Equestria Girls

[Ģōffēŗmąʼn99 5]

The trailer was quite good but i'm not going to watch the movie until July 13-14 that's when its in my area, i think its going to be amazing!

[Tarilaan 47]

Just got back from seeing this with Bhending the Rules, and I can now safely say I was pleasantly surprised. The comedy that makes it MLP is still there, the musical pieces were ok by MLP standards (I didn't much care for the title song, but I've never been much of a fan of that style of music). There are even a handful of throwbacks to the original season's episodes.

 

I was apprehensive about the school setting, but that's just because I've seen so many stereotypical school shows that I can't help that. Fortunately, it keeps away from most school setting clichés, and kept on track with the plot. Without spoiling anything, all I can really say at this point, is if you have the opportunity to see this, give it a shot. It's actually pretty good.

 

And if nothing else, going to see it allowed us to spot this in the parking lot - and that alone makes the trip worth it.

Edited June 23, 2013 by Solles

[Bhending the Rules 697]

Just got back from seeing this with Bhending the Rules, and I can now safely say I was pleasantly surprised. The comedy that makes it MLP is still there, the musical pieces were ok by MLP standards (I didn't much care for the title sequence, but I've never been much of a fan of that style of music). There are even a handful of throwbacks to the original season's episodes.

 

I was apprehensive about the school setting, but that's just because I've seen so many stereotypical school shows that I can't help that. Fortunately, it keeps away from most school setting clichés, and kept on track with the plot. Without spoiling anything, all I can really say at this point, is if you have the opportunity to see this, give it a shot. It's actually pretty good.

 

And if nothing else, going to see it allowed us to spot this in the parking lot - and that alone makes the trip worth it.

 

EVERYONE HITCH A RIDE ON THE DERPYMOBILE!!!

 

This is Solles' co-pilot, the aforementioned Bhending. I'll have a lot more to say about this in my review video next week, but for now here's the abridged version.

 

Lay your fears to rest, right the heck now. Not only is Equestria Girls not "bad", it is not "bad" to a downright shocking degree. Even in its weakest moments it is nearly devoid of anything that could be considered "bad". And in its strong moments, which are frequent and plentiful, it's kind of awesome. A few points of interest:

 

-Stay through the credits. Stay through the credits. For the love of all that is holy, STAY. THROUGH. THE CREDITS.

 

-I won't get into any plot specifics, but remember the suspicions we had about this being a cliched high school story? Complete hogwash. This is a "Friendship is Magic" story to the core. There just so happens to be a school serving as a convenient excuse to advance the plot and get all of the characters in one place.

 

-If I had to pick my biggest problem with the movie, it'd be that it isn't long enough to give all aspects of the plot a proper treatment. Which, when you think about it, isn't a bad problem to have. When my biggest complaint with your movie is that THERE ISN'T ENOUGH OF IT, that's one helluva movie.

 

Folks, "Equestria Girls" is not even close to being a fandom-breaking abomination. We shouldn't be afraid of owning this. This is something we can be proud of. If you can make it to one of the theatrical showings, do it. Take a friend. Spend twenty bucks supporting this. No matter what you have to do to make it happen, DO. NOT. MISS. THIS. MOVIE. This, I command.

[FatPat 77]

Spoilers ahead, these are my thoughts after just seeing it.

 

 

Overall it was a good movie. Not great, but good. Held onto the spirit of the show nicely.

 

The Good

 

-The pacing was well done. It felt like they spent just the right amount of time on this movie.

-The plot was fairly solid. Usually these adventure stories struggle with the villain being an idiot. Sunset Shimmer averted this for the most part. I'm glad she decided to just steal the crown instead of trying to win the popularity contest.

-Felt there was a good mix of having Twilight adjusting to her new body and re-meeting her friends again and bringing them together.

-Lots of references to the show and fandom. They were spread out well so it didn't feel like a giant cluster of fan pandering. Some were subtle and some were more in your face, so a good mix.

