Movie Review: MLP EQG: Rainbow Rocks

Like last time, before we dive into this I have something I need to say. In retrospect, I was far too kind on the previous movie. Thus, I have decided to change my arbitrary scores to reflect this change. They are now as follows (and will be edited in the blog post... eventually):

Story: 145/300 (Quickly resolved conflicts and rushed ending)
Music: 80/200 (Only one memorable song)
Characters: 125/200 (Villain is a moron and humane six are more or less puppets)
Entertainment: 110/200 (Almost painful to watch)
Animation: 85/100 (Same as previous)

Total: 545/1000 (D-)

And now that the old business is concluded, let’s move on to the new business! Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks!

(I strongly suggest you go down to the ~Music~ section and play the youtube link there while reading this review. The soundtrack is just that good to me! I'll wait for you to come back up!)

In 2013, the staff behind the surprise hit My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, decided to try their hands (or hooves) at making a big screen film called My Little Pony Equestria Girls. It was met with very mixed results, though leaning towards the negative. When word came out of a sequel to come the following year, skepticism was rife and well justified. It was especially justified when we learned it was to be a musical called My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks. Although it had teasers, fans were adamant that the Law of Sequels would hold. (That being: a Sequel is almost never as good as the original)

This is one of the rare sequels to break this law.

With a movie and Season 4 of the show under their belts, the folks at DHX and Top Draw tuned their craft, made their assets, and sharpened their animating teeth to give one heck of a sequel. In fact, I like to think of this movie as an apology for the lackluster (to say the least) prequel. But, right now I am babbling. As they say in the music industry, the show must go on!

Do I ever say how awesome this logo is?

~Story/Plot~

Act I [Introduction/Exposition]

Rainbow Rocks comes onto the stage in a very peculiar way; unlike the last movie, the cold open takes place in the Human World. It is a full moon out and we come to a corner store/bar where a strange green mist hugs the floor amongst a rabble of patrons all arguing among themselves. Sitting off to a corner, there are three maidens wearing red, glowing pendants, humming softly under the din surrounding them. However, the pendants are absorbing the energy, revealing that these characters aren’t strictly human, which is reinforced when one of them pulls down her hood and laments have to dine on what she calls ‘fast food’.

Apparently, these strange girls come from elsewhere, for the complaining one laments the fact that they have been banished from somewhere. At this point, it’s likely Equestria, but we’ll see where this goes. One of the three, who sits on her own opposite the other two, replies sarcastically to the others quip while the third girl does not seem to understand. However, they are interrupted by a flash of light and rainbow... in the distance. Oh, please no.

Adagio's got hips and they do not lie! Get used to them.

They rush outside to watch the spectacle take place (while no one else seems to even notice. Go figure) and realize that what they are seeing is, in fact, Equestrian magic. And now that it is here in the same world as them, since it wasn’t before, they can now use their powers to their fullest extents! After that reveal, we are treated to the first song in the set (aptly called Rainbow Rocks) and the title card of the movie. I have to admit, it’s very pretty and creative. Bonus points!

We cut back to Canterlot High some time later (I like to think months) where we find... Sunset Shimmer? Wait... are they actually. No. That would be recycling a third-rate villain... Nope, they are. *Sigh* At any rate, it seems the school is setting up for another event and Sunset is trying to help only to get shunned by everyone out of fear or hatred, save the Humane Five. Huh. Here I was thinking that everyone would just forg- And they bring up her raging she-demon phase too! Okay, so the Elements of Harmony here DO NOT have a convenient amnesia effect. It’s nice to have confirmation.

If this movie gives me a heart attack, you're probably looking at the culprit!

Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna (Celestia still has the best design, FYI) come in and spout some exposition. I mean, she comes in and says how happy she is that so many students are contributing to the annual Musical Showcase. Apparently, it is an event where students go up on stage to display their musical aptitude just for fun and to spread culture. No awards or anything like that. I wonder how long that will last? Anyway, she brings up the Fall Formal and everyone casts Sunset a dirty look, causing her to shy away.

