Movie Review - Equestria Girls: Friendship Games

Spoilers popping up everywhere.

On first watch I liked this less than Rainbow Rocks, but on seeing some reactions and further viewings I have come to enjoy some of the implications that this movie brings up more. The plot and pacing still aren't at the same level as in Rainbow Rocks, but the character development for those characters on whom there is focus, as well as the animation and effects, are superb.

Sunset Shimmer has come a long way since her demon days, and is now more widely accepted at Canterlot High School. We even get a change of outfits, which first appeared in the shorts released before the movie. 'My Past Is Not Today' most heavily hints at some of the themes explored here. One thing I'd like to point out here is the shift away from 'everyone has Megaman boots' and the variety of clothes the cast gets to wear, not all of them so inexplicably clashing as the ones Rarity gave the HuMane6 for the finale in Rainbow Rocks. Sunset is still writing in her magebook, but has not heard back from Twilight in some time. And the HuMane6 still power up when they play music, and have unfortunately adopted the term 'pony up' for the transformation. Luna later tasks Sunset with discovering why they power up when they do, especially when the girls start to do so without their instruments. It's pretty clear that it has something to do with expressing the Elements they each represent, having been linked to them through the Element of Magic in the first movie. Keep this in mind, since Sunset blames herself for the ills the magic causes, being the one to bring it through to that world.

This world's Twilight Sparkle, meanwhile, takes a bus trip to Canterlot High tracking the energies she is shown as being able to detect in the stinger from Rainbow Rocks. She scans the statue housing the portal with a device straight out of Ghostbusters, but runs when Sunset notices her. In following Twilight back to Crystal Preparatory Academy, the viewer discovers that the stinger took place in Twilight's laboratory in the school. I had originally thought she had her lab in her home due to the presence of Spike the Dog. Twilight pins a picture of the portal to her Conspiracy Web, and we get an intro that took lessons from Sam Reimi's Spider-Man of 2003. Not a bad thing, really.

Twilight's sequences set her up as the reclusive but extremely studious type, the top of her class as far as grades are concerned, but no social life, reflecting both pony!Twilight at the start of the series, and Moondancer by no stretch. But it's not completely this Twilight's fault, as Crystal Prep is a very cold environment in which to learn, where students keep to themselves and shun anyone who does not contribute visibly to the school's image and reputation. Twilight is hardly acknowledged by most of the other students as she walks through the halls (singing her 'I Want' song), and when she is acknowledged it's with clear scorn. Fleur de Lis bumps her once, and snubs her through a classroom window later on. Crystal Prep is clearly a harsh and cold place, perhaps worse than Canterlot High was under Shimmer's dark influence in the first movie. It's really no wonder Twilight feels so isolated, and even mentions a hole. She knows there's more, but doesn't know where to look for it because she lacks the experience and knowledge -- and knowledge is the thing for which she thirsts the most. This is part of why she's so interested in Canterlot High, where unexplained things have been happening. With a little tinkering she puts some parts from her detector into a locket, which will act as a catalyst throughout the movie.

It's interesting to note that Twilight's 'I Want' song was originally a duet with Sunset, the latter expressing homesickness. Like Twilight, Sunset wants more: the magical adventures she knows she could have in Equestria, where she knows how magic works. Unfortunately the 'Sunset is homesick' angle got dropped entirely, or perhaps relegated to the confirmed fourth instalment? According to the deleted scenes, Sunset would have decided to stay at Canterlot High, while CH!Twilight returned to a friendlier Crystal Prep where she could develop independent of the HuMane6, or even create her own together with the slightly-friendlier Shadow5.

