My Little Repeats E4: Legend of Everfree

Dock around the clock

Legend of Everfree

Written by Kristine Songco and Joanna Lewis
24 Sep 2016 (Discovery Kids Latin America) / 1 Oct 2016 (Netflix)

My original rating: ★★★
IMDb score: 6.4

The one with Pinkie's marshmallow pillow

Thoughts: Another writing change for this movie, with Kristine Songco and Joanna Lewis taking over from Josh Haber. The only one of the four EqG feature films not to receive a cinema release in the UK, so I watched it when it eventually made its way to the Pop channel over here. I still feel it's a relatively weak instalment when compared to Rainbow Rocks or even Friendship Games. The music in Legend of Everfree is generally good (I love "Hope Shines Eternal" at the end), Sunset gets a pretty good part and even Flash Sentry gets some decent material to work with, while the different setting makes it visually appealing. The plot itself is okay if not brilliant, and at least the geodes made a comeback in the specials – even if Sunset's ability is a bit on the creepy side when you think about it. On the downside, I'm still iffy about a camp counsellor like Timber getting romantically involved with a student, Filthy Rich is pretty one-dimensional in his few appearances and Gloriosa/Gaea¹ isn't exactly the greatest villain MLP has ever had. This is... well, maybe "bland" is overdoing it, but it doesn't really stick in my mind. Still a three, but a weak three and I'm not absolutely confident it's even that any more for me. Probably Sunset and the songs tip it over the line, but only just.
¹ I still don't know why she's not "Gaia", but she isn't

Choice quote: Spike: "I think you're just gonna have to pick it up."

New rating: ★★★

Next time, back on the FiM beat, it's the lumberingly titled "P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View)". Originally I felt this was a fun episode with a feeble ending. We'll see how it goes in 2023.

My Little Repeats E3: Friendship Games

After this, Crystal Prep's double-decker bird house just doesn't cut it

Friendship Games
Written by Josh Haber
26 Sep 2015 (Discovery Family) / 23 Oct 2015 (UK cinemas)

My original rating: ★★★
IMDb score: 6.6

The one with Twilight about to sign for Everton (on the wing?)

Thoughts: With Meghan McCarthy by this time working on the FiM film, Josh Haber stepped up to write Friendship Games. The movie is quite fun and has its moments, but to my mind it's a step down from Rainbow Rocks, and not only because of the music – indeed, Friendship Games actually has several excellent songs, such as "ACADECA", "What More is Out There?" and my own favourite, "Unleash the Magic". However, there's nothing here to rival Sunset's redemption journey in the previous film, and Principal Cinch is a rather by-the-numbers antagonist without much charisma. The series seemed to be losing interest in Flash Sentry's feelings for Twilight by this point – the few "mistaken identity" scenes are lacklustre, and I'm glad Legend of Everfree took Flash's story in a different direction. This being a Josh Haber film, inevitably we have some flashy set-pieces: yes, the motorcross event is lampshaded as over-the-top in-film, but it's still rather ridiculous. I do like Applejack's archery lesson for Sci-Twi, though. Talking of whom, she's a solid part of the sub-franchise by the end, though Pony-Twi's reason for being late really stretches plot convenience. I enjoyed seeing this in the cinema in 2015, but it just doesn't have the coherence that Rainbow Rocks – even beyond its songs – manages with Sunset's arc. I gave Friendship Games three stars when it was new, and I think that's a reasonable mark now. I'm not sure it's an especially high three, though. Above the run-of-the-mill certainly, but not outstanding by any means.

Choice quote: Fluttershy: "Not everything has to be magic to be important."

New rating: ★★★

Next time, it'll be back to Friendship is Magic and the somewhat strange episode "Brotherhooves Social".

Friendship Games blooper reel

At last, some really pleasant spring weather. I walked over to the polling station to vote (strangely enough) yesterday after tea, and it was a beautiful early evening walk. Anyway, enough of that and on to ponies! Well, humanised ponies...

( Text link )

This was originally posted on EQD a couple of days ago, but it's silly enough to repost here. Done in the style of those Pixar credits blooper reels, it makes a fun couple of minutes' viewing. It doesn't seem to have been posted on Hasbro Studio Shorts, which is a little strange, but I imagine the release was deliberate. It would make a nice extra for the DVD/Blu-ray in due course. (Not that we even get the Blu-ray in Europe, grumble grumble.) The video is notable for a direct pony/human size comparison (near the end), though there's nothing to say that EqG humans are the same size as Earth humans!

Film review: Friendship Games

Gee, I wonder who the final six contestants might be...?

It seems a while ago now – because it is! – but a few weeks back, I went with some of the other Worcester meet regulars to the Vue cinema in the city centre to watch Friendship Games. We'd all thought for a while that we weren't going to get a big-screen release, seeing as this third Equestria Games instalment was a direct-to-TV movie, but happily we were wrong. Kudos to Vue for reducing their usual (high) prices for this film, too. Attendance wasn't bad, a mix of bronies and familes. Anyway, on to the review! This is a short one, since otherwise I'm never going to get it done.

Friendship Games on the big screen

As many of you will already know, Vue Cinemas here in the UK are showing Friendship Games throughout half-term week, ie from now until next Sunday. Prices seem to be around the £5 mark, quite cheap for a cinema ticket these days. I went to see it with my local meetup group in Worcester last Saturday, and there should be a full review in the moderately near future. Suffice it to say for now that I think it benefits from the big-screen treatment, though I still feel that it falls short of Rainbow Rocks.

Also, if you take along the voucher from your confirmation email, you can get a coupon for £5 off Equestria Girls toys at Smyths. (Minimum purchase £15.) I didn't bother as I don't collect those, but if you do it's worth having.

Friendship Games trailer is out

 (Text link to video.)

Well, here it is: our first look at footage from Equestria Girls 3: Friendship Games. It looks as though this is going to be a straight-to-TV film, with a release date of 25 September. That's an interesting choice in itself, since S5 of FiM won't have finished by then. No word on any cinema release, though I'd love it to happen here in the UK, as the first two films made for a couple of excellent meetups.

I'm not desperately enthused by the subject matter itself, nor really by the songs we hear in the trailer (which Daniel Ingram has confirmed are his work). The "Let's Go!" line is also Discovery Family's tagline, surprise surprise. High school sport is wildly different in the US and the UK, so there's rather less relatability for us on this side of the Atlantic than there was with Rainbow Rocks.

I'm more interested in the position of Other Twilight as part of the Shadowbolts team. I assume that's where the conflict will arise this time round, and if Other Twilight hasn't become firm friends with the other six by the end of the movie I'll be very surprised indeed! What I do want to know, though, is whether she'll actually meet Equestrian Twilight at any point, and if so what might pass between them.

A snap judgement based on the little we know would be that this film looks better than the first EG movie but not as good as Rainbow Rocks. I'd love to be proved wrong on the second part of that; there's less than four months until we find out.