A while later, the Humane Five and Sunset are sitting in the empty rehearsal room getting ready to practice, for apparently they have formed a band of their own called the Rainbooms. They recap the climax of the previous movie and talk about how it has brought them all together and then sing a song about it (Better than Ever). Apparently, when they play, magical remnants of the Element of Magic cause them to become slightly anthropomorphic ponies, but just the ears, wings (if any) and hair extensions to mimic tails. The girls have no idea why it happens, but Rainbow Dash doesn’t care so long as it makes her band look good. An argument breaks out briefly about that and hints to their internal conflicts, but they are all washed away by the introduction of Bland Brad... or whatever his name was.

If any song ever said, please f*** s*** up, it would be this one.

All he does is come in, ask about Twilight, and compliment their playing ability before leaving and makes himself look like an ass in the process. Sunset laments using him to get more popular and all of that while Applejack tries to make her feel better. The loudspeaker comes on and requests Sunset Shimmer to the front hall. Apparently, she is going to be welcoming some new transfer students to the school and hopes to make a good impression on them before they can hear about her past disgraces.

Sunset goes to the entrance hall of the school where she meets the three girls from the cold open. Their names are Adagio Dazzle (orange hair), Aria Blaze (two-tone blue and purple hair) and Sonata Dusk (blue hair). To say they are subtle about their intentions is to laugh since one of them (Sonata) tells Sunset outright that singing is what they do to get people to do what they want when the topic of the Musical Showcase is brought up. Even stranger, they almost try to rip her arm off when the ex-villain brings up the necklaces and tries to touch one. Thankfully, she was Celestia’s student, making her no dummy so the exchange probably sets off alarm bells in her mind.

And thus, sayeth the Fandom, 'Sonata loves Tacos!' And there was much rejoicing.

Act II [Rising Action]

After the awkward introduction, Sunset laments on being unable to make a good first impression to the rest of her friends in the cafeteria during lunch. But she wastes no time in telling them that there was something... off about the new girls. However, the reason why she had that feeling is still a mystery to her and quickly dismisses it as someone else having spoken to them about her before she met them.

Outside of the cafeteria, the three girls discuss their plan of attack. There’s some paltry attempt at characterization, but they mostly stay in their slots which I will discuss in more detail later. They stride into the cafeteria and we are treated to our first Dazzling song of Battle of the Bands, where they use their hypnotic song to throw the students into frenzy and change the Musical Showcase into an elimination tournament. Seeing all the students suddenly arguing and baying for metaphorical blood, the Humane Five suddenly realize in what way Sunset was referring when she said there was something strange about them.

God, this animation is hypnotizing. @.@

With this startling revelation about the new girls not being strictly human, the Humane Five and Sunset mull over their next course of action since the last thing the school needs is another event ruined by some power-crazed lunatic. No offense, Sunset. Be prepared for that to become a thing where the girls harp on Sunset, say no offense and she says that none is taken. At any rate, they decide to take the next logical step and inform Celestia and Luna of the situation. They are skeptical, to say the least, at first and then reveal it was their decision to turn the Musical Showcase into a Battle of the Bands... after the new girls sang them a little song for permission to participate.

Knowing a lost cause when they see one, the girls retreat to the statue outside of the school rather than risk the Principal’s ire. There, they reflect on the situation and how everyone but them has fallen under the new girls spell. If Twilight were there, she would find a way to break it for sure, but the portal is closed, meaning there is no way they can get her to come over and help them out of the jam.

While dusty old books might not make good friends, they can be quite useful, Princess Celestia.

But then Sunset Shimmer gets an idea. With the others in tow, she heads for her locker and pulls out a dusty book with her cutie mark on the cover. It is a relic from her time as Princess Celestia’s student. She could write in the book and a twin copy that the princess had could receive the message and transmit back. In essence, the book is her version of Spike. Sunset is hesitant to use it since it has been so long and she is not sure if it will work between worlds, but if they can find a way to open the portal early on the Equestrian side, then she is willing to try.

It is a bright and beautiful day in Ponyville as the mane six relax in the throne room of Ponyville Castle. However, an unknown stallion enters with a cartload of books and asks the newly minted Princess of Friendship where he can place them. Twilight Sparkle, naturally, tells him to put them in the library, but he rightly questions the glowing, vibrating volume at the top of the stack. It is the twin of Sunset’s book that the alicorn pulls down and reads. Realizing it is a call for help, the mane six head for the library to do research.

The true form of the sirens.

