The Big Screen: Reviewing MLP The Movie (2017) *Spoilers* · 10:17pm Sep 24th, 2021
Hello my peeps and welcome to my new blog post review/rank/revisiting series: The Big Screen.
I’m your reviewer, 13 Shades of Sunset and today for my first film review I’ll be taking a look on the Lionsgate and Entertainment One 2017 film of My Little Pony: The Movie.
You see when it comes to film or television it’s roughly like baseball: some of them can swing n hit and others can strike out a miss. And when it comes to this feature film of MLP… well I do think it might be safe to say it has divided critics and audiences alike I would say. Some love it and some hate it but all in all, everyone has their own opinion. Likewise this is my take on this movie. So what will be this movie’s fate in my eyes? Is it really a shameless cash grab just to sell more toys or is it just a misunderstood film that has the intention of telling a compelling story. That is what I aim to look for today.
Without further ado… Lets get into it.
Plot
SPOILERS AHEAD (skip if you haven’t watched this film):
So it starts off with the ponies of Equestria getting ready for the Friendship Festival. With that we head to Twilight Sparkle in Canterlot’s Castle who was pitching the idea for Princess Celestia and Luna to raise the sun and the moon at the event. After the advice by the princesses given to Twilight she heads down to meet of with the rest of the Mane 6 as they also make preparations for the special occasion.
All of the sudden weird storm clouds started to come in until it reveals a huge ship landing towards Canterlot. Once it lands we soon meet the antagonist of the film, Tempest Shadow. Strangely revealing her figure to be a unicorn with a broken horn. Sooner or Later a fight broke out and the three alicorn princesses are turned into stone as Twilight and her friends escape and they head out to find the Queen of Hippos in The Badlands.
Meanwhile Tempest has a meeting with another film antagonist, The Storm King. Who plans to control magic to conquer Equestria. In return he promises to restore Tempest’s horn.
The Mane 6 arrive in a random city after going through the desert. As they arrive in the town, they meet a certain cat named Capper. Little did the ponies know that Capper is selling them out to erase debt coming from a *coughs* certain anthro animal. They would soon eventually find out about the caper while on top of that Tempest found them but they would soon escape from her once again.
They later find themselves on a ship only to be caught by the pirates who were controlled by the Storm King. Rainbow Dash encourages them to backlash against the Storm King as Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Spike, and Rarity join in. The pirates eventually teamed up with the ponies and they celebrate, much to Twilight’s worry. Rainbow’s Sonic Rainboom attracted Tempest to them.
They escape once again and head to the top of Mt. Aris. They eventually go under to a meet Princess Skystar along with Queen Nova of the Hippogriffs. They show the ponies their only way of shifting themselves into underwater fish by a special pearl. Sadly, Queen Nova was not very trusting of Twilight and her friends using the Pearl. Twilight agrees they’ll stay a bit longer only for us to see that she was gonna use the Pearl anyways.
Queen Nova kicks them out of their home and soon The five ponies express their new distrust and disowning of Twilight, calling her out for trying to go on her own. Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow ditched Twilight while Spike sticks with her. The alicorn would later be captured.
Spike goes to warn the remaining five of the Mane 6 so they can rescue their friend. Capper, The Hippogriffs, and the Pirates come along with them.
Meanwhile, The Storm King consumes the power of the four alicorns and becomes more powerful. The other group sneaks into Canterlot and fights their way through. Unfortunately the King uses his power to make a strong wind of a twister with lightning. Tempest gets betrayed by him by Twilight saves her from the twister.
The Mane 6 gets the staff but Twilight sips into the twister with the king.
Thankfully she comes back and then the Storm King gets turned into stone and is defeated.
The Magic of Friendship is shown once again and the ponies, even hippogriffs, the pirates, and Capper celebrated at the Friendship Festival.
My Thoughts
My thoughts on this film.
Honestly it’s pretty decent actually. To be honest I hardly find much of a reason why to even not like this to begin with.