The sequences also introduce us to this word's Cadence (the school dean) and Shining Armour (an alumnus whose connection to the school is otherwise unknown). Armour's model is okay as is, but Cadence looks strange even comparison to the other colourfully-skinned characters, probably because of the difference in her eye size and the contrast in her colours. Cadence shows concern for Twilight going off and studying in isolation, reflecting her pony self's relationship as Twilight's foalsitter, and perhaps hinting that the two had a similar relationship here. Armour, on the other hand, comes off more than slightly snobby, sure in his school's reputation, and thus an enforcer of Principal Abacus Cinch's desire to maintain the school's winning reputation, and hers alongside it. This is the harsh principal's sole deciding factor, and the way she rationalizes blackmailing Twilight into doing what she wants for basically the whole movie. Get used to it, because there's no use complaining. I would have liked to see Sombra in this role, but we got a new character instead.

Asking Cadence and Armour to find the paperwork for Twilight's admission to an independent studies program, Cinch blackmails Twilight into contributing to Crystal Prep's team in the Friendship Games against Canterlot High, whose reputation has been on the rise since Sunset's redemption. Not seeing a choice, Twilight agrees, and she puts the locket detector onto a necklace to take with her, and even stows Spike in her backpack.

We get quick introductions to some of the other 'cool' members of Crystal Prep's team, the Shadowbolts (named for a team of flyers who, as far as we know, only ever existed as projections created by Nightmare Moon to try to lure Dash away from the others): Sour Sweet usually speaks sweetly first, then ends on a sour note. Sugar Coat only speaks in harsh truths. Indigo Zap is highly competitive. Lemon Zest is high-energy but has no limits. Sunny Flare is... forgettable. There are other, familiar faces on the bus: Jet Set and Upper Crust, Fancy Pants, Rising Star (Neon Lights), and Trenderhoof.

I like when Fluttershy tells Sunset that things don't have to be magic-related to be important to people, as we get introduced to the HuMane6's end of the Friendship Games for which the movie is named. It could be more ironic, but I'm glad they didn't try too hard for it. Heck, I have been increasingly skeptical about these movies based on their titles.

Upon her arrival at Canterlot High, and a rough start getting around her own teammates, Twilight follows her device and finds something strange: everyone at this school recognizes her and treats her in a friendly manner, even despite her glasses, severe hairstyle, and very recognizable uniform. This simple welcome expresses the contrast in attitude with Crystal Prep perfectly, although this Twilight can thank her pony self for the personal recognition. Twilight bumps into Flash, but is too busy following her readings to really notice -- and Flash doesn't notice the uniform or conclude that this isn't his Twilight. But he does get consoled by Derpy for being shot down casually.

Twilight meets the HuMane6 after her amulet siphons Rarity's magic -- she powered up after generously giving the others a random number and assortment of outfits for the Games. Naturally they recognize her, and Spike, but Twilight quickly lets them know that she's not the pony they were hoping for (especially Sunset, who is desperate for answers). The encounter frustrates Sunset, knowing that she doesn't have the same understanding of magic that she hopes pony!Twilight would most likely have. The others remind her of her part in defeating the Sirens, but Sunset still struggles with the task that Luna has given her.

Sunset approaches the portal while thinking in circles, hoping for 'another way' to contact pony!Twilight. Perhaps she hopes she can use the portal herself? EQG!Twilight, meanwhile, follows her amulet's readings, which have detected Sunset's magic, and siphons both her powers and that of the portal, apparently sealing it shut. Twilight runs off, and Sunset panics.

At a welcoming party, the students remain separated by school until Pinkie decides to fire her party canons, and she drags Twilight along for the ride. Pinkie's changes immediately break the ice, until Cinch interferes and separates the students again with her condescending speech. Pinkie, meanwhile, has powered up, but lost it all to Twilight's amulet. Some of the absorbed magic leaks out, and because the amulet has absorbed some of the portal's magic, it creates a small rift that opens into the Everfree Forest. Twilight quickly closes the amulet, and the rift closes. Then she runs away again.

