I heard that the movie is very disappointing. Is that true?

[Hierok 11,829]

I really liked the movie. I just thought it had to be longer, so the characters could have had a better storie.

Spoiler

And Rainbow did one thing and ruined it for everybody on the ship like usual. 

 

Edited October 7, 2017 by Hierok

[Justin_Case001 4,855]

Is the movie disappointing? 

...

Does Applejack like apples?  Does Pinkie like cupcakes?  Does Twilight like reading?  Does Rainbow like flying?  Does Fluttershy like animals?  Does Rarity like pretty dresses?  Does Discord like chaos?  I think you get the picture.

[sciencewill98 157]

No. It's great. Yes, the animation is different, but it's better.The story is good, not amazing, but not bad by any means.

[Ganondox 899]

6 hours ago, Jeric said:

The general audience consensus is that it's pretty good. Parents and fans alike. Critics have been trending negative. 

Currently the difference is about 30% on Rotten Tomatoes. It's good. You should check it out. 

It's not trending negative among critics, it's trending mixed, with the majority more positive than negative. It's only negative in comparison to audience reception, which is understandable because it's very much a niche film. 

Edited October 7, 2017 by Ganondox

[Applejack1989 35]

I hate that on RT the rotten rating is 60%. Over half of all critics like the film yet it is rotten. Oh well.

The movie is fun. It won't redefine the wheel and anyone expecting something more than a better animated FiM story that honestly could have been done on the small screen might be let down. But if you want to watch a fun MLP movie with great animation? Watch it. You'll enjoy it.

[Guest]

It was OK. I was tentatively hoping for something better. 

[Babyyoshi309 1,829]

WHERE THE HECK DID YOU HEAR THAT?!!!! Everyone I know is praising the heck out of it. The only people who are giving it negative reviews are anti-bronies (and IGN). 

 

The movie is absolutely amazing. In fact, it is my new favorite movie of all time. I highly recommend going to see it! 

 

Though of course support the official release and see it in theators. Don't you dare pirate it... 

[Ganondox 899]

I have to say the movie had itself caught in a critical trap based on premise because either they would have to put into too much exposition which doesn't make sense to people have been following the show, just go with it, which would confuse people who aren't already familiar with the world, or do something in-between. I did notice the movie tried to establish the existing characters as quickly as possible in a non-forced manner at the beginning of the movie, but the pace was really fast and they didn't quite hit everything. An option they could have taken to avoid confusing either group would be to remake the series opener, in which case the audience wouldn't just be thrown to the wolves and exposition would make sense in context, but that has it's own problems as well. 

Edited October 7, 2017 by Ganondox

[Babyyoshi309 1,829]

43 minutes ago, Ganondox said:

It's not trending negative among critics, it's trending mixed, with the majority more positive than negative. It's only negative in comparison to audience reception, which is understandable because it's very much a niche film. 

Wow, 91% of audiences loved it. But only 57% of critics liked it. 

And what is really funny is that one critic gave it a bad review just because it was 2D!!!! 

 

*Edit: Wow, there is disturbing number of critics who only rated it bad only because of the fandom... 

**DOUBLE EDIT: LMAO ONE CRITIC SAID IT WAS WORSE THAN THE EMOJI MOVIE!!!!!

Edited October 7, 2017 by Babyyoshi309

[Ganondox 899]

12 minutes ago, Babyyoshi309 said:

Wow, 91% of audiences loved it. But only 57% of critics liked it. 

And what is really funny is that one critic gave it a bad review just because it was 2D!!!! 

 

*Edit: Wow, there is disturbing number of critics who only rated it bad only because of the fandom... 

**DOUBLE EDIT: LMAO ONE CRITIC SAID IT WAS WORSE THAN THE EMOJI MOVIE!!!!!

While the movie definitely has faults, I'm surprised how many of the negative critical reviews are based on under nonsense like you're listing rather than it's actual flaws. I noticed at least one of them wasn't actually negative, it basically just said fans of cartoons would love it, but it dragged a bit at parts. I also noticed explicitly mixed reviews (50% or whatever the equivalent is in the rating system) where categorized as negative. As such, I can't take the aggregate critic approval rating very seriously. 

