Non-Spoilery Initial Movie Reaction Post · 3:15am Oct 7th, 2017
I feel let down.
I feel distinctly disappointed.
The whole thing seemed like a combination of rehashed episode plots, shoehorned celebrity cameos and excuses for the animators to show off what they could do in ToonBoom.
The thought occurred to me that, despite the fact that My Little Pony itself set my expectations for the show as high as they are, the people who set those expectations are not the people working on it now, and I will come away from it disappointed at all times in the future.
Now, maybe it's because I didn't have a great day today. I thought I wasn't going to get to see the movie, and I was upset that I was wanting to shirk hanging out with family I actually like. I walked into a fire hydrant and now my knee is kind of swollen and hurts. It's really humid out.
Point is, I'm likely going to see it again tomorrow with more friends, and I won't post a detailed blog about it until then. Maybe I got it wrong.
I knew I was right hahaha
It disappointed me too. I just saw it with my family. There were so many pointless cliches, the little villain that followed Tempest was never explained, Twilight's friends felt more like liabilities than anything, and YOU CAN TELEPORT, TWILIGHT. How does she forget she has more magic than just blowing things up? Also, Tempest being reformed was as predictable as the emoji movie's low rotten tomatoes score.
The best part was when Fluttershy provided emotional support to the grunt minion. There a few other cute moments here and there.
It has inspired me to come back to the fandom, though. It makes me want to try harder to write better stories for people to enjoy, stories that aren't rushed like the movie is.
Not likely to happen, sadly. Moral of the story: how toyetic can ya get?
why dont they ever make celestia or luna do anything important they just sit there and are taken out all the time they should be much stronger than the show's writers make them out to be
I’ll be seeing it tomorrow too, but I’m going in prepared to be disappointed.
As I blogged about months ago, everything from the previews and press blurbs tells me this will be A My Little Pony movie, not THE My Little Pony movie. This is not going to be the epic movie we want with a villain greater than anything seen before, the entire world in danger, the Mane Six coming together to defeat this great threat, maybe get backstory on alicorns and the Elements of Harmony or something. Something huge and amazing that could potentially end the show on.
This is not going to be that movie. It’s probably going to be more like a movie-length episode that would otherwise be a two-parter for the season premiere or finale. A fun adventure with a new villain that won’t stick around, maybe some cool side characters, and a couple catchy songs.
I’m going in knowing this isn’t the movie I want. At this point I just want it to be servicable.
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I'd honestly put some of the episode two-parters above this movie story-wise, but that's just my opinion. As long as you keep your attitude and don't over hype it, it's fine enough. Viewing ponies on a huge screen is nice, at least. Just ignore the crying babies.
It had some good moments.
One thing I did like about the movie is the cat character. His personality itself is a little cliche, but the design is cool and the idea of humanoid cats (in whatever world Equestria lives in) is neat. There are diamond dogs, and now there's intelligent cats.
The trailers all seemed really uninspired to me. It's like the writers were trying as hard as they could to get away from Equestria as we know it because they'd prefer to write about something—anything—else. It's filled with characters that we don't know in settings we aren't familiar with. I'm sure the whole movie isn't that way, but it's a MAJOR red flag to me when a movie based on a known property looks like it's jettisoning that property at every turn. At no point did anything in any of the trailers excite me. Well, let's walk that back. I really dislike the unicorn with the broken horn for looking like an edge-fest, but I do like her world weary demeanor.
However, I did see a tiny clip of Pinkie Pie blowing bubbles in a river yesterday. That was the best thing I've seen from the movie. Just the pony that I know acting like the pony that I love.
I wasn't a fan of the movie, so you're not alone. While my thoughts are definitely in the minority and ones you may never hear from other people, I felt that some of the scenes were way too dark given the source material, even for the two-parters. These scenes felt particularly unnatural for some reason, and maybe it's because I like the supporting cast of the show a little more than most people, but that's just me. This is made even more jarring by how Twilight's friends never seemed to take things seriously, and there were more than a few plot holes and pacing issues that stood out like a sore thumb. The final battle, whereby five ponies and five pirates defeat an army that bested all of Equestria (which probably included powerful ponies like Starlight Glimmer given the opening scenes), is one such example. I'll admit that they're weird opinions, and I understand that people will disagree with me, but that's what I felt while watching the movie. Despite these myriad of criticisms, the animation, Capper's character and the way his VA brought him to life, and some of the music entertained me. Nevertheless, I'm sorry to hear that your first impressions weren't too positive from the sound of things. Even though I didn't like the movie, I do hope that other people enjoy it.
I honestly don't know why people are expecting more than a show for children dolled up for the big screen. Sure, it'll have nods to the older fans, but Hasbro is interested in keeping families wanting to buy their product for their kids. That's the bottom line. If you plan to see a movie like this, have low, low expectations and just enjoy the film instead of expecting it to be this or that.