Sometime later, the six are gathered in the library where Twilight tells them, from the way Sunset Shimmer described them, they are dealing with Sirens. Sirens are half-pony, half-fish life forms that feed on negative emotions and use music to call them out. Once upon a time they grew so powerful that they became a serious threat, causing Starswirl the Bearded (of course) to intervene and banish them to another world: the human world.

Twilight, now realizing the extent of the crisis, is determined to get back to Canterlot High, but as Rainbow reminds them (lol) the connection between them is closed. Pinkie Pie debunks that though, saying if it were closed off completely, how would Sunset’s message have gone through? A brief cut later and Twilight stands before a Stargate which uses the book as the link and a magical apparatus to charge the portal. All the chevrons are locked and the portal opens. Twilight and Spike write off the rest of the six, saying multiples of them would cause confusion, and so the pony and drake run headlong into the portal.

This is the only time we see ponies in this pony movie. I can't wait for 2017.

Back in the Human world, Sunset and the Humane Five sit outside the school in vigil, hoping that Twilight Sparkle received their message and that the Calvary is on the way. Just as Rainbow Dash is beginning to voice her doubts, Twilight and Spike comes screaming (figuratively) out of the portal, though they don’t stick the landing. Sunset rushes over to help Twilight up, but understandably, she does not take her hand immediately. They all share in a group hug before the purple princess ominously proclaims that she has news.

The seven girls and dog head to the local coffee shop to catch up and discuss the identity of the new girls and how, for some reason, the Humane Five can transform when they are playing music into equine-ish forms. They then begin to discuss their plan of attack and realize that in order to undo the siren’s spell, all the affected people need to be in the same room. Pinkie says that there will be a party the night before the competition and that will be their opportunity to sort the mess up nice and quickly.

Kamehameha! (Eee! Vinyl! <3)

Animosity is high and the tension is thick enough to cut it when the Humane Six and Sunset arrive in the gym for the party. And then Twilight literally bumps into Flash Brad again. *Sighs* It didn’t work the first time, Hasbro. You can’t ship a character with another if they were literally made JUST to be arm candy! Anyway, while they are talking Rainbow catches her eye and gestures that the sirens have arrived to the party, meaning this is their big chance.

Just as they are reveling in their apparent victory, the Humane Six proclaim that they are going to stop them and that there isn’t going to be a Battle of the Bands. Wow, this is pragmatic. They’re actually going to rainbow them no- Oh. It’s not working for some reason. How typical. The sirens, realizing that they must be the source of the Equestrian magic they sensed, spin their claim into a proclamation of how much better The Rainbooms are than any other, thus painting a target on their backs.

Friendship! Is! Magic! (And then Twilight kicks Adagio down a pit... whoops. Wrong movie.)

The girls retreat outside and wonder why their plan didn’t work since, with Twilight there, the Elements should have been reacting to the Sirens and made them eat rainbow, which doesn’t make sense since the girls have shown that they DO have magic. That’s when it clicks in the purple princess’ mind: to activate the Elements, they need to play a musical counter spell! With that, the girls extend their invitation to Twilight to join the Rainbooms. Although Pinkie suggests many instruments, Twilight reasons that they will take too long to learn, so she will just sing. And yet no one asks Sunset to join too.

With their plan set and the competition the next day, Pinkie invites all of the girls over to her house for a slumber party so Twilight doesn’t need to sleep in the library again like she did the last time she was there. There are some hints to internal discord as the girls enjoy the company of one another while Twilight tries to figure out the counter spell to the Sirens’ song. The girls give her their utmost confidence, but rather than help her, like they think, they are actually putting pressure on her. Making her unable to sleep that night and try to work on the song in silence. Sunset appears downstairs where the two of them share a genuinely touching scene where their fears are laid bare and come to a rapport because of it.

I could tell you who would need that much whipped cream, Sunset, but I don't think you'd like the answer. (Hint: It rhymes with Corn Bar!)

The next morning, the girls have all gone to Applejack’s place to practice the musical counter spell. However, things do not go quite as expected. Twilight is too timid and her lyrics are awful, Pinkie is trying to pick up the slack, but she overshadows Rainbow while she tries to make the choirs into a guitar solo and Rarity is trying to work on costumes, which is pissing AJ off. Twilight tries to distract them by trying again, but none of them are having it, as Pinkie laments that being in a band isn’t fun anymore.