-Not a lot of focus on Brad.

-Sunset gets reformed at the end. One of the problems I have with this show is when villains are casually cast away. This series is supposed to be about making friends. I'm glad that this villain was put on the path to building a better life.

 

The Bad

 

-This whole love interest thing was unnecessary. Could have been removed from the movie without affecting anything else. Could have been much worse. Thankfully it was a very minor subplot.

-Twilight and Sunset had some lapses in logic. Why didn't Twilight just explain that the crown was hers? Why didn't Sunset just break into the school and steal it? Better yet, why didn't Twilight do that considering she was living in the library? Again it could have been worse. Sunset showed some intelligence by just stealing the damn thing in the end.

-Spike as a dog. This may just be personal preference, but it annoys me that the only main male character is being turned into a freaking dog. I feel like that has some negative annotations towards the male gender. It also makes little sense to me, as they have dogs in the pony universe. Dragons are not their version of dogs. It did serve a purpose though, as having a talking dog helped Twilight convinces everyone she was from another world. Would have prefered Spike to also become a human, but this is mostly my preference.

-Also, don't Luna and Celestia control the sun and moon? Couldn't they have done something to extend the time period?

 

Conclusion

I am satisfied with this movie. I'd give it a B+. The writers avoided most of the fridge logic and idiot ball holding that commonly happens in these adventure episodes. There's still some floating around, but it's not nearly as bad as it's been on the show. Romance was minor, characters were their awesome selves, in jokes were handled well, and villain got a chance for redemption. Good work pony staff, keep it up.

[OceanSapphire 227]

Just saw it and it was SO AWESOME!!! Many laughs to be had and with a packed theater too. The crowd went nuts over dancing Derpy in the credits. Can't wait for DVD.

[Dzastur 1,719]

Decided to see it one more time and, just like re-watching episodes of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, I got to appreciate things I'd missed before.

 

Still a fan - very entertaining. I think overall it did the characters proud, too.

 

3 non-spoilery things I noticed this time around:

 

*Went to a different theater and, by the time the movie was starting, people were having trouble finding seats, with some people left standing and leaning against a wall before they were able to grab spots. A good turn-out for what's essentially a pre-release showing of a Blu-Ray disc. Again, if someone were looking at this for market research re: a potential MLP: FiM movie, you'd have to think they'd come away with, "Well, this is a no-brainer." If people can throw tens of millions of dollars at getting Oogieloves a wide-screen release, I can't imagine they wouldn't for a pony movie at the end of all this. (Whether or not the creators are up for it is another matter, though.)

 

*Genuine applause by everyone as the credits rolled.

 

*There seemed to be quite a few MLP fans who didn't stick around for all of the end credits, and they were bummed outside the theater when they found out about the surprise. In other words, lots of fans who aren't perusing the internet as often as some of us are.

 

 

Vice-principal Luna's office is all dark and "princess of the night"-like. Nice touch.

 

I didn't notice it the first time, but Spike gets to sleep with Rarity. (I made a funny.)

 

Everyone loves teenage-girl Fluttershy's introduction.

 

[Party Cannon 876]

 

 

Vice-principal Luna's office is all dark and "princess of the night"-like. Nice touch.

 

I didn't notice it the first time, but Spike gets to sleep with Rarity. (I made a funny.)

 

Everyone loves teenage-girl Fluttershy's introduction.

 

 

 

Yeah the interrogation scene was great. Very cool Luna moment.

 

When did he “sleep” with Rarity? I know he slept with Twilight in the library but…

 

My theater got big laughs too, especially with her mini animal explosion and how she was the “flyer” girl.

 

EVERYONE HITCH A RIDE ON THE DERPYMOBILE!!!

 

That is amazing! and tastefully done too. haha. One that I wish I got a picture of was on the freeway I saw someone with a brand new black Dodge Challenger with Applejack's cutie mark on the sides right behind the door windows. Subtle but cool as hell.