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Because fandom fans love to criticize their favorite source material. We enjoy that more than anything else life has to offer, including sex.
True story.
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I saw Bladerunner. The MLP movie should have been just like it, just replace the Replicants with changelings. (I'm kidding)
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Honestly, I'd be first in line if it just seemed like a good two hour episode of the show. Instead, it looks like someone wrote an animated fantasy that the studio bought and shoe-horned ponies into it. Since I haven't seen it, I can't really say that's what it is, but that's what it looks like. I don't expect more than the show. It's just that this feels like significantly less than the show.
I'm not surprised this is how you feel; I felt the same. On doing a bit of a mental inventory, I think I rate it below every season opener/closer except for "Magical Mystery Cure" (S7 opener not included because it wasn't an event episode) and below all EqG movies.
With that said, since you'll be seeing the movie again tomorrow, I'll pass along advice a friend gave me after seeing it and coming away with a positive impression: pretend this is unrelated to the show. Give it a completely blank slate. Pretend you don't know the characters or the setting, and that it's a completely self-contained animated feature. Then you may be able to ignore many of the plot holes and character fails, the pacing may seem better, the jokes funnier, and you may pick up on and appreciate the way they develop the themes in a more comprehensive and satisfying way.
I don't know if you can or will do that; I probably couldn't, and I don't know if I'd want to. I certainly didn't then.
But I'll be interested to hear your more detailed take later.
I actually enjoyed the movie, but more because I was pretty sure this wouldn't be the absolutely perfect MLP movie. Expectations can really affect how one perceives a film, and my lower expectations actually made this movie rather tolerable for me personally. There's still plenty of things I don't like about it, but it's a lot better than I thought it would be.
As for the celebrity characters, they didn't bother me that much. Most of them were decent performers, and I liked how a majority of them were written (save two of the villains). The plot itself is basic, but I thought it fit as an MLP story. It really does feel like an elongated episode, and I mean that in a good way. It's a fun little event to see unfold, not an awesomely grand experience. Maybe that'll make some fans feel cheated, but honestly, I enjoyed the spectacle, if not the story (of which there were plenty of problems). My main goal for this film were to be entertained, and I was.
I really enjoyed it. There were definite problems (Michael Pena's character being the most obvious example) but on the whole I had a lot of fun, and I think that's what people are missing here. It isn't meant to be analyzed the same way we'd analyze Citizen Kane. It was just a lot of fun, and Tempest was one of the best villains we've seen so far, if not my favorite. The Storm King had his moments, too.
It was fun, and I thought the animation, once you get used to it, was gorgeous to look at. Plot problems? Sure. Characters doing dumb things to further the story? Totally. Fun? More than anything else.
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Except that you've been complaining pretty nonstop about the show for a long time now, so I don't think even that would have satisfied you. There's a certain group of very vocal, very defeatist people who've convinced them selves they're not going to like the movie or season 7 or whatever, and when you're that determined, you'll always find a way.
I liked it a lot. It was very funny. An extra 10 minutes with the pirates or capper would have gone a long way towards making things fleshed out, though. I see where you're coming from with her friends, however. Pinkie Pie and rainbow dash were the only ones that did anything useful, which is disappointing considering there was enough time for them to do something unique.
All told though, I laughed a lot, and it was an adventure. I'd put it on par with a very good comic book, like the first 4 parter comic with crhystalis.
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OK I’m glad I wasn’t the only person who didn’t expect it to meet mind blowing, just fun, and to be more than satisfied with the fun, watching with friends old and new in a theater.
Is it weird that I'm considering skipping the movie entirely? The trailers already had me wary, and now yours and Augie's posts have pretty much confirmed my fears. A few months ago, I would've still given it a shot — because Pony — but now I'm not so sure. I dunno, maybe I should still force myself to watch it (still gotta do that with the past several episodes, too)
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Is there even a need for spoiler tags? The most spoilery thing in your comment was that bit about Fluttershy
I hate to say this because I like liking things so much! But I also thought the movie wasn't that great :/
But to be honest. It's exactly what the trailer gave me. I remember watching the trailer and thinking: "Are they really going for generic fantasy film?" And yeah... they really did just go for generic fantasy film. At least the animation and the score were fantastic!
One consolation is that by being predictable, the movie is more readily understandable by the target age-group :/
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True enough. Edited accordingly.
...dammit. I guess I should know better than to hope, at this point.
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Uh, if you think I've been complaining about the show nonstop, then you haven't been paying attention. I've given almost every episode at least a neutral response. I don't like a lot of the "big" episodes. I do like most of the regular ones. You can fuck right off with this "You're just trying to find reasons to hate the show" garbage. If I hated it, I wouldn't watch it. If something seems dumb, I'm going to call it out. If I loved it, I'm going to celebrate it. I always have. I always will.