However, if the counter spell doesn’t work in the first round, which is coming up very soon, the Sirens will know their plan and try to stop them. Applejack tries to put her worries to rest and says that they don’t need to do it during the first round. The Rainbooms will buy her time by playing and progressing until the finals, if they have to. The girls pack up their instruments and load them into the car while Spike assures Twilight that everything will work out.

My highschool band teacher was a giant Beatles Fan. I appreciate the Sgt. Pepper's reference in this dress. b ^.^

Act III [Climax]

The Battle of the Bands begins in the gym that morning with all of the different groups staring one another down, bringing the animosity to a head as they argue among themselves. Meanwhile, the Sirens sit in the back and absorb all of the bad vibrations, gaining more power the more everyone else fractures. That is, everyone except the Rainbooms, who are immune to their magic. But Adagio isn’t worried; the way they set them up earlier will have everyone wanting to have a go at them, and they will crack on their own, eventually.

Snips and Snails (uuugh) are the first act we see and give a spirited, if not necessarily good performance. A fact reflected on the blasé faces of the entranced Celestia and Luna. It is then the Rainbooms turn as they take to the stage, with rarity wearing an outfit that can only be described as ‘new age’ inspired. Twilight reminds them they need to walk a thin line between being good enough to advance, but not so well that the let their magic show and spoil their trump card.

Rarity, darling, the 60's called. They want their outfit back.

We are then given our next song, called Shake your Tail. During which, various other rivals in the competition do their utmost to sabotage the Rainbooms. From overly large magnets to ensnare Rarity’s arms, to yawns and heckles to upset Pinkie Pie, to shining the spotlight on Fluttershy, anything and everything is done to make them foul up. The girls advance to the next round, but behind the scenes they argue about the disaster on stage, not seeing the saboteurs and thus blame each other for the kerfuffle.

Sunset mediates the situation and manages to get them to calm down. She then suggests they find an empty classroom to practice in and continue writing the counter spell while she keeps an eye on things in the gym. The girls leave and bump into Bland Sentry (again, literally) who is instantly scornful of them, especially Twilight and goes out of his way to emphasis he is ignoring them, but when that doesn’t work, he shuns her for trying to steal his glory and tells her to f*** off. This, for some reason, makes Twilight cry.

The janitor really needs to replace that broken light soon...

Not one to take things lying down, Sunset uses the same tactic she did in the other movie, meeting the Sirens in the dark hall to try and intimidate them by saying she knows what they are and what they are planning. The sirens are not taken aback and shrug it off, since no one cares about her or her opinions after the s*** she pulled on them. Not even her so-called friends trust her since they left her out of the band. They walk away laughing, saying that when they are done, no one will remember her, or even care.

The sirens return to the stage for the first round of the competition, singing Under Our Spell. A montage ensues of the Battle of the Bands where groups are systematically eliminated while the Sirens thrive and the Rainbooms struggle to tread the fine line between being good and showing their magic to everyone. Meanwhile, Twilight makes no act of hiding her struggle to compose a brand new song for the counter spell as the pressure mounts.

BOOM Shakalaka!

We return to the semi-finals of the competition and the Rainbooms are the next on stage. Twilight still hasn’t finished the spell, but her friends assure her that they can stick it out to the finals. But she has her worries that she’ll let them all down. Fluttershy suggests they play one of her songs, but Rainbow shuts her down immediately, saying that for the semis they need to play something called Awesome as I Wanna Be. Trixie and her band finish their set and come to heckle the Rainbooms, and generally get under Dash’s skin.

Sunset Shimmer wishes them luck as they take the stage, but is upset that she can only watch from the sidelines. Awesome as I Wanna Be is, to put it succinctly, an unmitigated disaster as it strokes Rainbow’s ego so hard I’m surprised she didn’t get off on it at some point in writing it. She very nearly reveals the big magical secret by completely upstaging everyone else and, with no recourse, Sunset dives on her before she can ruin their plans, putting the show to an impromptu end. Everyone cheers the return of the class bully and drive them off the stage. Rainbow isn’t happy and neither is anyone else for the way she conducted herself and Sunset tries to apologize, but no one cares to accept it.

O-Octavia SPOKE! And there was no s***storm over it! =O

Trixie comes back to add wood to the fire as the girls argue among themselves when the Principals come to announce who is moving on to the finals. Interestingly, the sirens come and influence them with their hypnotic music before this, allowing the disastrous Rainbooms to face them for the finals. This crushes Trixie and the Illusions, who are indignant that they didn’t even finish the set and that, technically they were better.