Now this isn’t the best… not is it the worst film that’s been made. It’s not perfect but I do think this has some potential here. In fact this actually kinda feels like it’s MLP the theme is there too.
What I would say about this though otherwise is about Twilight’s character arc here in this film. Now I do think it’s pretty good and pretty well executed but it honestly feels like they just rehash off of how Twilight was in the very first two episodes of MLP: Friendship is Magic a little. A couple plot points such as Twilight being irritated by her friends when they break out into song and even trusted Capper or even the Hippogriffs or worrying that they’re just wasting time during a current situation honestly somewhat reminds me of Season 1 Episodes 1 & 2. It’s almost identical just arhat the situation is a bit different and they added more characters in there just so it doesn’t look like they both have striking similarities.
Not to mention I feel like The Storm King was… pretty unnecessary in this film as an antagonist. In fact I feel like there’s a still some space in the show to fill in there when it comes to the King. For example, what was the true motivation of The Storm King wanted to conquer Canterlot? That was never explained. I know that it was never explained about King Sombra’s motive to taking over Crystal Empire but the reason I point this out is that The Storm King doesn’t show his actual motives… but Tempest Shadow does have the motive of why she was a villain. I find that to be pretty weird since Tempest Shadow shows her origin, a simple story that she used to have friends but they ditched her because they were scared of her glitching horn so they abandoned her which is why she disowned friendship. Knowing MLP standards that seems like a great motive. In fact, I really do think that if Tempest was the more powerful main villain of the film I’m sure things in the ending of it would’ve turned out the same somehow. Final battle with Tempest, she loses, but then (and it’s just a maybe) she learns the meaning of friendship. I know that’s an ending we technically already had but it’s just that it seemed like The Storm King doesn’t really have much in this film. I mean we don’t get anything out of him really he’s just there for the sake of being there if you catch my drift.
As for the plot and it’s pacing I do say that it was pretty good and again not perfect.
There are some flaws within this film that anyone can find really. But for me despite some of the flaws I still find this somewhat enjoyable. I think it makes up for it with it’s musical numbers as well. Honestly two musical numbers I felt like if they were cut then it would’ve gone out the same way but otherwise they were pretty catchy. I also give some respect to the voice cast including the likes of the MLP voice veterans.
My Verdict…
Welp that’s all I have to say so let’s put the screen on the big screen.
I give this film…
7.5/10
Enjoyment Level: 90%
A pretty decent film in my opinion, I don’t think this film will be for everyone of course not but if you want to enjoy a movie just for fun songs and fun moments then maybe this is for you. I do think the creators had somethings right here and there.
All the while for my recommendation: Well it’s pretty much up to you if you’re interested in this film. I do think you should give this film a chance before you’re too quick to judge. In the end this is a pretty good, ok film, I don’t see much of reason to say “Oh this is just a soulless cash grab”
Well that’s pretty it for now everyone this is 13 Shades of Sunset, signing off.
5586408
Once I watch back on the film it will be soon
I wish that they brought back Tempest Shadow in Friendship is Magic series but then she just got cast out by the writers with a cheap excuse for Twilight to say that she refused to stay in Ponyville and is travelling Equestria to spread word of the Storm King's defeat and I'm like, Yeah but its a big job and your going to need the help of Twilight and her friends for that. I mean you could still cast Tempest Shadow in there even if its not Emily Blunt if she's expensive. Just hire another voice actor who can pull off the character like her.
5586502
I honestly wish she’s in the G4 show too
Sadly just a one time deal
I honestly think the new G5 film is better, maybe I should give it another watch but the 2017 movie didn't do it for me.
5586541
And it’s ok
Like I said this film isn’t for everyone
Despite I enjoyed the G5 film I think I prefer the mlp gen 4 film from 2017 better but the reasons why is a bit hard to discuss over why.
5586665
Nice
Glad you like G5.
Honestly I think it’s still gonna take time for G5 to sink in for some people
5586669
Yep, for me a lot and other fans since one if the reasons I'm brony is mainly because of eqg and of course the likes of it returning are very slim and unlikely.
5586676
True