[Applejack1989 35]

Each critic assigns not only the score, but whether they think the movie deserves a rotten or fresh attached to their scored review. If someone is grading it a C or a 2/4 or some other middling arrangement, they have to pick one or the other anyway. As fans we may want them to have chosen fresh rather than rotten, but many movies that are 'rotten' are so only because of that. On the other hand, there are many 'Fresh' movies with it. RT is a reliable general aggregator most of the time but it never claimed to be an accurate metric as to the quality, only to general critical overview, of a film. 

[PiratePony 8,473]

8 hours ago, Jeric said:

Pacing is not an issue with this film.

I disagree. The middle section is too slow, especially with the under the sea section. People around me were falling asleep, and I had my mind drifting, and at a movie it should not be drifting. And I like slow pacing in movies...but here it was just too slow. 

 

9 hours ago, Adderbane said:

First things first.  It's not Rainbow Rocks.  It's a decent movie, but not a great one.

I thought the same thing. Rainbow Rocks was a better animated film. 

 

7 hours ago, KillerKingBakudan said:

though I didn't care for "Rainbow" sung by SIA to be honest

Agreed. I couldn't stand the random celebrity shoved in either. The fact that Twilight and her shared a moment actually made zero sense. What about her actual friends?

4 hours ago, Twilight Kyle said:

It was OK. I was tentatively hoping for something better. 

This too

[MAIKUN 262]

I knew it...Just like Zootopia. The movie also sucked too, right?

[Jeric 46,834]

3 hours ago, PiratePony said:

I disagree. The middle section is too slow, especially with the under the sea section. People around me were falling asleep, and I had my mind drifting, and at a movie it should not be drifting. And I like slow pacing in movies...but here it was just too slow. 

Then agree to disagree I suppose. Not only was that scene supposed to be a breather, speeding up transitions, adding action and dialog would have been disastrous considering who the two characters given the most dialog were. You want to take an over/under on how long each section was? Klugetown, Seaquestria, and the ship? How about dialog elements in each? Length of transition elements? Tempo of delivery? Length of each shot? Type of each shot? 

You can disagree, but you're still wrong here. Structurally there is nothing wrong with the pacing. You were likely just bored with the scene. 

And the last section of the middle closed with the best possible rising action I've seen in any Pony product. 

[AlicornSpell 142]

12 hours ago, KillerKingBakudan said:

The movie's good, but that's mostly because of the production value behind it. The voice acting's as good as always, most of the songs are catchy (though I didn't care for "Rainbow" sung by SIA to be honest), and the animation is fucking fantastic. The trailers don't do it justice. The spectacle that they achieved with the Toon Boom software is worth the admission alone. If you love 2D-styled animation, you owe it to yourself to see the movie at least once, regardless if you're a fan of MLP or not. I swear, I have not seen a movie that looked this good since the Princess and the Frog.

But the story left a lot to be desired. I was thoroughly enjoying myself until about halfway through the movie, when a certain plot point came up that was so forced, so aggravating, the characters not only felt like they were regressing to make everything work, but also OOC. I was especially taken aback by Twilight. I would have expected the shit she pulled from the old, stuck-up Twilight from the pilot who didn't want friends. But after seven seasons of learning so much about friendship, AND becoming the PRINCESS of Friendship? There's no excuse for it. I generally don't like ripping MLP episodes apart, but there were so many problems with the second and third act that my criticisms left me feeling like the very brony analysts I despised for so many years. That's never a good sign. As a standalone story, it's just passable at best. There were some great moments, and a lot of cameos that I truly appreciated, but ultimately, it's not up to the standards set by FIM itself.