The sirens come by and offer their condolences, telling her that she was much better than them. But, alas, unless the Rainbooms are no-shows, it will be just the two of them in the finals, thus triggering the darker recesses of Trixie’s brain. At the amphitheater where the final round of the competition is to take place, Trixie catches up to the Rainbooms and chastises them for stealing her spotlight and vows swift revenge. She pulls on a level, sending all seven of them into a storage area under the stage, sparing only spike, trapping them for good.

*Maniacal horse noises* ... No, wait. I mean... "Pull the lever! Have a nice trip, Rainbooms! See you next FALL!"

Act IV [Falling Action]

Later that night, Trixie and the Illusions take the stage in lieu of the Rainbooms who sit trapped under the stage. Most of them are resigned to defeat while Rainbow tries to bash the door down with what little strength she has, annoying Applejack with her futility. Twilight then laments that even if they were up there performing, the counter spell would not have worked anyway. AJ tries to reassure her and then goes on the attack by calling Rainbow out on being a selfish b****.

Twilight is too caught up in her failure and the Humane Five begin bickering amongst themselves, breaking their harmony as they let out all of their resentment and anger towards one another, producing an inordinate amount of the green gas. Trixie finishes her set and leaves the stage to the Dazzlings, who see the smoke coming from below and smirk in victory.

That's a LOT of suppressed anger and resentment right there. o.o

Sunset, hearing the sirens above start to sing, figures out what needs to be done and silences the din by telling them that they are using their own magic against them. It’s because they’ve been letting little things drive a wedge between them ever since they started this band and it is letting the sirens capitalize on it and turn the magic of friendship into something awful. She never said anything about it before then because, frankly, she felt like it wasn’t her place, but she can’t just remain silent anymore.

The rant brings Twilight around, who realizes she was so caught up trying to not disappoint everyone that she was blinded to the problem hiding right under her nose the whole time. Sunset assures her that no one is supposed to have all the answers, but one can always count on their friends when it comes right down to it. Reunited, the girls try to use their combined efforts to force the door open, but it doesn’t work.

Deus ex Vinyl Scratch.

In comes Spike to save the day, who unlocks the door from the other side thanks to the help of... Vinyl Scratch!? Huh. She had her headphones on all the time, and since she loves to blast her music, she never heard the sirens. That... That is actually a little brilliant now that I think about it, since she was in all of those background shots. With their resolve reformed, Rainbow proclaims that they're bringing THEIR band back together. She then suggests using a good song that Fluttershy wrote, which makes her squee quietly. Applejack suggests Rarity get them some costumes, and oddly she had them down there ready to go. That’s a bit freaky.

And thus, the finals begin with the sirens singing their magnum opus Welcome to the Show, using the magic of the Rainbooms they absorbed to make everyone into their slaves. The sirens absorb all of the energy they can, transforming into slightly different floaty versions of themselves with fin-like wings behind their backs and glowing, blood-red eyes. They are secure in their victory. At least, that is, until the Humane Six, Sunset and DJ-Pon3 come to the top of the hill. The DJ’s car takes a cue from Transformers and turns into a mobile DJ station, including the speakers to get things going for them and they start their own song "The Music In Me".

"Nothing can stop us now!"

Thus beings a literal Battle of the Bands, except instead of just awesome tunes, the two groups fight with giant incorporeal monsters like something out of Scott Pilgrim vs The World! The sirens manifest three giant versions of their true forms and use them to taken them down. The Rainbooms fight back with musical cannon fire and a wall of sound to form a shield, but it is all for naught at the sirens overpower them and throw them for a loop.

Sunset picks up the microphone knocked from Twilight’s hand and, realizing what needs to be done, Twilight tells Sunset that they need her. And though she is hesitant, she casts her fears aside as well as her jacket and takes her place with her friends. Vinyl spins a new tune for the girls, and they all join in, the seven combined manifesting a giant Sky Alicorn that blasts the sirens to bits and destroys their necklaces, stripping them forevermore of their powers.

Here comes the mic drop...

"Taste the rainbow, motherf***ers!"