Edited June 22, 2013 by Party Cannon

[Dzastur 1,719]

 

Yeah the interrogation scene was great. Very cool Luna moment.

 

When did he “sleep” with Rarity? I know he slept with Twilight in the library but…

 

My theater got big laughs too, especially with her mini animal explosion and how she was the “flyer” girl.

 

 

 

In the sweet shop, while they're planning on how to get Twilight the crown, Spike is sleeping on Rarity's lap - until she throws him off when she comes up with her brilliant idea.

 

Probably my favorite subtle animation in the whole movie is when Twilight is introducing herself to Fluttershy (I think it was Fluttershy, anyhow). She moves her arms in a "pawing" motion like the front legs of a horse when it rears.

 

[ReverseFaller 2,483]

I really enjoyed the movie. I don't know how I feel about Flash Sentry though. I thought the movie was actually pretty well done, and exceeded my low expectations. The ending was a bit trippy, and slightly rushed, and just weird. Good movie though. It was funny(and expected) going to a theater and seeing a full theater of mostly 20-30 year old men, barely any girls or little kids lmao.

Edited June 22, 2013 by ReverseFaller

[Party Cannon 876]

 

In the sweet shop, while they're planning on how to get Twilight the crown, Spike is sleeping on Rarity's lap - until she throws him off when she comes up with her brilliant idea.

 

Probably my favorite subtle animation in the whole movie is when Twilight is introducing herself to Fluttershy (I think it was Fluttershy, anyhow). She moves her arms in a "pawing" motion like the front legs of a horse when it rears.

 

 

 

OH! Got it I remember now. It was real quick though. Some local bronies and I were saying that we would fall out of our chairs if he started riding her leg. He got real close, but didn't.

 

The little things as you said really built the movie into something great, such as those animation references. As mentioned in the post, transforming Pinkie at the beginning was the ultimate reassurance of "Okay, this is going to be something good after all."

 

Favorite part?

 

Edited June 22, 2013 by Party Cannon

[Daniel40k 103]

I think I'm just gonna wait until it comes out on Netflix. I mean I'd like to go see, but it doesn't really seem that much worth it. You know?

[Party Cannon 876]

I think I'm just gonna wait until it comes out on Netflix. I mean I'd like to go see, but it doesn't really seem that much worth it. You know?

 

No. See it. It is absolutely worth it. Once the movie starts up, and you see the Equestrian Night sky, you will get goosebumps. See it asap.

[Daniel40k 103]

Well it's waiting a couple months versus a three-four hour drive. I mean when it comes to that, I don't think it matters to wait a little.

[Party Cannon 876]

Well it's waiting a couple months versus a three-four hour drive. I mean when it comes to that, I don't think it matters to wait a little.

 

Hmm. This is true. Yeah if I were in your situation, I would still do it for the sake of watching MLP on the big screen, since it is not for certain if something like this will happen again. It is not the best movie sure but it is still great nonetheless. So, in your predicament, I would say the main thing to account for is how cool/important it is to you to see MLP on the silver screen. If it isn't then yes you might as well wait.

[RandomName 28]

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Despite the movies flaws, and there are quite a few, I feel that the movie was still really enjoyable. The songs were catchy as hell, I loved seeing the interactions with the human mane 6 (not gonna spoil it, but I'm just going to say it's really interesting to see), and Sunset Shimmer was a pretty cool antagonist. While the story throws in some moments where I completely felt like screaming BULLSHIT at the top of my lungs and the Flash Sentry love interest was completely uninteresting and forced, and then the way that they pretty much drop the whole love interest plot point entirely by not having Flash Sentry return in season 4. I mean if you're going to make a love interest, at least stick to it. This makes the movie feel a bit unnecessary and meaningless how nothing major that is brought up in this movie will have a major effect on season 4. It's unnecessary and meaningless, but fun and entertaining. Overall, I feel that the pro's outweigh the con's, and this a movie worth the ticket price!