Go ahead and take a look at my episode blogs on season seven and tell me that I'm complaining nonstop about the show. Go ahead! I'll wait.
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Rarity did too: she's the one who won over Capper. Totally true on AJ and Fluttershy, who could have been written out with substantially no plot impact.
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Same here. I haven't seen it and likely won't for a while (saw previews for it at dollar theater when taking kid to Ninjago), but I have started watching old episodes again and feel that desire (at least for today) to make words again.
The fact it wasn't good makes me sad. I wanted it to be good :<
I'd give it an average rating of 6.5/10 so below expectations. Though, the trailers spoiled a bit too much of the movie for me.
Not entirely sure what they were thinking when they made it, but they really nerfed everyone to the ground. Twilight can't fight with magic or teleport, and apparently the Royal Guard is no longer canon.
So. Are you ready to quit the brony fandom, stop watching the show, and never touch this website again, PresentPerfect? Because it seems to me that you”ve started liking this show less and less as time goes on. All of that negativity towards a children’s show is very unhealthy for your character and it will serve to make you look like a jerk who thinks analysis should reign supreme over effort and presentation.
You do not have to keep doing something that you don’t like. No one is forcing you to stay here, Present. And no-one ever will. So, if you feel like you’ve been disappointed, let down, and infuriated by the show, then leave the show and never come back to it or this website ever again.
This is not a threat, before you say. It is merely a recommendation to help improve your life if you choose to accept it. If you hate the show now, then give it up and move on. That is the only logical thing to do at this point.
It was cute. It was fun. I got all that I expected out of it.
I enjoyed it enough that I couldn't help but focus on the flaws. I realize that may sound odd, but my reaction could be summarized not as "It wasn't good" or "I didn't like it" but "It could have been better." I see ways it could've been tightened, polished, streamlined, and so forth, and wish the script had gone through another editing cycle or two.
Still, I wasn't expecting Citizen Kane. It was an enjoyable adventure, just with a few familiar missteps that show's committed before.
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Well said.
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Because once upon a time, I could have high expectations for a show that was designed to be more than just a vehicle to sell toys. And I haven't gotten over the fact that that show no longer exists. How people can still enjoy something that's grown so commercial and poor in quality over the years, I will never understand.
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The new animation style certainly makes it seem like you're not watching the same property. This might be easier than you'd think.
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You should prooobably see it, just keep your expectations low. At least it's easy to consider non-canon.
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I'm ready to quit. I've been ready for five years. But I don't expect I'll ever leave this site. And if I'm not leaving the site, why not watch the show so I can stay abreast of what's going on? And here we are.
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Y'know, you don't have to expect Citizen Kane, but could I have at least expected Rainbow Rocks, a movie that was lots of fun to watch and analyze and gave us some great character turns? Like, this wasn't horrible, but it was Friendship Games at best: a good attempt, but a miss.
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That's also true, where the hell were the royal guards?
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I'm personally not that far (anymore), but there was a point towards the beginning of S4 where I felt like I was a couple more bad episodes in a row away from giving up on the show itself, or at any rate on watching every episode rather than ones that seemed particularly well received. But I certainly get that. The fact there was no way I was leaving the fanfic etc. side of things did a lot to keep me current on the show.
I'd personally have taken an Equestria Girls; Rainbow Rocks or even Friendship Games would have been gravy. Anyway, what did you think of Legend of Everfree? From a certain point of view, I think it's the best comparison to date, not necessarily from a quality standpoint, but in terms of the degree of disconnect from the actual FiM TV show. And because of that I found it easier to take it for what it is rather than as part of a larger whole--granted there was probably less need to there as well.
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So, here's how I categorize the movies:
Equestria Girls: They were trying to make a movie and a show at the same time, and it's their first time doing a movie, so no wonder it sucked.
Rainbow Rocks: Wow! They obviously learned a lot from Equestria Girls and put it to use! Not perfect, but I'm looking forward to the next one!
Friendship Games: That could have gone a lot better. Was I wrong in thinking Rainbow Rocks was the new trend? Or will we get one good movie for each bad movie?
Legend of Everfree: Rainbow Rocks was a fluke and they have no idea what they're doing.
So actually, yeah, LoE seems to be a better comparison. Shame on me for forgetting how their efforts with movies have gone previously and thinking this one would be any different. :| (Here's my LoE review, fyi.)
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My point of comparison was more that in LoE, there is no character or setting overlap with the TV show, so it feels like more of its own thing. Similarly, The Movie probably would have looked better if I had managed to see it as a kind of Pony Earth 2 rather than actually the setting and characters I knew from the show. (Granted I think that's a problem in itself considering I wasn't planning on seeing a Pony Elseworlds story, but you do what you can, right?)