I just hope that if a sequel is approved, they bring the current writing talent from the show on board. Their work on Season 7 is unmatched; I can't even imagine how amazing another movie would be if they were given a shot at penning the script.

I doubt there will be a sequel, since the movie seems like it's a box office flop right now. The movie was expecting to make up to 10 million to 17 million dollars right now during its weekend opening. And the movie seems to only have made up to like 3 million dollars right now.

[kanashimi purinsesu 244]

i would say you have to watch it on your own to make up your own mind about it but i personally had a good time with it. no spoilers but i think its good to sum up if you really enjoy musical like films you'll enjoy it. i'm not really a super plot individual myself so i can't claim to be more informative about "good writing" and things I just wanted to see more ponies and it totally delivered on that front. i also really love the hand drawn style that reminded me of older disney films in fact the film does feel very disney.

i think the best comparison i can come up with if you have seen it before is A Chipmunk Adventure.  i think its best to take things as they are instead of going in with expectations of what you think it should be. not trying to be mean by saying that btw it's just something that i learned and i found myself enjoying things a lot more ever since i adopted that worldview. but even if you watch it and don't like it all that much that's still fine because you can't really please everyone and even the worst of things still have fans that enjoy parts of it.

 

i'd say it's got some nice bits of fan service too like a certain dance in the credits if you like looking out for stuff like that.

Edited October 7, 2017 by kanashimi purinsesu

[Sunlight Swift 29]

no that is definately not true.

[PacificGreen 1,163]

I haven't seen the movie personally (and am in no rush to see it- it's not that I don't want to, I'm just not as hyped up about it as most other fans), but going by reactions I've seen, its fans really seem to like it (while fairly criticizing some parts of it), while it's not doing so well with professional critics, as some have said here. The Rotten Tomatoes' consensus seems to support this.

Personally, I think we fans might be a little biased towards this film- don't get me wrong, I'm confident the movie is as great as many of you say, but remember that bias is inevitable. Some of it not really wrong, we're just more familiar with the setting and characters than the general audience- while professional critics are most likely going to be coming into this not knowing a thing about (or at most having a basic knowledge of) the show and the franchise, so they're going to have less to appreciate. 

While it's okay to refute professional opinions with your own opinions, I think we should keep this mind when addressing this dissonance of opinions. When I see this movie, I'll just be going in hoping for a great movie to add to the lore of FiM, respecting the viewpoints of those outside the fanbase, and just enjoying it from my perspective.

So how has the general audience (not fans, not pro critics) been reacting to this movie? I'm genuinely curious.

Edited October 9, 2017 by PacificGreen

[KH7672 1,604]

5 hours ago, PacificGreen said:

So how has the general audience (not fans, not pro critics) been reacting to this movie? I'm genuinely curious.

I took an actually old fan of the 80's MLP to this film and she liked it. She would see it again even. She had no exposure to FiM other than the basics (never even watched an episode). I may also be going again with a friend whose only exposure is some fan content. Never seen any of the show. If she can make it Thursday, I'll let you know her reaction. But truly I feel if you go into this film with the mindset of going to enjoy a cute animated movie (regardless of what creatures it revolves upon) you're going to enjoy it. I say go into this like you're going to see any movie for kids and then see how it improves your expectations. If you have no problem watching a "kids film" this is the "kids film" for you.

[AlbaTross 1,581]

Well, as someone who was afraid this film would be a huge sellout and pander too much to children while leaving fans in the cold and failing to live up to the show in every conceivable way, I was pleasantly surprised.  In fact, this film is more for fans than non-fans as although there is time spent in the beginning of the film to establish the characters and world...it's such a poor effort that it really helps if you know the series going in.  It doesn't seem to directly tie-in to any events in the show either mind you, not even the season 7 finale that isn't out yet.  