 

7.5/10

Edited June 23, 2013 by MLP_JoshF

[Queen Cassie 3,057]

So, these are more impressions than my typical detailed review, as a detailed review would require me to watch it at least twice, and since I had to spend an exorbitant amount of both time and money just to see it once, I won't be seeing it again unless a decent copy surfaces on the internet, or until the Blu-Ray comes out--whichever comes first.

But basically, I really enjoyed the movie. I wasn't expecting too much from it, no more than average, but I'd say it surpassed average and went into good. There were plenty of wonderful character moments, from the way Twilight was uncomfortable with her wings at first(I liked how they seemed to be oversensitive) to all of her continuous silly learning how to be human, and so on and so forth. Other characters got a bunch of characterization as well--Cheerilee got more characterization in one brief scene than she's gotten in practically the entire show, with her needing to take a moment to collect herself before dealing with Twilight's ignorance of computers.

The primary issue the movie had was that the plot had to keep racing. Although it had an hour and twelve minutes, it really needed 90 minutes to fully handle everything. As a result a couple of scenes were rushed a bit, like the beginning where it was "Hey here's a ceremony now go to sleep." Fortunately, unlike Magical Mystery Cure, that only happened in a few small areas of the movie, rather than being the entire thing. That which needed the space was given the space for the most part.

While I could have done without Flash Sentry, the fact was he turned out to be both likeable and amusingly irrelevant. I suspect that Hasbro forced a love interest plot on the movie, so DHX took that and basically handled it in the best way possible: he was there, he made Twilight blush and stammer, and otherwise did absolutely nothing. In a way all he really did was show that Twilight definitely has an interest in romance.

I also feel like the world of Not Quite Earth has some deeper connections to Equestria than just what we saw in the movie, and possibly vice versa. After all, so many ponies had dopplegangers that it's almost too much of a coincidence, especially in a world that otherwise seems identical to our own, Youtube and everything. (Although apparently not Photoshop.)

Anyway, the movie raises a bunch of questions, but in that good "It makes me think" kind of way. Like, if the Humane Six came to Equestria, would they turn into clones of the Mane Six? That alone might be interesting to see. I'd also love to see the Humane Six get to be full magical girls, as might happen in the upcoming Equestria Girls comics.

So yeah. I liked it a lot.

[DanT 9]

Just saw the movie today. The theather was almost empty 3 bronies(myself included) and 3 mom with a small child It was 2nd week showing I coundn't go last week. Logically there is nothing remarkable about this movie but I had the biggest smiles on my face thruout the movie and for some reason cannot get enough and want to go see it again. I prefere pony to human conterpart however. It's amazing seeing pony on the big screen for the small first section in equestria. Lot of cameo, and trixie talk. Just one sentence but she refere herself as the great and powerful trixie or something I don't have memory for details. I think the end with repentent sunshine was a bit cliché but overall I loved it. And it was fun seeing Twilight adapts to her wings as a pony in the beginning. And Yea  for Derpy at the end of the credit. Didn't like the love interest but it wasn't intrusive.

 

Overall LOVE IT

Edited June 23, 2013 by DanT

[Anadu Kune 668]

Ok I just saw Equestria girls and and can best describe it with one word. Fun. It was just so much fun to watch. Despite my indecisive nature on the topic of EG I did have that nagging fear at the back of my head telling me it may end up horrible. I even kinda expected it. With that said here are my very brief thoughts. Im going to try to be as spoiler free as I can so this wont be even close to as in dept as I normally try to be. (no specific examples from the film will be used unless asked for) 

Human designs and animation 

obviously we know the animation was going to be well done, but there was the chance that on the whole it just wouldn't work on the human designs. Well I think it turned out awesome. The designs come off so much better with the expressions and motions of the characters they are designed after. There were defiantly points where I found myself thinking the human designs were almost as cute as their pony counterparts. The facial expressions are what made it work Pinkie Pie especially had great ones. 

Musicals
The music is fun and catchy, its different from the numbers we get in MLP FIM but its not bad. The dance numbers are very fun to watch and showcase some funny character interactions. 

