Some late thoughts on G5 (minor spoilers) · 11:59am Oct 2nd, 2021
I've waited a bit to let my thoughts settle, and I've seen quite a few different takes on the new Generation and I wanted to put some of my thoughts to paper so to speak.
I have a lot of opinions on how franchises should handle new entries, how consumers like us should reasonably react to them, what we should expect of them, and how to best enjoy new things, but I'm gonna leave that at the door and just talk about the movie itself. I'm going to let it stand and fall on its own merits.
I thought it was a great kid's movie. It isn't this sweeping fantasy-lite disney affair, though it certainly feels disney-like in many regards, and the story feels very cozy. The threat and actual conflict isn't very strong, but the way it simmers in the background and boils over for the final confrontation worked out fine. It felt like a fun romp of a movie that would come on disney channel when my family was staying at a hotel, somewhere between a 'The Big Grot-Dang Movie of the show' and the hour-long premiere to a tv-show, which it literally is now that I think about it.
I liked more of the soundtrack than I thought I would, but for every song I already didn't like, the movie did not change my opinions one bit. I don't like Pipp's song (can't even remember what it's called), I just tend not to like to late '10s-ish pop songs.
The worldbuilding was light, but we spent a lot of time with the characters and that's what I love (Pipp definitely got the short end of the stick imo). I liked Zip a whole lot more than I thought I would, Izzy was more endearing than just diabetes-silly like another pinkish-comic-relief-pony we've known (so much for not comparing it to G4), and I actually ended up caring for Sunny despite her just being some 'intrepid blithe hero' which I'm usually tired of.
Time spent with these characters on this short adventure didn't feel like time wasted, it made me want to see more of them, and it makes me more excited to see the show proper. It's definitely a carrot on a stick in movie form.
Does the movie do anything special? No. Does the writing or the plot break the mold? Not at all really. But it's fun, and funny enough for my tastes. If I was babysitting and this was put on I'd probably sit down and watch the whole thing. It really isn't telling of the quality of the show, but this movie has made me optimistic.
Please watch A New Generation with an open mind. It's no worse than anything a toy series for little kids has made before. Some young fans are making memories as we speak, and I'd rather share in it with them than compare it to something it's not.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to invest my already limited amount of free time into watching the movie, but I'm honestly kinda glad I did. There were a couple of songs I didn't like, a bunch I did enjoy a lot ("My name's Rob?" lol). It did feel like a fairly straight-forward anti-mob mentality movie though, and while that's old hat for an old folks home candidate such as myself I can understand that the movie is targeted for kids who might not have had their fill of those kinds of messages yet.
I actually find myself more interested in the upcoming series than I was before because of the movie.
I also want so many answers to questions that movie didn't even acknowledge at all, lmao
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It seemed to me like the movie left room for the show to expand on the world and setting. If it decides to answer questions I'll be happy, if it doesn't right away I'll still be happy, but I should save that for when we actually get a glimpse for the look and feel of the show.