An Extensive Review of The Friendship Games feat. Bubble Butt

Hello, Everybrony!

Once again it is me, RainEStar, with another review! And as you can tell by the title, I’m reviewing a movie this time, not an episode! But as you can also tell by the title, I’m not going to be doing this alone!

Hello, Bubble Butt here. I’m just here to fulfill my quota for attention.

Right… Anyways, we’re going to be tackling the third Equestria Girls Movie: The Friendship Games. We’ve got a lot to cover today, including characters old and new, the plot, the music, magical theory, and the works. So without further ado… Let’s look at some screenshots!

ERROR

What?

SCREENSHOTS WILL NOT UPLOAD

Well... that's a problem. Oh well, unless until that can be fixed, we'll have to skip to the next part!

Premise:
It’s time to discuss the movie’s components. To start, I think the premise of the Friendship Games is the strongest of all the Equestria Girls movies.

And I would be inclined to agree. It tackled two perspectives with different motives.

Two perspectives? I didn't notice two perspectives when I watched the movie. What do you mean by that?

Well, Sunset is the outsider who has found her place and become friends with many, but is still struggling with the effects of her previous demeanor; while Twilight is just a curious introvert, who in her mission to understand what has yet to be known, gets tangled up in the whole "magic affair", obtaining magic of her own. And this isn’t really brought up, but she did absorb a LOT of it.

Ridiculously long sentence aside, you’re right. Twilight’s story and Sunset’s story twist and loop around to the point that it becomes one tale. This premise is much more complicated than the premises of the previous two movies. Not that that makes this movie automatically better or anything! Just an observation people!

Pacing:
Speaking of strangely written paragraphs, this movie did a good job of avoiding my mistake with pacing.

Well, the pacing wasn’t rushed, but I think it should have been slower.

Really? I’m not sure if it needed to be slow. We already got the rushdown for the finale because of likely time constraints. I felt it was fine.

I know there were time constraints, but I still felt that the story could’ve been fleshed out more. And the characters. Definitely the characters.

Do you really think the characters could’ve been fleshed out in the time span given? If anything, I would say that characters should’ve been TAKEN out. Make Shimmer plus other two students participate. Then we could’ve had some nice development.

I guess that could work too, but what about the mane 6 (or 5)? While I don't mind them taking a backseat, it would've been weird if Sunset wasn't actively participating with them. But yeah, having the crystal prepper counterparts was an unnecessary move. They didn't do a whole lot to contribute to the story, and only a few were memorable. Tough call.

Well, if it was me, I would place Shimmer alongside Pinkie and Rainbow Dash to compete, seeing how Sunset is intelligent and Pinkie and RD are the artsy and athletic type respectively.

That would make the most sense from a competitive standpoint… but that wouldn’t make much sense to have a school only go with three representatives in such a large event. I know CHS is small, but not that small (I think).

At this point, I’m just spitballing on what could work. Suppose the bottom line is "too many characters introduced".

I… can’t really argue with that. They tried to do much with this movie, and they stretched themselves too thin. But I can say they got one part completely right: Sunset’s Breakdown. Description: awesomeness and beyond.

Sunset’s Breakdown:
I wouldn’t put it THAT far in the greatness scale, but I think it was a good scene that was necessary.

I think it was near flawless. In her rage she threw the frustration from the magic problem, the lack of pony Twilight, and the problems from human Twilight, and unleashed them in a fiery tirade, complete with facial expressions! Then, when all was said and done, she expressed remorse. Hmm… now that part might have been a little too fast tough.

Now, that part I’m forced to disagree. She clearly felt the sting when she watched her leave, reacting accordingly the moment she realized it wasn’t Twilight senpai.

Okay, so maybe it worked. I still think it could have worked better if we had a few extra second to simmer on that "what have I done?" feel.

Fair enough!

Fight Scene:
Next on the agenda… ah yes. The fight scene, or lack thereof. Daydream Shimmer vs Midnight Sparkle was powerfully emotional, but the actual fight was below meh levels.

