Review of My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (2013) by Levi D — 22 Jun 2013

Non-spoiler review; assumes you've seen all of Season 3 and the trailers. First, some crazy speculation, and then a real review:

The movie felt a lot like it was just another one of Celestia's mad schemes to teach Twilight a friendship lesson. It's about on-par crazy as her "let Twilight save the Crystal Empire by herself but actually not" plan from season 3. Chessmaster Celestia clearly wants to make something out of Twilight Sparkle, and it's clear she'll go to insane lengths to have it. It's entirely plausible that the whole "Evil Sunset Shimmer" thing was just a collaboration between her and Celestia, i.e. the crown was never actually "stolen" and no-one was ever in any danger.

Mad speculation aside, the movie as a whole made a lot more sense than I was expecting it to. Even the high school setting did serve a certain plot point. In my view, it's a worthy addition to the MLP canon. Music was great, as always (particularly appreciated the remixes). The shout-outs were appropriate and enjoyable. Pinkie Pie's special omniscient powers were actually put to use as a minor plot device several times, much to my enjoyment. Everything we know so far about the magic of friendship is maintained and expanded upon in this movie. It was especially refreshing to see Twilight again mirroring the same uncertainties present in the Brony fandom about her alicornification / princessification, which is dealt with lightly but appropriately. The alter-egos of Twilight's friends are essentially the same as the ones in Equestria, although Rainbow Dash wasn't as relatable as the others to her counterpart, as not having wings really made a difference. However, I will say that there's a moment with Rainbow Dash near the end that is among my favorite scenes from the whole movie, and during that scene she'll become instantly familiar to anyone who's seen MLP:FiM.

I have very mixed feelings about Flash "Brad" Sentry. On one hand, it was cute to witness the dynamics between him and Twilight. On the other, I don't think it would fit well with MLP as a whole. That's more Cadence and Shining Armor's department. (No, this wasn't a spoiler. You all saw the trailer. You knew this was coming).

This movie can also be counted as Spike's redemption for the "Spike at Your Service" episode. He really shone both as a character and as a friend to Twilight, helping her adapt to the different world and refusing to abandon her. It further solidifies their relationship not as one of a typical boss/assistant variety but rather as one of dear friends, each having moments where they really depended on the other's help.

A round of applause to DHX & crew for making something intended to sell horrifying dolls so enjoyable. 4/5 would see again. And maybe again.