly wrong, so she would have no reason to believe that there is any hope. That lead to a really bad call. 

The fight addresses this and in the best emotional conflict I've seen in MLP. Best because this is realistic. This kind of fight happens with the best of friends. Her remark was in anger and frustration, and she instantly regrets it. Not only that she recognizes it's her fault and has a full breakdown. Not the comedic kind we are used to, but one forged in fires more real than most we see on the show. She is experiencing a level of hopelessness and depression that leads to Tara Strong's best vocal performance on the show. 

What makes this even more poignant is that when she is captured she is very nearly broken completely. Tempest makes this worse when her story allows her to empathize with her tormentor. Through all this she believes she fucked up royally. She did, and she continues to screw up because she wouldn't expect her friends to come after her. That makes the moment when the Five plus Spike shoe zero hesitation on going back for her. All of this is tied together like a narrative string. 

If Twilight felt no immediate remorse I would be screaming that it was OOC, but she does feel remorse and it's soul crushing regret. 

..

 

Unrelated, but did anyone catch that Storm King basically kicked the shit out of a caged Twilight. She was caged in one shot and in the next she is blasted by the staff through a wall. (O_O)

Also the castle rebuilds itself at the end once the Alicorn Magic returns. It's possible that Canterlot itself is magically infused by Alicorn mojo. 

I definitely won't deny the emotional impact of the scene after she snaps, I had tears in my eyes because of it. I guess I simply cannot see Twily telling off her own friends like that, it didn't seem like her at all. I know she was fully convinced that the entire situation was hanging by a thread she was holding, so her frustration makes sense but to even that level was...weird. Maybe it was more shocking than anything, for better or worse.

[Applejack1989 35]

Having see the film myself, I had only a few complaints. I did not like Klugetown or the design of the characters there. I understood that they needed to move the plot forward, but I also disliked that the Pirates were convinced so quickly. RD's Sonic Rainboom felt out of place because of the mission they were on and how close-run it all is. Still, on the whole, I really enjoyed the movie. I think they tried to do one or two many things for the story they wanted to tell and the time they had to do so, but if you like FiM, you'll like this.