Let's go, Shadowbolts! · 6:28pm Sep 29th, 2015
Warning: Spoilers from Friendship Games abound. Proceed with caution.
This is a bit of an addendum to my initial reaction to the movie, which I still think is quite wonderful. However, that reaction wasn't as balanced as the one for Rainbow Rocks, which might've given a bit of a false impression of what I thought. As much as I liked Friendship Games, I have one major gripe with it. Well, besides the fact Josh Haber needs to work on his portrayal of Rarity. 
I think you'll all agree with me on this one: The Shadowbolts were criminally underutilized.
Before Principal Cinch even entered the picture, these guys were being promoted as the antagonists this time around. And what do they do in the actual movie? Well, a few things, actually. There's a difference between being underutilized and not being utilized at all.
As I've mentioned before, Sugarcoat was a regular riot. And of course, they were the Rainbooms' opponents in the big triathlon. Not to mention they banded together while Midnight Sparkle was going mad and actually saved the Rainbooms from plummeting into Equestria. Which might be the reason why they weren't the main antagonists. Nothing about them is all that malicious. They're more like Gary Oak than Cyrus. They're abrasive and competitive, but in the end, they have no real intention of doing harm.
That doesn't count! They had no idea what was going to happen! And need I remind you that Cinch was the one rallying them to pressure Twilight?
Anyway, I digress. While it's understandable why they weren't the focus, I can't help but feel like Josh Haber had so many ideas for them that didn't make it into the final cut. Especially since they are clearly meant to be mirrors of the Rainbooms. Don't believe me? Let me break it down:
Honesty: Sugarcoat's deadpan snarking was always truthful. In fact, through Aristotle's theory of balance, she's the positive extreme. She tells it like it is, no matter how blunt or hurtful it might be. Which makes for some of the more hilarious moments in the movie.
Loyalty: No direct comparison here, but Indigo Zap certainly is as focused on motivating others as Rainbow Dash.
Laughter: Again, no direct comparison. However, Lemon Zest's lack of social awareness on the bus does put Pinkie Pie to shame.
Kindness: Sour Sweet's representation of Kindness got a bit, muddled. However, some people have made the claim that Fluttershy is bipolar, and I can't think of a more fitting term to describe Sour Sweet. So, that's something. I guess.
Seriously, that girl needs therapy.
Generosity: ...
Honestly, we didn't get to see enough of Sunny Flare to directly link her to Rarity. But the parts we did see (particularly before the big welcome party) did hint at some sort of connection.
I think this is what Josh Haber was going for, but he couldn't quite fit it into the movie proper. Which is a real shame, because I think they have the potential to be interesting characters. I know there are plenty of Shadowbolt fics have cropped up ever since the movie was announced, but now more than ever, these guys beg to be explored in greater detail. I know I'm gonna do plenty of that in my future work. 
I think we need to wait until everybody has the full, video-release version of the movie before we make any final judgments about it. Because DFC and its Canadian counterpart cut almost fifteen minutes of footage.
Rarity was killin' me in this movie. In fact, a lot of the characters (Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity in particular) are poorly written in Equestria Girls despite being perfectly fine in MLP.
Now that I think about it, maybe Josh Harber wasn't the right person to write the movie.
3429986 The thing is, I'm pretty sure all the trailers we've seen, of how the non-Rainbooms at CHS got on the team and Sunset studying magic, add up to about 15 minutes, and those scenes were not shown in the film. My guess is that the "final" version is just what we've already seen, plus the trailers added back in.
3430383 ...those are shorts. They were never part of the movie to begin with. They're promotional extras. You know, like the ones they released to go along with Rainbow Rocks?
3430387 They're scenes that are missing from the movies, the difference between the Rainbow Rocks shorts and the Equestrian Games shorts is that the RR shorts all showed scenes happening prior to the beginning of the movie, the EG shorts are of scenes from within the beginning and middle of the movie, and the movie is actually missing a lot of important info without those shorts.
I certainly hope you're right, and that the extra 15 minutes is additional footage that has never before been seen, preferably stuff giving more character to the Shadowbolts. I just noticed that the combined length of those shorts is about the same as the "missing footage" from the movie, and it seems like rather a big coincidence to me, so I suspect Hasbro has come up with this "missing footage" angle to drum up DVD sales.
3429986 So, they treated a made-for-TV movie like a theatrical release?
...
I feel like I should have a problem with that, but I think EqD mentioned that the UK was going to get a theatrical release, so I'm gonna let that slide. But what does bother me is that they kept the freaking stinger this time around, even though they edited it out of Rainbow Rocks. And like I said in my last blog post, I think the stinger spoils the plot for the season finale. Either the network executives dropped the ball by airing the movie in the middle of Season 5, or the editors dropped the ball by not cutting the stinger at the end. Either way, it's a bit annoying.
3430441 Web animation shorts ARE NOT deleted scenes. You need to learn the difference between the two. The web animated shorts are JUST promotional material and bonuses for the fans. They're NOT actual parts of the movie nor are they intended to be thought of as such.
3430773 DFC has really stupid ways of doing things. It's worse now than when they were the Hub Network.
I would have loved to see more of the Shadowbolts.
Sour Sweet is NOT bipolar. That would imply genuine rapid mood changes. But she obviously pretends to be nice, or tries hard to be nice but fails. She is a schizophrenic.
3535744 See, I knew there was something wrong with her.
It also doesn't change the fact that she needs therapy.
3535921
^^ She is my favorite too. Precious little schitzo
BTW, you absolutely have to write a sequel to "Reformation Buddies" with sirens and shaddowbolts. Possibilities are endless! After all, Adagio has yet to learn her lesson.
So like the Shadowbolts from the original show?
Seriously, those three phantoms do have the potential to become a parallel to the Wonderbolts.
I have not watched the movie itself to know my own opinons about them, but they are a curious bunch I'll say.