I agree, but I feel it was probably due to time constraints, which makes sense, seeing how the movies end up being under the 90 minute mark.

Not only was the length of the battle short, but the effects were cheap. I mean seriously? After the Season 4 finale all they could give for this fight scene was a few cheap effects?

Weren’t the only effects laser beams?

There were lasers and flashes of light from glowing fists. Point remains: cheap.

Whatever do you mean by cheap? I’m curious.

Simple. Easy to create. Not fancy. Capable of being produced on any half-decent animation/art program. The list goes on…

It’s a fair assessment, I’m just playing devil’s advocate.

Animation/Effects:
Of course… Anyway, while we’re on the subject of effects, I liked the subtle animation effects like the burners at the beginning of ACADECA. But…

Does Butt smell a tangent?

I promise I have a point! As I was saying: but... some of the effects were just bad. Early in the movie when Twilight is going to her room, every door she opens is accompanied by bright light, until she enters her dark abode. Why were these effects used? We're they going for a light/dark contrast? Who thought this was a good idea?

I get the feeling it was the animators building up the ‘mystical’ atmosphere to the song that was coming, but yeah, I agree. It was really unnecessary.

New Characters:

So what on this list of topics do we want to tackle next?

According to your script, characters are nex—Ouch! I mean, we touched up on them on the pacing, so we should tackle those… jerk.

*whistles innocently* Well, I’m going to say it. The majority of the new characters weren’t well done. At best, they were medium rare.

Wait! But how about Twilight? I say she grew in a natural way given the circumstances, don’t you think?

She's the exception to the rule, along with Sugar Coat, who's the best Crystal Prepper. Pretty much everyone else was as bland as high school cafeteria food.

W-well… Lemon Zest was cute… Yeah!

But Sugar Coat was cooler, and had better lines!

Did Sugar Coat have magnificent hair? Bubble Butt: 1 RainEStar: 0

Did Lemon Zest talk smack to her principle? Did Lemon Zest actively engage with Twilight on more than one occasion? Bubble Butt: 1 RainEStar: 2

You win this round, Star.

I’M ALWAYS RIGHT! LOOK INTO MY EYES AND SEE THE TRUTH!

The only truth I see is that Lemon is still best girl… except maybe Twilight and Sunset Shimmer.

You infuriating little--You know what, I’m going to be very mature and not dive into a flame war even if I’m right and you're wrong. Let’s just focus on what’s important. And speaking of Twilight and Sunset, how do you think these two were portrayed in the movie?

Sunset and Twilight:
Sunset has clearly grown from what she started as in the original movie, she is now accepted with her peers, and she is relatively happy, outside her knowledge on magic, which is limited in that world
Human Twilight is a new character who is basically S1 Twilight, but with a more dorky attitude, due to her more sheltered lifestyle, possibly mimicking the usual nerd archetype.

Yeah, Sunset has really come a long way from her generic evil overlord persona! She’s really showing her growth in responsibilities and maturity, just like a princess, eh?
I also think they did a good job with Human Twilight. She’s technically a canon AU Twilight, and Josh Haber did a great job of keeping the base of her character and making those minor tweaks for different environment and backstory.
Did you find anything flawed in Sunset’s or Human Twilight’s characterizations?

I want to say I did, but nothing comes to mind. Sunset Shimmer doesn’t exactly have a defined personality, she acts a lot like current Twilight, with her only fault as a pony turned person that she doesn’t quite get what teenagers are like.
And Human Twilight is just an introvert. She isn’t this overly awkward teenager, but she doesn’t like company, and is only participating because of her own motives. That’s pretty much all I got. How about you? Any faults of your own?

I can definitely see the parallels between current Sunset and current (pony) Twilight. Both are brainy, love challenges, and hate being wrong/clueless. And I must say, despite their similarities, I like how their difference are so distinct that no decent fanfic writer could use the two interchangeable in a story plot.
I… honestly can’t find any fault in their characterizations. That’s one plus for the movie. The characters that really count can’t be complained about. Hey, that rhymes!