Act V [Resolution]

Although they are down, the sirens don’t think they are out! They gather up the remnants of their gems and hold them close while trying to sing a rebuttal. But the gems, as well as their voices, are reduced to rubble and they are booed off the stage by the de-hypnotized student body. Flash and Twilight reunite and hug for some reason (really Hasbro, stop force-shipping them) only to be interrupted by Trixie who still holds a grudge against them but disappears soon after.

Learning their lesson, Rainbow invites Sunset Shimmer to join the Rainbooms as backup vocals for Fluttershy since Twilight will be heading home. She agrees and picks up a nearby guitar, and plays an impressive riff, saying she could back up Rainbow too, if she liked. Everyone is astounded by her skill and Rainbow begrudgingly agrees to see how it plays out.

"Dear Princess Twilight..."

With her business concluded, Princess Twilight and the others meet up outside of the statue portal and say goodbye to one another. They wish she could stay longer, but she has obligations to Equestria, but promises to come and visit sometime now that she has the means to open the portal at her discretion. Twilight and Spike return home, leaving the Humane Six behind them.

Sometime later, Sunset and the other Rainbooms sit at the amphitheater before practice as Sunset writes a letter to Princess Twilight. She says that she has a lot to learn about the magic of friendship and hopes that she can write to her for advice and guidance whenever she has a problem, thus putting her into the mentor role and Sunset as the student. She is called away to start practice, which segues into the end credits with the song Shine like Rainbows. At the end of the credits, the Human version of Twilight Sparkle before a board linking pictures and newspaper clippings. She then speaks to her dog that there is something strange going on at Canterlot High.

I want Human Twilight to appear in MLP EQG: Friendship Games and I want her to be an antagonist! >=D

Verdict (TL;DR)

Overall, the story of Rainbow Rocks is very tight and concise in contrast to the previous movie. However, it makes a point that, without seeing Equestria Girls, you will not get a lot of the back story as to what happened. This can leave new viewers who could not or did not want to see the first movie asking questions. It’s the hazard of a direct sequel, especially a sequel that is better than the original since people may be more inclined to see this one over it.

For what it is though, ignoring the fact that it is a sequel, Rainbow Rocks is a legitimately good story even if it follows some conventions and does not take a great deal of risks with narrative devices, twists or even motivations for the antagonists. It’s never said what they would do with their power once they control the school. I am going to assume world domination (of course) but they may have just been content with the school. We will never know and that irritates me.

Gee! That looks familiar!

And so, to give the score, I would rate Rainbow Rock’s story a rocking 200/250. As this was a musical movie, the story is not so important.

~Music~

[youtube=EY8aHK04gd0]

[For your convenience:
1) Rainbow Rocks - 0:00
2) Better Than Ever - 1:40
3) Under Our Spell - 3:15
4) Tricks up My Sleeve - 5:07
5) Shake Your Tail - 7:19
6) Welcome to the Show - 9:18
7) Awesome as I Want to Be - 13:53
8) Let’s Have a Battle (Of the Bands) - 15:10
9) Shine Like Rainbows - 18:04
10) Music to My Ears (Bonus Track) - 20:39]

As this is a musical movie, you would think the music would be the most important thing about this film, right? Congratulations, you have common sense. So, what does that mean for this movie and its music? Well, for a start, unlike the previous movie, every single song is memorable and enjoyable. Some are just more memorable than others. The only thing that could really detract from the music for people would be if they are not too fond of the Pop Rock/Soft Rock genera. I really want to go into detail about each and every song in the movie, but that would be more trouble than what it is worth. How about my top two or three instead?

Under Our Spell would have to be my favourite song of the movie. It serves as good montage fodder and is, itself a very entrancing song that almost demands to be sung along with. Combined with the visuals, the song gains even more power and notoriety. In my personal second place would have to be Battle of the Bands for many of the same reasons as the first, but just a shade lesser than its companion song. Finally, it’s a tie between Rainbow Rocks and Shine like Rainbows, for both do an excellent job at getting the ball rolling and bringing it to a stop.

Let's face it, some of the best songs ever belong to the villains.

At the end of the day, the music is the most subjective thing about this movie and, while my word isn’t much to go by on those terms, and the music is such a big part of the movie, my rating will need to be taken with a pinch of salt. I’d say the music comes in at a very good 270/300.