Awkward Twilight (funny factor)

I found myself laughing a lot during my viewing. There's a lot of good jokes put into this movie. The awkwardness of being forced into an unfamiliar body was not wasted. Whether its trying to walk or write its presented in a way that made me laugh. Twilight has a full freakout scene upon discovering her form its great fun. It should be noted that this is the first we have seen Twilight since her coronation and if nothing else I think this film shows that Twilight will remain the same lovable character we came to adore. 

Main ponies
The cast is as always great in this. The delivery of lines is perfect. The way characters interact as for the most part exactly as you would expect and leads to some great fun moments. Its interesting to see how they do the same things they do in Equestria but with a more human world spin on it. 

Theme's

Of course we have the core theme of friendship. In this movie it really does revolve around getting past differences both emotional and physical. It really tries to show that its what is is in the core of the person that matters. These characters are the same characters that we love just in a different form. 

negatives. 

1. Flash Sentry really could just be taken out of the film entirely. He barely plays a role at all in the film and has almost no characterization. He only serves to be in an ambiguous flirtatious relationship with Twilight. 

2. The movie is pretty heavy in its drawing on the show. This is a pro for fans of the show but newcomers to this film will have a much harder time enjoying it. 

3. Sunset Shimmer's potential isn't really realized. There are aspects to her I really like. She's clever and manipulative but impatient about getting results. She is relatively calm for a villain and plays herself off as the nice one when in certain confrontations. 

4. Whilst the overall story doesn't ever come off as horrible stereotypical high school stuff, the background does at times. Meaning in the background you will see the jocks ect. Also some of the human characters in the background just look really off even in movement, its especially noticeable when those are next to one of the mane six.

5.) Certain things are brought up but not quite elaborated enough upon. Like the whole transdimensional effect on the element of harmony. 

Overall Id say if you were on the fence and want a fun time, go see it. If not you may continue crying doom and saying the show is ruined forever. You may also feel free to accuse me of being payed by hasbro or simply being to stupid to see the true horror of what I witnessed. Seriously I had that happened today. 



 

Edited June 23, 2013 by Anadu Kune

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

@@Anadu Kune,

 

A wonderful review, and it has made me even more eager to check out the movie when I am able to . I have merged it with the pinned thread for sharing impressions of the film after seeing it, and for giving reviews. I really need to see this thing

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,373]

I was finally able to see the film and this is my review of it. I am posting this to Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic as well. I do not review things often, at all, so please excuse my awkward wording.

 

Oh boy, Equestria Girls. The bane of My Little Pony's existence. The death of the show as we know it! THE END OF PONYKIND, EQUESTRIA, AND THE FABRIC OF EVERYTHING THAT CURRENTLY OR WILL SOON EXIST!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

 

OOOOOooooookay. I was not fond of the idea of EqG at first, never hated it, just did not see the point. Over time I really grew fond of it. It started as slight interest, then it became a 'I MUST SEE THIS!!'' film for me. I was still worried about it being bad though. The setting was a bit....meh, that being a typical High School setting, the plot was very basic, and just the idea of our favorite ponies being human did bring a bad taste to my mouth. Well, I finally seen it. I had my tissues ready for when I would eventually cry at the bastardization that the EVIL Hasbro has done to our beloved show. The result....."Spoiler alert", it was fantastic. 

 

Speaking of spoilers, there may be spoilers in this review, but I will try my best to limit them.

 

I mentioned the plot earlier...well, what is the plot Kyoshi?!  I will tell you the plot. In the case that you do not know, Twilight is now a princess. She and her friends stay at the Crystal Empire (for an event that thanks to my bad memory, I don't remember). Sunset Shimmer, a former student of Princess Celestia, steals Twilight's crown/Element of Harmony. She goes into this mysterious portal that leads into another world, populated by humans. She then has to go into the portal to retrieve her lost crown and save these two worlds from an unknown threat.