Time to interrupt your fun, there is still work to be done!

Fine… let’s see, it appears we have character designs next on the list. Well, I for one think the character designs were a mixed bag.

Character Designs:
I’ll agree. With the focus on Cadence who looks like a Barbie doll.

Yeah, the majority of the Crystal Preppers had bland or bad character designs. At least Daydream Shimmer and Midnight Twilight were given a satisfying dose of creativity.

To be fair, what could they have done with them? They are humans, and really nothing more. Personally, the transformations gave me all I needed to be satisfied… even if Human Cadence still exists.

True, there is very little you can do with humans in uniform. At least the ones that counted stood out. Like Sugar Coat.

That’s a weird way to write Lemon Zest.

...You never did pass grade school did you? What, did you decide to travel the world capturing monsters for research purposes with only a useless elementary school degree in getting-into-life-threatening-situations?

Your rebuttal is weak… much like Sugar Coat.

Seriously? That’s the best you got? Calling a fictional character weak? You’re not even calling her characterization weak you’re just that she is weak. Is that like physical? Mental? Emotional? Weakness can’t be used as an insult unless you target a specific weakness! Apparently elementary school doesn’t even teach proper comeback. Kids these days…

Psst, Rain, you are going off the script…

Hm? What? Oh, yes, um... where’d I put that checklist of topics?

How about we conveniently move to the next topic?

Plot Convenience:
Let’s see… plot convenience? Bah, let’s just ignore the minor plot conveniences of on-time buses and events that take place every four years in high school.

B-but what about Twilight’s adrenaline shooting her INTO the bus?

Let's assume she's also good friends with the bus driver and enhanced his bus' brakes and accelerator in exchange for being able to be summoned mentally as a getaway vehicle.

OBJECTION! Twilight has no friends… I feel that shouldn’t be the thing I should be objecting to, though.

It’s plot convenience. Everything Nothing is objectionable.

Music:
Fine. Now, let’s talk about the music. Daniel Ingram is still at it, and the music is good, but the lyrics are always weird. Guess him not usually writing them doesn’t help, huh?

The lyrics are weird? I never noticed...

I mean more on the scale of the songs being a bit generic on the topic they are tackling. Maybe a bit more subtle than “For the Magic of Friendship” would be nice, if you get what I mean.

Oh, I see what you mean now. Hm… yeah, after writing a couple of dozen songs about friendship I can understand the pool of usable lyrics starting to dry up.

I would too, but to be fair, not many of the early songs have been written as nicely, either.

Some die-hard Season 1 fans would disagree with you, but I concur. The music was the quality I expected from the series. Wait, did we just do a complete flip?

Yep! And I figure we’ll just be going in circles the more we continue, so how about we talk about something that isn’t quite as easy to explain?

Magical Theory:
Sounds good to me! Now, with the latest update on magical theory and application based on the movie and pre-release clips, I have come up with a list of magical theories.

Shoot me the list.

Theory 1: the magic is highly unstable and adapts based on whatever’s been happening with the portal and whatever magical imbalance candy-colored earth experiences.
Theory 2: Due to magic being an external force that is not supposed to exist on “earth”, it’s rules are corrupted and unstable versions of the rules of Equestria.
Theory 3: Plot convenience.
Theory 4: There are no rules.

I call number 4, but to be honest, I would really love the others to be possible in the next movie!

You want plot convenience to be a major factor in the next movie? Well, everyone has their tastes.

ONE AND TWO GEEZ. But let’s be honest, plot convenience is happening regardless of what we may want.

Unfortunately.

Conclusion: Villain
I think it’s time to go to the conclusion. Did we forget anything?

Oh, shoot! I think we are forgetting something!

We did? Let me check my checklist… Hm… I don’t see anything missing.

Oh, crud, we forgot to talk about the old Abacus lady!

Abacus... Oh! Abacus Cinch! The antagonist! How could we forget about her?

