Reviews WesternAnimation / My Little Pony Equestria Girls 1

Not a Masterpiece, but not a Train Wreck either

If I could describe this movie in one word, it would be... decent. It's not "why the heck did I watch this?" awful, but at the same time it doesn't exactly have you jumping out of your seat either. The details and subtleties of the primary cast's characterization is every bit as sharp as it is on the show proper, and the majority of the humor is spot on (seriously, any time Twilight forgets that she's not a pony any more, the result tends to be comedic gold), but the overarching plot is rather cliche and feels flat. The more emphasis a scene has on the plot (Twilight winning the Fall Formal to reclaim her crown) the less interesting it is.

The Good:

• The humor: Twilight's attempts to adjust to the human world are really funny, and Spike's sarcastic comments are great. The movie also retains a lot of the slapstick humor of the show (as seen with Pinkie sweeping the floor with her head).
• The character interactions between the main cast are generally handled well, and it's really interesting to see how Twilight approaches re-befriending them now that she knows so much about friendship. It really displays her character development.
• There are a few great interpretations of other minor characters; like the CMC trying to be a viral hit on Youtube.

The Bad:

• The overall plot about the fall formal is simplistic and cliche.
• Flash Sentry is the most unnecessary character in anything FIM related. He has one plot relevant moment, and that could easily have been given to someone else. He exists solely for Ship Tease and he's incredibly flat.
• Sunset Shimmer had an interesting concept that didn't get used well. For the bulk of the movie she seems incredibly petty and we only find out her real motive at the very end. Her Alpha Bitch characterization makes her "repentance" (not gonna spoiler; you knew it was coming) at the end seem more like a kid who starts crying when they get caught in the cookie jar.
• Celestia and Luna don't really do much and barely resemble their pony counterparts.
• The art style; body image issues aside, the mane cast have disproportionally large heads. It just looks off at some points.

In short, the movie is entertaining, but it's very obviously a straight-to-DVD quality effort. The plot is unfortunately thin, but it's worth watching for the jokes.