After the Fact: Starlight Glimmer

It's been a whole year since The Cutie Re-Mark aired, and since then, there's been a big topic that has completely taken the fandom by storm - Starlight Glimmer herself. I was amongst those who sounded off against her redemption, but today, let's see how much my views on her have changed, shall we?

Oh, and before I begin, I'd like to say that I'll be splitting this post in two parts; one focusing on Starlight's roles since her debut, and the other comparing her to the other major villains (as in, threats to the good guys, and yes, that includes the EG villains).

Let's start off with this question; why is Starlight Glimmer given constant hate, even by the time of the season six finale? I've explained why in the past, but since that somehow isn't enough for some, perhaps I can summarize it like this; character development vs. lackluster writing.

First off, there's The Cutie Map. At the time of its release, it was highly praised for being different compared to the previous season premieres. It wasn't as "actiony" compared to, let's say, The Crystal Empire or Princess Twilight Sparkle, but it still understood how to tell a story, and it presented, at the time, one of the show's strongest morals.

Another reason the episode got praise was Starlight herself. Sure, she didn't have the most original of names, but what made her a unique villain was that instead of relying on brute strength or an army of her own, she relied on her intelligence. That, I feel, is something villains could use more often; who need muscle when you got a big brain?

Unfortunately, she crashed and burned as a character with The Cutie Re-Mark. Rather than repeat what I said in my After the Fact, I'll just link you to said review. To make a long story short, it was the point where My Little Pony began to lose some of its charm. At first, I figured, "oh, it's just a brief slump. I'm sure they'll get back on their hooves soon enough."

Except that it wasn't the case.

Instead of getting themselves out of the hole, they dug themselves deeper. Now, at this point, I'll only be focusing on the Starlight-centric episodes (or at least, feature her as a major/supporting player) in season six's story arc, so A Hearth's Warming Tail will not be considered.

The Crystalling was a very poor start to Starlight's character arc. They had this nice idea of reuniting her with Sunburst, as well as one for Flurry Heart, but they both suffer by being two episodes sloppily mashed into one, and the premiere as a whole suffered through sluggish pacing and a storyline that was creatively bankrupt from beginning to end.

It got worse with No Second Prances; again, Starlight making friends with a pony who went through similar problems is a good idea, but it's completely destroyed by Twilight's double standards to the point she's no longer in my Top 10 favorites. Not helping is that it's a blatant retelling of What About Discord, but then, that episode should never have been brought into production to start with.

For The Times They Are a Changeling - I think I may have missed this, but I could be wrong - Starlight doesn't openly welcome Thorax until Spike sings a "song" that not all Changelings were bad. Considering that she also went through similar problems the way Thorax did, why didn't Spike even think of introducing Starlight to him? Maybe then, she would've had a purpose.

Every Little Thing She Does was very much a dead on arrival retreading of Lesson Zero. Up to that point, the only pony Starlight has spent much of her time with was Twilight, and not the rest of the Mane Six, with (if he's counted as a member) the exception of Spike. However, if they did want Starlight to spend time with each Mane Six member, why cram it all into one episode when you could spread it out to five?

And then there's To Where and Back Again, which... I've moaned about enough already.

The point is, every time Starlight gets some degree of character development, there is a "but" immediately after, and because of that, fans may end up getting more frustrated than sympathetic with her. Every positive development for Starlight gets cancelled out by huge missteps in the writing; maybe if there weren't so many writers in one season or that there was quality control, perhaps fans like myself wouldn't be so annoyed by her presence.

Not only that, but Starlight's story arc was spread too thinly. Yes, we get that the Mane Six are the leading characters, and if you wanted to make Starlight a recurring character, fine, but there were better ways to get her to the point she's at! To Where and Back Again is supposed to be her big moment, but there were only four episodes (three if you consider The Crystalling as one episode) that actually connected to it, all of the aforementioned season six episodes barring Every Little Thing She Does.

In the season six overview, Dark Qiviut (that's his user name) commented that there should've been more focus on Starlight so we know she's part of the cast. Much as the thought sickens me to an extent, I can see his point; Trixie and Thorax had one episode each before the finale, but we don't see any onscreen development for either, making their presence feel forced at best. The same could apply to Discord, who's had no interaction with Starlight beforehand!

To Where and Back Again might've worked better if A) it was held back and aired much later in the show, or B) (the better one for Starlight in season six) there was more development for her character, as well as her interactions with Trixie and Thorax, and maybe an episode with her and Discord. Some fans would've still complained about Starlight, but at least there would've been development that wasn't out of the blue.

And that brings me onto the other major villains.

You've heard me say it before, but what the heck - Sunset Shimmer has gone strength to strength as a character. Sure, she might not be as "edgy" as she was in the first film, but she can still be badass whenever she wants to be, but nine times out of ten, Sunset's presence on screen almost brings a warm feeling in my heart, and she knows that she can't just brood over her mistakes constantly for seventy minutes (*coughcough*Sci-Twi*cough*)

Discord is regarded as one of the best reformed baddies of the show, and it's easy to see why; his wacky sense of humor, the voice provided by John de Lancie, and most of all, bags of charisma and personality. Because of that, it attracts you to him and makes him hard to dislike... well, possibly except for What About Discord, but let's move on.

As a surprising twist of fate in the season two finale, Queen Chrysalis is by far the most well-loved baddie who still (thankfully) hasn't been redeemed, especially since her heart is so black, she's one baddie you'd love to hate. Josh Haber and Michael Vogel both understood her and Discord (somewhat) in the season six finale, making them highlights to what's otherwise the worst episode of the show.