Right! She was an integral part of the plot! She… oh, shoot, she blackmailed Twilight, very much making her get involved, and it was all because… tag, you are it, Rain!

It was because of… um, her r-r-reputation! Right, she was an evil antagonist, driving the plot and terrifying Twilight, because of her all-powerful, all-important, REPUTATION!

All kidding aside, she is not particularly interesting as a character, but let’s be fair to her, she provides a good challenge to overcome, since she blackmailed Twilight and all, don’t you think?

I agree. Her villain type is similar to the first appearances of the Flim Flam Brothers and Starlight Glimmer. She couldn’t taste the rainbow, so deux ex machina had to be chunked out the window.

So what you are saying is that, in her own boring way, Cinch saved Equestria Girls!

Eh... I don't know. I mean, it was great to have a more realistic villain, but she wasn't very entertaining.

I suppose I can safely say that she was menacing, and nothing else. Definitely an effective villain, but in the end, the impact she left with most of us wasn’t anything even remotely close to any villain ever… except Sombra. Sombra sucks.

I liked Sombra's concept, but his execution...
Sombra! What ever have they done?
Your character was undeveloped and just wasn't fun!
Sombra! What ever did they do, to leave your tale in disarray?

Conclusion:
I guess we should summarize what we have discussed so far. Butt, you want to do this or should I?

You first, bud.

Well to begin with, the premise of this movie was strong. In fact, it’s probably the strongest of all of the Equestria Girls movies. The pacing wasn’t too bad, but the movie had too much to work with, so not every character could be well developed. The villain wasn’t exactly the best. The animation of DHX has improved as expected, but their talents could have been put to better use. Sunset and Twilight, the two most important characters in the movie, are developed/introduced nicely. The music was on par with what we would expect from Friendship is Magic, and Magical Theory makes about as much sense as it did in Season 1! Did I get everything?

That’s the movie in a nutshell! I think I’m very much on part with what you think, but if I had to compare it to Rainbow Rocks, I would say it’s on par, for different reasons, that is.

Well we're rapping up, so is the opportune time to compare the two movies. Why do you think this movie is on the same level as Rainbow Rocks?

Personally, I just feel it adds a bit more in terms of character and their developments, the conflict was more subdued, but also felt more personal and relatable while still having an overall bigger conflict. The fact that they actually solved the problem with friendship rather the ironic attack by rainbow that they seem to have a thing for was a huge plus for me, you know?

Hm, I’d have to say I can see where you’re coming from. Inter-High school competitions are more relatable than Inner-High school takeover through competition. And yes, they were unable to blast their problems away with rainbows. But I still like Rainbow Rocks more. Rainbow Rocks took the EQG universe and brought it to life after the first movie had set the stage. The Friendship Games did add character to the cast, but I feel Rainbow Rocks did more because it was more focused on the Humane six/seven. And while their problems were blasted apart by Rainbows, it was only because they worked out their friendship problems that they were able to do that.

Yes, you are right about that, but my thought remains the same! I suppose the best we can do is agree that this movie was good, and that it was SO much better than the first one.

Now there's something I can agree with you 100% on! Anyone who thinks the first movie is comparable in quality to the other two is crazy!

If there is anything that I can finish this on, is to say thank you for having me! I can’t believe we actually managed to finish this.

Thank you for deciding to jump on this train wreck with me! This took forever to do, but it was worth every minute. Think you'll be around again?

I’ll be. Because Hasbro will return with another one anyway.

Great! Now... should we end this with my usual farewell catchphrase, a meme, or what?

Buy our toys.

'Till next time!
-RainEStar and Bubble Butt

Comments

[RainEStar]

Behold! A review of the Friendship Games featuring myself and Bubble Butt!

Unfortunately due to technical difficulty not everything was perfect... but I decided to send this out now before everything shut down for Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone!

(all major edits will be made next year)

[Ditz]

And so, it has been posted.

Merry Christmas, RainE!