~Characters~

Characterization seems to be a hot button issue with this movie and I can see why. While, compared to the show, it is rather lackluster, is it really all that bad though? I am not inclined to think so and I will tell you why. For instance, the Humane Five. Many people have called them out as acting out-of-character and they do have a point. However, I realized something important. While they are not in-character to season 4’s standards, they ARE in character to Season 1!

You see, the Humane Five have not been together as long as the Mane Six. Yes, they were friends in the past, but they were split apart for a few years. These girls are still learning the intricacies and how to deal with each others quirks. At least, that is one man’s opinion. As for Sunset Shimmer, who was a disappointing villain, I would have to say she makes for a good protagonist. She may come off a bit as Twilight Sparkle 2.0, but out of the gate she is more pragmatic and a little more inclined to rush into something or let her emotions get the better of her. She’s also a little timid, but considering the circumstances, that is understandable.

... She's also adorable as f(yay!)

Now, as for the Dazzlings, they are sadly generic and rather uninteresting to me. You see, they follow the Villainous Trio dynamic. We have the leader (Adagio), the idiot/lackey (Sonata) and the ambitions one/traitor (Aria). However, even then we don’t get much out of them as far as development. Not even an attempted coup. I would say they are a hive mind with Adagio as the crux since they act more as a unit, but that is debunked because of that scene early when Aria hints that she wants to wear the pants. Overall, the Dazzlings are disappointing antagonists.

If Brad weren’t in this movie, he would not be missed.

With that in mind, I would give the characters a rating of 170/200. Like the first movie, the antagonists fell flat in terms of character, but unlike Sunset Shimmer, I don’t feel like I was given enough to want to see them again.

Trixie is alright too, I guess. *Shrug*

~Animation~

Everything I said about the animation in the first movie holds true, except it is greatly improved. While passable, the human assets now move less like robots and more like actual people. The hip sway on Adagio is more than enough proof to show this. DHX and Top Draw really went all out to improve their craft and it shows in spades. From open to close, Rainbow Rocks is a delight on the eyes. If there are flaws, the casual viewer will not catch them.

No derps here! Well... except that one. ;3

Such a fluid performance deserves a fluid score of 98/100!

~Entertainment~

I think the number of times I have watched this movie should be a testament to the quality of this movie. I only watched the original Equestria Girls movie twice: once on my own and once for the review since I dreaded it so after the initial watch. With Rainbow Rocks, I saw it once, then twice more, a third time in tandem with my editor who had not seen it, again at New Years and then now for the review. Every time, I have enjoyed it.

Maude Pie may not be big on emotion, but her comedic timing is second to none.

I would rate this movie a 125/150 in terms of enjoyment. I had a blast each and every time I watched it.

~Conclusion~

Finally! We’re at the end of this thing! I could be halfway done a chapter by now! Alas, let’s bring this to an end by tallying up all the arbitrary scores for the movie. Keep in mind that since this is a musical, that section is weighed more heavily than in other instances.

Story: 200/250 (Very tight)
Music: 270/300 (Excellent, memorable songs, IMO)
Characters: 170/200 (Mostly good characterizations. Villains are still about as interesting as cardboard at face-value)
Animation: 98/100 (Delicious <3)
Entertainment: 125/150 (Very fun to watch)

Total: 863/1000 (B+)

What Did We Learn Today?

If you’re in a band with your friends, be prepared to get new friends!

Next week, we return to our regularly scheduled ponies with a return to the Grand Galloping Gala! Discord goes out of his way to show Fluttershy that he has no hurt feelings about not being invited to go with her. But will she get the hint and remember to Make New Friends, But Keep Discord? Or will the gala end in disaster? Again. Until then, this is Ciroton saying, “We say ‘jump’ you say ‘how high?’”

Next time: EQG 3: The Quest for More Money! See you then and don't forget to shine like rainbows!

Comments

[DreadedCandiru2]

Meanwhile, Celestia seems to be trying to assemble her own team of Herculoids because she's clearly procuring a formless fearless wonder. All she needs is someone who enunciates far too clearly to hide his anxiety about being stupider than a sapient mold colony.

[Aurora Dimmet]

Of course Sunset is Twilight 2.0.

Look at her blasted name. Sunset = Twilight. Shimmer = Sparkle.

If Lightning Dust is what Rainbow Dash would have been without the Magic of Friendship and more specifically Mare Do Well's intervention-style episode, then Sunset-as-a-villain is what Twilight could have been.

I think that contrast is part of the point.