 

Now let me start off with the first thing I loved about the movie. It stayed true to the original show, for the most part. The animation is spot on, the characters are spot on, the expressions, the colors, it is all great. Given that it is done by the same talent who makes Friendship is Magic, that should be no surprise, but I was actually very surprised that they pulled it off this well. The other thing, was the amount of characters within the human world that they showed. The Cutie Mark Crusaders, Big Mac, Snips and Snails, just to name a few. There were plenty of shoutouts to the original show and it shows that the writers are keeping the fandom in mind, which is fantastic. The next thing, were the songs. There were a decent amount and in some ways they might seem cliche, but I found them to be very enjoyable. It helps move the plot along at a good pace and helps establish scenes that would have otherwise been a bit boring, potentially.

 

The characters, even their human counterparts, were very well done. The way that the characters were shown with all of the stuff that WE know, such as the Internet, cell phones, computers, lead to some very funny moments with Twilight and even the other mane 5, who in this world know how to use these devices. The personalities of most of the characters are spot on, even some that appear for a small amount of time. They will all make you laugh just as they made us laugh in FiM. Pinkie is still random, Fluttershy is still, um, shy, and Rarity is still overly dramatic. The conversion of the characters is great and they did not miss a beat, for most of them. The names are  not changed as well.

 

The setting itself is rather plain, but it works. It really does. It is a high school setting, but really, Equestria has school as well, so this is not a completely alien concept. In some ways, it is cliche, but what can you expect? With what it was, it was done much better than I originally anticipated. 

 

The animation, as I said, fantastic, as expected. Studio B was still able to keep those great, vibrant colors and expressions in the other humanly world. 

 

Now, were there flaws with the film? Yes, there were flaws, as with most films, but I was able to look past them. What were they? One, the pace. It wasn't perfect. Some parts went by a bit too fast. One part in particular seemed a bit forced, just to advance the plot. Luckily it was still funny. Two, a few of the characters were not represented all too well. Snips and Snails were the biggest here, they just seemed a bit too evil. They are gullible, but in the original show, they never went to the point of harming others. The others, were Celestia and Luna. Luna does not get much screen time and Celestia does not get much more, but they seemed a bit.....plain, more than they are in the show itself. Celestia just seemed to have an expression of being unimpressed throughout most of the movie. The only other flaw, in my opinion, was the near the end, but this is a smaller flaw. It went by really fast and it was very simple. I still liked the ending, but it could have a been a bit better. 

 

I can safely say though, I can ignore these flaws. This movie is not perfect, in some ways cliche, and may not have been fully realized in some areas, but it was incredibly enjoyable. I enjoyed it from start to finish. Also, the way Alicorn Twilight was portrayed was fantastic as well. I am a huge fan of the Princess Twilight thing and this film made me love it even more, if that is even possible. 

 

Let me be clear, if you do not like FiM, you will probably not like this movie. Beyond that, I think most will enjoy it. The original outcry from other bronies was incredibly pathetic and now that I have seen the film, it was very unwarranted. Many people do not like change. People do not want their beloved show that they have grown accustomed to changed, probably for many reasons. Change can be a great thing though. It can open up new possibilities, adventures, and plot ideas. This, is an example of an adventure. It is a fun little ride that will not disappoint you, at least, I hope not. It begins on a good note, ends on a good note, has many nice little tributes to the original show and to the original plot of the show, and it was just fun. On top of all of what I have said, the movie shows that the writers are able to handle the Princess Twilight subject very well, which is another bright spot for the show's future. If you can, I highly suggest seeing it. Many have accused Hasbro of starting to wrap their hands around the show and take control over it to sell more toys. This movie has been a prime subject among some bronies for this theory. Well, the original show was more than likely made for the selling of toys as well and we kinda know how that went. This movie is really no different. It is not AS good as the original show, but it is damn close. If you are skeptical, as many might be, give it a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised.