The first part of the competition is supposed to showcase the schools' academic excellence, and it it executed as a musical montage. Both schools win some, and each team gets whittled down to six competitors each, so main 6's (The Wondercolts team included Sandalwood, the dreadlocked hippie, and Micro Chips, the geek in a yellow shirt and glasses), together with Derpy). In the aftermath of an impossible geometric problem, Canterlot High celebrates Sunset getting as far as she did before making a mistake, while Crystal Prep grumble about Twilight's performance -- this crowd really does not like her!

In the aftermath, the HuMane6 goes to figure stuff out, Twilight tailing them. Fluttershy splits off to give her pets some air, and Twilight comes out of hiding so she can do the same for Spike. Fluttershy realizes pretty quickly that Twilight is upset, and uses a 'pat my bunny' which I almost hope is an Undergrads reference. Twilight immediately feels better, and Fluttershy powers up just long enough for Twilight's amulet to spoil the moment. It creates more rifts, and when a jackelope appears, Spike chases it through a series of rifts. He ends up caught in one of the tendrils of Fluttershy's magic, granting him some of her ability to speak cross-species, specifically dog to neo-human. Spike and Twilight freak out, leaving Fluttershy exhausted, and unfortunately just waiting to be taken out of context.

A little talk in a (for once) well-lit hallway, with Spike taking things mostly in stride forces Twilight to calm down, but then Cinch finds her and she has to hide Spike. Cinch blackmails Twilight into getting friendly with the 'nice girls' who have become her competitors. And in another hall, Sunset has a meltdown about her inability to decipher how magic works, or how to stop Twilight from stealing it. Her friends talk her down, but we know she's still taking it hard.

When the HuMane6 make their way to the field for the next part of the competition, Pinkie's first reaction is to silently go wall-eyed. The others are more vocal about the efforts to which the school has gone to create the field for the relay. Motocross? Of course Rarity made outfits! That's like asking if the school had the budget or insurance for it, because every high schooler knows how to ride a motorcycle on a dirt track. Or archery, for that matter. The competitors split off into pairs for each section of the relay, the middle part being a roller skate around a loop (the scoring on this bit seems more than a bit wonky).

Cinch has Twilight compete in the archery portion because it's a requirement at Crystal Prep. She and Sweet Sour have to contend with Fluttershy and Applejack, the former of whom gets incrementally better and hits a moving bulls-eye on her third shot. Twilight, on the other hand, lets her nerves get the better of her, especially when Sugar Coat and Sour Sweet heckle her until Applejack can't stand it anymore, and actually gives Twilight some rather direct pointers on leading the target. If not for AJ's interference the Shadowbolts would have been locked out of the competition because Cinch insisted on having an unathletic brainy kid compete, but AJ's honesty has her power up, and then depowered because she's too close to the amulet.

The competition continues, despite Twilight's amulet being knocked loose and opening portals everywhere. Everfree vines find their way through, and fortunately nothing worse does, considering the vines are out to catch anything they can. Despite their presence on the field, nobody decides to end the competition until it has a clear winner, and Dash has to go back and get Sunset. Then she powers up, and after a few passes, she knocks a vine out physically. Twilight finally gets the amulet closed, but only long enough for Dash to get close enough to get siphoned herself.

Sunset goes off the rails because this Twilight doesn't know how to control the magic, and because of the danger to which all this has exposed everyone. As soon as she forces the amulet closed, Twilight runs crying, and with Dash's help, Sunset sees that she went overboard, but the damage is pretty well done. Cinch tries to get Principal Celestia to concede for cheating, but the latter is not having any of it. The competition proceedes to one round of Find the Flag, but Cinch and the other Shadowbolts convince Twilight (in song) to unleash the captured magic, hoping it will work in their favour. As soon as they understand what's going on, Sunset and Spike try to stop Twilight, but they're dramatically too late.

