MLP - A New Generation: My Thoughts. · 8:53am Sep 24th, 2021
Alright, I just finished watching the movie.
My impressions: It's a good film, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, but I do have a few small critiques.
1) The pacing feels little... I dunno, rushed? I guess I'm just too used to the more leisurely pace tv shows and books can take so that probably plays into it, but the movie kinda felt like it was moving a bit TOO fast.
2) The villain. I mean... he exists. But there is basically nothing threatening about him. And the resolution to his role in the story is just kinda... weak.
3) Aside from about 60 seconds at the very start, we get almost no direct reference back to the times of G4. As a result, we are left with a LOT of unanswered questions. But we DO have a show on the way, so we'll probably get our answers there.
Outside of those three little criticisms, the movie was a lot of fun to watch, and I am definitely looking forward to the series that we'll get later. The visuals were gorgeous, the ponies were, of course, adorable, the music was nice, especially the background score, and the vast majority of the cast were endearing and enjoyable. Pipp is the only one I'm still kinda iffy on, but I'll withhold final judgment on her till the new show starts.
That being said, I am especially curious to see what kinds of development Zipp can get, as her position as a princess means she has a lot of interesting responsibilities that could lead to some pretty great scenarios. Izzy was adorable as all hell, and Sunny is just infectious with her optimism and hope for a better future.
Overall, a fun movie that I thoroughly enjoyed, though it did come with a few small bumps and hiccups that held the experience back from being a masterpiece. But it sets the stage for what is to come, so here's to hoping we get our masterpiece out of that!
P.S: What IS wrong with Mayonaise? I need context!
I thought Pipp got shortchanged in her role as well, but she did have a strong moment near the end, even if it was in the middle of everything. Her concern over Alphabittle's safety could have been a deciding factor in how her mother acted. Pipp also helped boost Sunny's confidence during the dance off. Pipp is an influencer, and her strengths are through what she can influence others to do. She's at her strongest when she isn't in the spotlight and helping others act. I hope we get to see her come to realize this in the series, as it seems she still craves that spotlight. Has to be room for characters to grow in the series, after all.
Bridlewood and Maretime Bay weren't significant destinations in g4 times, but the ancient ruins still list them by those names. That means that a significant amount of time had to pass before things went downhill for Equestria.
I think that the existence of the three tribal crystals might have been a sign that Twilight Sparkle had passed her power into them instead of an actual heir. They seem to be tied to her somehow, based on the stained glass windows. Maybe she had faith that the three tribes could govern Equestria as friends and transferred her power to the crystals for the tribes to use. Too bad the tribes seemed to have shown her faith was misplaced.
I was much less impressed than I could have been. The leaders were all remarkably idiotic and I felt little connection to any of the characters. There was little to no character development for any of the characters and overall it just felt underwhelming and honestly quite bland. The music was the best part of the movie for me and that is not saying much.
Nothing is wrong with mayonnaise!
...
Wait... capital letter? Proper noun? Is "mayonnaise" here a pony or a condiment?
Answer: Everything is wrong with mayonnaise.
The Beat Poetry jam was directed directly at the Bronie crowd. That reference whooshed right over the heads of the teen-and-under audience.
Pretty much a predictable three act structure for the intro movie. They played it safe.
Partway through I expected to see the three tribe leaders collaborating to stay in power by keeping the populace in fear. That apparently is two adults of a plot twist for the target audience.
Sadly, I haven't had a chance to watch it yet (my Netflix subscription expired and I'm unhappy with them for some other things, so I don't plan to renew), but because the internet is the internet, I got a major element of the film spoiled. Specifically, the ascension at the end. I'm curious how you felt about that, because it seems… a little rushed. Like they felt the need to make one of the main characters an alicorn right away for some reason.
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If it persists into the show, yeah, Ima be annoyed. But on its own, it seems fine. If you'll notice, Sunny has a few stripes in her mane now, similar to what happened with the Mane 6 when they got Rainbow power to blast Tirek into next year at the climax of Season 4. That power was temporary, so I assume it'll be the same for Sunny. That said, if it persists, it could make for a neat arc of her trying to unfold how to even DO the things she can do now. Like magic and flying with any degree of compotense. We'll see where it goes.
It's a Noodle Incident with a different foodstuff. Context would only ruin the joke.