 

By the way, here is a little spoiler that happened during the film. Do not click the spoiler tag if you have not seen the movie and you do not want this surprise revealed to you.

Derpy. During. The. Credits. Yes. YES. YES!!!!!!! That, was AMAZINGLY AWESOME. Thank you DHX and Studio B!

 

[MLPFanatic34 3,234]

I saw it finally online, granted the quality wasn't great but at least someone posted it online in full, for what it was I thought it was pretty good, I enjoyed the songs, I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed seeing Twilight as a princess and struggling with that, I enjoyed seeing the characters as humans, a lot of the designs looked quite good including Twilight's and the rest of the main 5. I enjoyed the villain as well though I would of liked to see more with her and her backstory, I also enjoyed the ending and the chemistry between Twilight and Flash Sentry, all in all a good movie, I'd give it a 6/10, I hope to watch it soon on DVD in better quality though.

Edited June 23, 2013 by MLPFanatic34

[SkyeRibbonPwny 406]

Well....I thought it was super awesome. Like, better than my favorite episode of MLP> But is it really true that Flash isn't returning to the show?? I mean, where was that said?

[Rappy0 338]

Well....I thought it was super awesome. Like, better than my favorite episode of MLP> But is it really true that Flash isn't returning to the show?? I mean, where was that said?

Meghan said it like the day after the premiere of the movie. She thought that she was going to be asked if he was coming back and she said that wasn't going to be in season 4.

 

Edited June 23, 2013 by Rappy0

[~StatesTheOblivious~ 1,795]

*Warning: few "spoilers" ahead"

 

Okay... Okay... *sighs*

 

I'll be honest. I didnt love it. And I have to activate my inner brony to say that I don't hate it either. I'm just caught in the middle. Or below. If it was the 66th episode, i'd give it a place in my personal bottom 33.

 

I'm sorry.

 

I can't call it outstanding, or really good, or something like that. I really can't. I'm disappointed. I was cheerful after the second trailer sank into my mind. I tought "Well, this might not be great, but atleast a bumpy yet joyful ride. Good, but not great". And now my expectations have been belied.

 

I'll start from the most objective point of view that's possible for me.

 

And that is the critic.

 

From technical point of view it was somewhere in the upper middle. Animations not bad, writing good enough to make it feel fluently, but yet a bit too rushed. Songs were average. Texts okay, but the music was quite generic. But then I have to stick to my personal rating system. And I will use it here as well as when I come to my brony-point-of-view.

 

Idea:

A Highschool setting. One could easily say that this is necessarily bad because most movies with that premise are mediocre to bad. But that's the wrong idea. It can grant the movie the possibility of showing non-cliche conflicts.

Interdimensional travel. Well, can argue about that, but what do you expect if Hasbro wants Highschool combined with the sucess of Friendship is Magic. I have to commiserate with the writers here. Bad, forced idea-crossing.

But the real problem is: I have to look at the movie seperated from the show here. And then I can only say that it is just a Highschool movie, cut down to be watchable for a bigger audience. Inconsistent. But expected. Thanks, marketing.

 

3/7

 

Plot:

 

The idea that Twilight Sparkle has to fit in the setting first and that the focus on the setting itself - I mean waht everyone might fear: the cliches - is actually the best part. But then comes the bad. The plotline follows the classic setting; but in an slightly altered way. Not too cliche but a bit "meh". And with fantasy/magic, of course. The good jokes outweight some of the inconsistences. And the fact that the  generic "Mr-Good-Looking" can easily be ignored here, make something right. They help to compensate the slightly rushed and underexplaned plotline.

 

4/7

 

Style:

Average pop songs combined with a partial High-School-Musical setting, a demon-transformation and a lesson that fits poorly into the run time of the movie in the way it is presented. Taking a well elaborated series and putting it into something half-tweenesque. I would call it a mistake. And I'm running out of words here. 

 

2/7

 

Total critic (NON-brony) score: 9/21 (7 is the minimum to be considered as "acceptable". Everything above 17 is the outstanding stuff.)