There's another wrenching moment, as Twilight turns, seeking help from her team, but nobody tries to even get close enough to pull her out. Twilight is pulled into a swirling orb that looks like the Rainbow Power did, and then she gets a corrupted transformation, Midnight Sparkle -- Sunset Satan multiplied a few times because she discovers she can open more rifts by seeking out cracks in reality and then blasting the parts of the present world that stand between her and Equestria. Cinch runs away, calling Sparkle a monster, and recommends that the other Shadowbolts do the same. They don't, going to help the other students before they can fall into the rifts.

Despite her best efforts, Sunset is unable to talk Sparkle down. She finds the discarded amulet, and upon discovering that it can connect with the HuMane5, decides to recollect their magic and confront Sparkle directly, powered form to powered form. Sunset goes Seraph, but her power proves to be a little less offensive than Sparkle's, although she is able to directly repair the rifts. Spike manages to get through a little with his literal puppy dog eyes, and Sunset capitalizes in order to purify Twilight of the dark magic possessing her, reaching a hand out to her the way pony!Twilight had done for her before. The parallels are strong and very in your face. But they work, because DHX took it up a level.

With the world and magic restored, Cinch once again tries to accuse Chanterlot High of cheating while completely ignoring her own attempts. The others tell her no one outside the school will believe in magic after Sugar Coat bland-lines all of Cinch's involvement and blackmail. Cinch collects herself and her remaining dignity and leaves. Karma Houdini much?

In the resolution, Sunset realizes that while magic may work differently and evolve in its new world, it's still magic, and she's best able to study and understand it, with some help from her friends. The Shadowbolts realize that they need not be so harsh, and Crystal Prep's students take some of Canterlot High's friendlier philosophy back with them, as they are seen hanging out normally with Canterlot students. Twilight realizes she will learn about friendship and magic best at Canterlot High, and Cadence promises to facilitate the transfer, pleased that Twilight is no longer focused on solo studies. The HuMane6 welcomes her into their midst.

And then we get a new stinger, with the HuMane6 picnicking in front of the statue. EQG!Twilight is still in her uniform. It takes a few moments, but then pony!Twilight comes running through the portal, running her mouth about how busy she was, caught in a strange time loop. And then she notices her other self, and the movie ends.

Things this movie does well include concluding Sunset's redemption arc by having her become EQG!Twilight's teacher. There was also some continued characterization for the HuMane5, but EQG!Twilight got the most characterization out of all the new characters. I'm glad she was able to stand as more than a Shadow Archetype for pony!Twilight and Moondancer. I would have liked to see more characterization for the Shadow5, and Cinch was very singularly-minded, and threatening only on a minor level. Mind you, that works well with the theme that not all threats have to be magical. Remember: Shimmer was most effective as a villain when she wasn't using magic, dividing the school against itself. I like that this movie acknowledged that there is a non-magical level of threat too: not everything has to have powers to take it seriously.

Most of the songs this time around lacked impact, and it's a shame the 'I Want' song had to become a solo one: It's not as if Sunset would be entirely unaffected by her long displacement, and since she's come to terms with her past, it's time for her to come to terms with her present situation.

Pacing is also an issue of concern, with the introduction of a number of new characters, but insufficient time in which to explore them. This series often uses song to hasten the plot, yet we could have gotten to know the Shadow5 so much more. There is also no need to remond the viewer that Rarity is a fashionista at every opportunity: we know. We also know, at least with the pony counterparts, that there is more to these girls than meets the eye. The HuMane6, however, are different characters from the Mane6, and ought to be treated as being different. So it's a shame for them to only have surface characterization when they are the core group as far as Equestria Girls is concerned. If they had more time... well, this is why it's a shame this knock-off spin-off can't have its own series.

For what it is, Friendship Games has a number of appreciable points. DHX is always kicking up its animation. Unfortunately the writing and music fall a little slack at moments, and the narrative or characters suffer as a result. As an audience we should not ask for perfection, but Rainbow Rocks set us yup with the expectation for better. Well, lets see what the fourth movie throws at us. We are almost certain to get some interaction between the Twilights, and see whether the universe implodes from the paradox if they happen to touch.

Have a 7.75 out of 10.