But I see your point there, too.
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Like I said earlier, it's really easy to ignore the movie, as far as canon goes.
Also, I apparently enjoyed LoE, reading back over that review. o.O Its memory has definitely soured since then, if for no other reason than nothing about it ever inspired me.
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Yeah, that did seem discordant with what you were saying in the comment, but I understand how you got there. It really was a perfectly fine thing to watch that just didn't offer much to grab on to like EqG (Sunset Shimmer), Rainbow Rocks (improves SS, the Dazzlings), or Friendship Games (Sci-Twi) did.
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I'm right there with you on quitting. I think I've watched 2 episodes this season, and the last one I really enjoyed was Griffonstone... which is two seasons old now. I'm mostly still here because of a few people I enjoy, and a few stories I'm tracking that get the characters well enough to be fun.
I think you're focusing on the S2 feeling instead of its actual events. I believe we've changed more than the show - we're less innocent, less wide-eyed, more cynical. We're harder to impress and quicker to judge. If the bunyip had come in S1 it'd have a complete fanon mythos and thousand-strong group here. If Party of One came yesterday, we'd bitch about it destroying Pinkie's character and handing her the idiot ball.
It's important to remember S7 gave us Perfect Pear, and I think it's equally important to remember S2 gave us Mare Do Well.
The show has changed, yes - its longevity forces that. Different characters, different stories, and not all of them will be winners. It will continue to not be exactly the same as what we remember both because it needs to survive and because we've changed too. Perspective changes the image.
Weird to add this after preaching optimism and self-awareness, but as for the movie, I must cynically note that it was intended to bring MLP to new, young audiences - a soft restart after five years of much of their previous audience growing out of ponies. As such, it was never going to be anything but a play-it-safe paint-by-numbers. I am expecting exactly that when I watch, and from what I'm hearing I won't be disappointed.
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This might not apply to you specifically, but: I really think the love for Rainbow Rocks is more perception than product. There was a lot for bronies to like, sure. Our villains were G-rated porn stars and that was awesome, Sunset replaced Luna as the principle character of slavish worship with a good "emerging from the shell" plot, and most of all I think we cheered the joyful revelation of an EQG movie that wasn't a steaming pile of crap.
But there were things that were pretty objectively wrong with the movie. A lot of things. A story you could predict by the tenth minute. Friendship lasers failing because plot. Villains who made Sombra look fleshed-out and developed. Vinyl Scratch as an unheralded, unnecessary Deus Ex Machina twice. A complete lack of any conclusion with the villains, something even EQG 1 gave us. All these are real problems, and all get ignored because Sunset is our God, worship at the temple of Sunlight or be flamed for apparently being homophobic I'm not even making that up.
The last two had flaws, but I really think they get a bad rap because they didn't make people feel as good. Friendship Games gave us my own favorite Sunset scene when she went off on Twilight in the name of personal responsibility as she was crushed under her own. And Everfree provided a mystery plot I found genuinely unpredictable, as well as... I mean, is Glorioso/Gaia the strongest villain of MLP in terms of character and motivation? I'm not exactly looking at a list right now but I can't think of anyone who comes close. These were all solid developments that Rainbow Rocks lacked.
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Yeah, Rainbow Rocks was definitely flawed, and I remember it fondly because it's the only EQG movie I can say I really, truly liked. And, y'know, worship at the altar of Sunset. :V (Though her true finest moment was in My Past Is Not Today.)
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For me it's the scene in friendship games, because my work has me continually crushed by responsibilities which makes me snappish and peevish to those who are fucking up, making Sunset temporarily my human even though I nurture the pain for literal years when people at work snap at me for fucking up o god i am the thing i hate and only sunset understands me but at least applejack will still accept me flaws and all
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Re: My Past Is Not Today: Yes. Also I'm still unhappy that she wasn't an alicorn when she came back to Equestria in the short with Starlight. :V
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At least we know that's supposed to be the case, according to Perdita Finn! :V
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Just to be sure:
That she is a Pretty Pretty Pony Princess, or that she isn't? :V
--Never mind, just got to PPvIDW: The Prequelening. :V
All I will say is, I think they went way overboard on facial expressions. It was like they were playing with a new toy.
Overall I would have enjoyed the movie had it been for one BIG plot hole. HOW DOES THE GANG GET TO EQUSTRIA SO FAST? I mean REALLY, they go from the bottom of the country all the way up to Canterlot in just what? A few minutes? And I was expecting Storm King to smash the heroes into a fine powder because after his staff takes the power of all four princesses, well, HE HAS THE POWER OF ALL FOUR PREINCESSES! If anyone wants an idea of how much power that really is look at Twilight's fight with Terik, the centaur minotaur thing. UGH.