The movie is an event in and of itself, which is fine.  It also expands the world and lore a little, and now we know what happens if a unicorn loses her horn.  The additional cast is...alright.  I like them just fine but I won't miss them in the series outside of the film.  Starlight and Trixie get a small background cameo with no lines, but it's implied they're caught up in the events of the first act, hence why they're not part of the main adventure.  The songs range from decent to great.  My favourite is the song for one of the main villains that explains her backstory and why she's on the side of evil.  Overall, the movie's definitely worth seeing, but it's not really for the uninitiated.  I don't even think I'd recommend it as a jumping on point.  For the fans though, it's decent and well worth seeing in theatre.

[The MegaBrony 218]

While the MLP movie is fun on its own merits, the final battle just comes off as underwhelming compared to those of the Star Wars films (rewatched Return of the Jedi last night). For perspective, Jedi simultaneously had the ground team and Ewoks fighting off several Stormtroopers, AT-STs, and speeder bikes to destroy the 2nd Death Star's shield generator, Luke's last lightsaber duel with Vader inside the 2nd Death Star, and the space dogfight that ends with said Death Star's destruction. Meanwhile, Pony just had a much smaller and shorter ground battle (which, given the Mane 6's combat capabilities in both the show and fan works, really should have taken place 80+ minutes ago) with fewer Storm Creatures than there were Stormtroopers, and the Storm King only takes one unhindered hit from Twilight's friends before getting himself petrified (unable to die, he eventually stopped thinking). 

Also, I can barely remember a single song from the movie, while I find myself repeatedly singing We Are Number One from LazyTown:

 

[FattPat 13]

I think it's really weird that people are saying the movie is geared more towards fans than general audiences. I got the exact opposite impression. The movie doesn't use much material from the show other than the main six. It feels like the plot was specifically written with that goal in mind since it involves them journeying to new places, meeting new characters, and dealing with new villains. The most fans get are a few cameos from secondary characters.

I found it disappointing for that reason. Since it's based on a TV show I would have vastly preferred that it use more of its unique material and prioritize the fans who are the main audience. We ended up with a very isolated adventure that, with a few character changes, could have just been an original movie. And not a particularly compelling or interesting one.

But there are plenty of people who don't have a problem with this and enjoyed the movie just fine. I'd have preferred something more unique and creative. The season 7 finale got leaked and I found that to be far more interesting.

[Dreambiscuit 8,024]

I freaking loved this movie! The animation style only enhances the look of the characters. It doesn't detract but rather elevates them to a higher level without losing the integrity of their original design. It has to walk a fine line but they nailed it! 

Some say the movie isn't long enough, but it's longer than most animated movies and manages to cover a lot of ground. It covers new territory and new characters without forsaking the central Mane 6 or what they have to accomplish. I honestly can't see anything to be desired beyond what has been done with this movie. 

[twilightsparkle3562 144]

To me, I think the movie is just okay, reminding me of the Disney films of the late 80's and early 90's.  But it's just that some of the tense scenes (like the initial siege of Canterlot and seeing the princesses turned to stone, ponies being enslaved, chained and caged for example) made me feel VERY uncomfortable and gave me autism related sensory overloads, thus ruining the movie experience for me. 

This is not the first time this has happened to me in the franchise however.  I got sensory overloads and felt very uncomfortable while watching "The Return of Harmony," "Twilight's Kingdom," and a few of the slice of life episodes. Plus, I am a fan of the princesses and I wasn't happy that they were treated so poorly.

For myself, had the movie been like a slice of life comedy instead of an epic adventure drama, the movie COULD have worked for me a little more.  But, it is what it is and I am glad that the movie is getting a huge liking from a majority of bronies in the community.  The movie is for some people and for others, it's not and that's okay.  We need to respect others opinions of the movie.

Other than that, the movie does have potential to spawn a trilogy of films similar to Equestria and the Toon Boom animation, while initially weird to look at, does make the details stand out.  

[blackstarraven 142]

Really depends on what you where expecting.

I think it was slightly better then what I was expecting.

This is to say "pretty good."

I was expecting. "not bad."