'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' is in my opinion one of the best animated shows in recent years. Despite always liking 'My Little Pony' better than most, 'Friendship is Magic' was one of those shows where there was uncertainty as to whether it would be good and it turned out to even greater than that.
Can certainly understand why it is loved by a surprisingly wide audience and do think the fan-base are unfairly over-criticised. Sure there are some passionate, overly-defensive fans out there but not all of them are like the way that is made out by the detractors. Am a fan myself, a young adult and a female, but wouldn't dream of doing any of the things that "bronies" are constantly being accused of doing by the detractors, who in my mind are in absolutely no position to complain of the fan-base being condescending when they do exactly the same thing and to worse effect in their reviews of the show (some of which are not really reviews at all but mostly attacking the fans).
Anyway, back to talking about 'My Little Pony: The Movie' expectations were mixed before going to see it earlier today. The 'Equestria Girls' sequels, also based on the show, were surprisingly good (disliked the first film), so there were hopes that 'My Little Pony: The Movie' would be as good. The mostly mixed to negative critical reaction so far, the audience and fan reaction is mostly less negative (though there is some disappointment), also made me nervous, being somebody who respects critics far more than most on the internet and one of the few here to resort to critic bashing.
Luckily, 'My Little Pony: The Movie' was a good one. Not quite great, and there are a few not so good elements, but it's highly successful in many areas and a lot of effort and passion clearly went into it. There have been times where my views on a film have gone against the grain, like liking a panned film or not caring for an acclaimed one (mostly I and the critics are on similar pages, and when we're not their views are always respected), 'My Little Pony: The Movie' is one of them.
For my liking, starting with the faults, Fluttershy is underused and given too much short shrift in terms of character development. Much more could have been done with the Storm King, to me for a villain he was incredibly bland, despite good voice acting from Liev Schreiber. Sia's involvement in the film added very little.
Story-wise it's mostly well done and makes for a very pleasant ride, but it does suffer from a lack of originality and it being too thin for the running time. Most of the songs are very good, but the least memorable and well-placed is the Hippogriff's song which to me was also a bit cheesy.
However, for a film based on a TV show, 'My Little Pony: The Movie' doesn't fare badly at all. There are far worse around that make a mockery of their respective shows and manage to be lacking on their own. At least 'My Little Pony: The Movie' treats the show with respect and tries to stay true to it, while having enough to make it its own and being good on its own terms. Visually the film looks wonderful, making a more than welcome return to the much missed 2D traditional animation style, full of rich background detail, vibrant colour and the character designs are smooth and don't send warning signs about bad messaging.
With the exception of one song, the songs are catchy and cheerful. The music score is whimsical and fits beautifully with the action. The script has the sly and witty humour, heart-warming charm and poignant pathos that can be found in 'Friendship is Magic' and the story is charming and sweet that should put a smile on one's face and uplift, entertain and move. The messaging inspires and is clearly well intended, without being overly-didactic in its approach.
Not all the characters work, but most do with the film maintaining the fine character development that is a large part of 'Friendship is Magic's' appeal with a great mix of the old and new. Pinkie Pie and Twilight are the most well-developed and likable, particularly the former, but a big shout has to go to Tempest, one of the most interesting and layered 'My Little Pony' villains.
Voice acting is uniformly excellent, with a mix of prolific voice actors and not-so-prolific. A standout is Emily Blunt's superb Tempest, both menacing and heartfelt.
Overall, could have been a little better but it is well worth galloping along for the ride. 7/10 Bethany Cox
Can certainly understand why it is loved by a surprisingly wide audience and do think the fan-base are unfairly over-criticised. Sure there are some passionate, overly-defensive fans out there but not all of them are like the way that is made out by the detractors. Am a fan myself, a young adult and a female, but wouldn't dream of doing any of the things that "bronies" are constantly being accused of doing by the detractors, who in my mind are in absolutely no position to complain of the fan-base being condescending when they do exactly the same thing and to worse effect in their reviews of the show (some of which are not really reviews at all but mostly attacking the fans).
Anyway, back to talking about 'My Little Pony: The Movie' expectations were mixed before going to see it earlier today. The 'Equestria Girls' sequels, also based on the show, were surprisingly good (disliked the first film), so there were hopes that 'My Little Pony: The Movie' would be as good. The mostly mixed to negative critical reaction so far, the audience and fan reaction is mostly less negative (though there is some disappointment), also made me nervous, being somebody who respects critics far more than most on the internet and one of the few here to resort to critic bashing.
Luckily, 'My Little Pony: The Movie' was a good one. Not quite great, and there are a few not so good elements, but it's highly successful in many areas and a lot of effort and passion clearly went into it. There have been times where my views on a film have gone against the grain, like liking a panned film or not caring for an acclaimed one (mostly I and the critics are on similar pages, and when we're not their views are always respected), 'My Little Pony: The Movie' is one of them.
For my liking, starting with the faults, Fluttershy is underused and given too much short shrift in terms of character development. Much more could have been done with the Storm King, to me for a villain he was incredibly bland, despite good voice acting from Liev Schreiber. Sia's involvement in the film added very little.
Story-wise it's mostly well done and makes for a very pleasant ride, but it does suffer from a lack of originality and it being too thin for the running time. Most of the songs are very good, but the least memorable and well-placed is the Hippogriff's song which to me was also a bit cheesy.
However, for a film based on a TV show, 'My Little Pony: The Movie' doesn't fare badly at all. There are far worse around that make a mockery of their respective shows and manage to be lacking on their own. At least 'My Little Pony: The Movie' treats the show with respect and tries to stay true to it, while having enough to make it its own and being good on its own terms. Visually the film looks wonderful, making a more than welcome return to the much missed 2D traditional animation style, full of rich background detail, vibrant colour and the character designs are smooth and don't send warning signs about bad messaging.
With the exception of one song, the songs are catchy and cheerful. The music score is whimsical and fits beautifully with the action. The script has the sly and witty humour, heart-warming charm and poignant pathos that can be found in 'Friendship is Magic' and the story is charming and sweet that should put a smile on one's face and uplift, entertain and move. The messaging inspires and is clearly well intended, without being overly-didactic in its approach.
Not all the characters work, but most do with the film maintaining the fine character development that is a large part of 'Friendship is Magic's' appeal with a great mix of the old and new. Pinkie Pie and Twilight are the most well-developed and likable, particularly the former, but a big shout has to go to Tempest, one of the most interesting and layered 'My Little Pony' villains.
Voice acting is uniformly excellent, with a mix of prolific voice actors and not-so-prolific. A standout is Emily Blunt's superb Tempest, both menacing and heartfelt.
Overall, could have been a little better but it is well worth galloping along for the ride. 7/10 Bethany Cox