 

So, now to my brony-point-of-view.

 

Idea:

Highschool? Humans? Alternate Reality? Really? Okay, let's just skip that. It's awful. 

Crown stolen, Twilight as a princess not that ungrounded (yet?) and a former student that is the bad guy? I like it.

 

6/7

 

Plot:

 

Rushed. But yet comprehensible. Someway. Bringing friendship to alternate reality selves and then get the crown back so everything can be just as ever now with alicorn Twilight. Good. Half baked "FlashLight"? Even though most likely not in season four... just, just no. Not Fitting to the concept of the show. Some plotholes and forced plotline. Willing suspension of disbelief suffers.

 

4/7

 

Style:

 

You took the bun, Hasbro, or whoever is responsible. Making the setting yet too cliche in the end by not actvely acting against the cliches, turning Spike into a dog and forced, simplified side blows against modern society by forcing the characters we know and love  into it; Really? I thought we could overcome the stereotypes. Not do something that gives ammuniton to the haters. And don't try to compensate that with shout-outs. I'm a brony, not a fanatic.

 

1/7

 

Total brony score: 11 (Yeah, but 1/7 in style)

 

I don't want you to get me wrong here. My system is not perfect, it's just the way I feel like I have to rate something like a movie. 

I really wanted to watch the movie in the end. I hoped that my fears would be allayed. They weren't. Sorry. I can't. I simply can't rate this movie better.

 

The simple fact that it is set in something that we all can better judge because it is not totally artificial makes it impossible for me to say "This is a part of Friendship is Magic".

The fact that FiM is set in a fictional world, has fictional beings in it, makes it - in combination with human conflicts and subjects - so outstanding to me. I can sink in and ignore my differences with the ideas transmitted in the show because my willing suspension of disbelief and my ideals allow me to say "This is not your culture. It is not even your species, Yes, it is created by humans and therefore has humanity and human ideas in it, but I can ignore that because it tells me something that I like in a way that I like."

 

But Highschool in general is not artificial and not fictional enough. I can't watch it with the same eyes as FiM. I can't. And now I will simply try to forget about the movie. I might watch it again, but not because I really liked it.

 

I hope this doesn't predict how season four will be. I know, McCarthy is a good writer and she svaed the movie from being in my "crap-of-the-crap-list". But even good execution can't compensate bad content. At least not for me.

 

You might say that I'm wrong, but this is my point of view and I will not rant about Equestria Girls in the future. I will simply try to ignore it. Just fo you to understand me.

 

Thank you for your attention.

 

P.S. Whoever wonders, how I, a german, sitting in Germany was able to watch it... Well, that's up to your imagination.

[SaburoDaimando 1,196]

Okay.  After watching the movie yesterday out of curiosity, I have this to say.

 

I, SaburoDaimando, the worse Fanfic writer in all of Equestria, LOVED Equestria Girls.

 

I'm not kidding.  In my view, it's not the style that matters, but more the execution, and I thought the movie was a well-executed episode focused on Twilight Sparkle in her attempt to adapt to being human while finding her crown.

 

And while some of us are a little queasy with the ponies as humans, I thought it was kind of cute to see them in a more suited human form.  Many of the humanized ponies like the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Mrs Cake, Trixie, Big Mac and Vinyl Scratch fit well as humans as they did as ponies.

 

I don't have much gripe with the movie, other than the fact that we don't see ponies as much as humans.  But then again, that is a given.

 

As a movie, I place this alongside Star Trek into Darkness and the Man of Steel as my favorite movies of 2013.  And if anyone has anything negative to say about as "The movie that ruined My Little Pony," well be glad they didn't hire Michael Bay to direct this movie.  Otherwise the human world would be full of nothing but Michael Bayexplosions, ridiculously slow motion, a bunch of idiots, racial stereotypes, the mane six looking like hot babes, and stuff so ridiculous, it would have made My Little Pony G3.5 look like an academy award winner.