Thoughts on My Little Pony: A New Generation · 5:52pm Sep 24th, 2021
Spoiler-free TLDR: It was actually pretty good! Go watch it if you’re able and haven’t, then come back and read this.
First, the plot. The stakes were less dire than the G4 movie, being a largely non-violent scramble for shiny McGuffins mixed with a quest to replace fear with kindness, but nonetheless had me invested. Terminator, this is not, despite the reference, and the twists are even more obvious. Like, the fact that there was a third crystal should be apparent to anyone with more than one functioning brain cell. But any gaps in the narrative leave prime building blocks for more stories, which is great for us.
Most notably, the movie featured kid-friendly versions of sociopolitical themes heavily relevant to the present day. I was shocked. We have leaders who gain legitimacy on a foundation of lies (Haven), capitalists generating and exploiting xenophobia to sell tools of incarceration (Phillis), and bias against foreign ethnic groups leading to unequal treatment in spite of prior agreement (Alphabittle).
My least favorite parts of the film were the musical numbers, but I generally loathe American pop music, so that’s not its fault. Izzy’s song was fun though. Actually, she was probably also my favorite character, essentially acting as a more grounded Pinkie and bringing many a smile to my face. Though Sunny and Hitch experienced more growth, and generally received more focus. Zipp and Pipp were a bit more one-note than I expected, but they’ll hopefully get more development in the limited series. Yet everyone was fun to watch in their own way, even the villains, none of whom were written to be totally hateable despite their actions. Namely, Sprout and his childish tin pot dictator antics, which were more pitiable than anything. (He was also the only one who didn't explicitly change his mind by the end.)
Overall, it’s not the best modern all-ages flick out there, compared to something like The Lego Movie, but it’s certainly no Pony Life. I can see a new generation (heh) of fans being pulled in by the cuteness and wholesomeness. Let’s be sure to give them a warm welcome.
Not far off from how I feel about the last two POTUS; they're too senile to be the root of the real problem. Scapegoats who can't even do their job as puppets correctly, the wider party is to blame.
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just wait until you hear about how both parties are beholden to capitalism
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I've mentioned before that Trump would have been way more dangerous as a wealthy lobbyist that nobody was paying attention to, if only his ego would allow it.
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by far the most terrifying part of trump is how much worse it could be if an actually competent version of him shows up like say, Tom Cotton
Would agree with a lot of your points. It's still very much a kids' show.