You might not agree, but King Sombra, when introduced, was pretty damn terrifying. He didn't speak much, but why did he need to? His presence alone or the mention of his name is enough to scare you!

The same could apply to Lord Tirek. He captured three princesses, manipulated Discord into working for him, and he blew up a library designed like a tree! No one's rooting for that, and that alone makes Tirek a badass you do not want to mess with.

The Dazzlings were great in Rainbow Rocks, and the songs they sing alone are why along with their seductive tones - you cling on to every lyric they perform, especially if they're performed by Adagio Dazzle.

The only uninteresting antagonist prior to Starlight was Nightmare Moon; she was so dull a villain in the premiere that she was barely in a quarter the episode she starred in.

As for Principal Cinch? Well, to be honest, she was probably the only new character out of Friendship Games with a certain degree of merit. She did have a reputation to uphold at Crystal Prep, and you know to hate her when she blackmails Sci-Twi (making the latter worse than she already is), but otherwise, Cinch is a bit... well, dull. That being said, at least she had more character than the Shadowbolts.

So compare all of them Starlight, and maybe you'll understand why people hate her. Most of the aforementioned baddies had motivation that's at least halfway-meritful (in Discord's case, he probably didn't need a motivation, as his primary objective was chaos), but Starlight's motivations were not so good, and I've explained why constantly.

I believe I read somewhere that Starlight's reasons for behaving the way she did in season five were a lot darker than what we got in the final product. Neglectful parents? Sunburst separated from her by a (supposedly) tragic accident? Anything would've sufficed! And maybe then, you'd have a reason to make us sympathize with her, and it would've left a less sour taste in our mouths.

That said, the only major villain worse than Starlight is Gloriosa Daisy, for reasons which I've explained in my Legend of Everfree review.

Overall, I do honestly believe there was potential for Starlight to be a great character, but sadly, her development has so far been let down by poor writing choices which leaves fans frustrated. If you still like her even after all the issues I pointed out, fine by me. Just don't go round throwing hissy fits because someone says something like "She's a Sunset clone, and so she sucks!" or something to that extent, and same applies to the reverse. Having differing viewpoints is fine as it makes us who we are, so why get into a petty fight over an opposing opinion? It's better to discuss opinions than to deride them.

Thomas and Friends: Season 20 Week 2

Has it been two months since I last did a Thomas-related post here? Wow! Since much of my focus lay with the rest of MLP's sixth season as well as Legend of Everfree (the less said about that "film", the better), and apart from planning reviews for The Great Race and a redo of Duck and the Slip Coaches, there weren't too many Thomas topics I wanted to discuss (well, there's that, schoolwork, and other writings in mind). But now that season twenty has resumed this week, I figured, why not tackle its second week of episodes, especially since they aired early in Canada? (And yes, I will get to the winter episodes on December 23.)

So, without further confusion or delay, let's start off by...

Episode 6: Saving Time

Written by Andrew Brenner

Well, what's a season without it's duds? Saving Time is the first, and the reason why? It moves. Too. Slowly. For example, Samson stops at a red signal, it turns green, and he continues on his journey. You could easily cut that out and it wouldn't change. Samson then struggles to climb Gordon's hill alone, we get it. Why even shove that down our throats?

Because of slow pacing, the humor is virtually non-existent. But there are good points like Thomas' cheekiness playing off Samson's stubbornness and pride, and it was nice seeing Sir Handel and Peter Sam have a role (now we need a full Skarloey Railway-centric episode! Oh, and one for the Arlesdale trio as well), especially in an era where Sir Handel's been neglected.

But that's it. Also, why is Bradford not working with Samson when it was established last episode that they work together? That would've improved the episode greatly.

Episode 7: Ryan and Daisy

Written by Davey Moore

And speaking of great improvements...!

The moment I heard about this episode, I looked forward to it, especially after watching The Railcar and the Coaches (we'll get to that soon enough) and knowing that Daisy and Ryan would be working together on the Harwick branchline at the end of Lost Treasure. And boy oh boy, did this episode deliver!

I love the railway technicals; it's clear that the timelines on the Harwick branchline not only affect the line itself, but other lines as well when Ryan is late for the quarry. That was great!

For Ryan himself, I'm a bit disappointed that Lost Treasure didn't go for him being over-confident and dismissive, but for this episode? It works, and that's what makes his dynamic with Daisy great. She is sly and manipulative (not in a devious way), and takes advantage of Ryan's niceness. That's his big character flaw - he's too nice, and Daisy knows it! And even though the "working together" moral has been done to death, it works for them as they're getting used to each other, plus it was sweet that Daisy does care for Ryan at the end.

And his voice? Yeah, I know Steven Kynman voices both Ryan and Paxton, and getting used to it, I can kind of hear the similarities (this will also affect all future episodes featuring him). I'll miss Eddie Redmayne's performance, but I get why he can't reprise the character since he's a big A-list actor (I've not seen Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them yet, but I hear it's great).

On whole, I love this episode to bits. The humor is great (especially with the Fat Controller's reactions), Ryan and Daisy play off each other brilliantly, and the morals were great - sometimes, helping others can do more hurt than good.

Episode 8: Pouty James

Written by Andrew Brenner

It's only this season where Henry is being given some respect, and if Henry in the Dark is anything to go by, it'd be fun to see him scare engines unintentionally. But who else gets flanderized to the point they're one-note?

Yep! James...

Why is it that every time James learns a lesson, he goes back to being a narcissistic idiot? In Philip to the Rescue, he lets Philip's over-enthusiasm get to him and he ends up crashing. It's also surprising that in this episode, the diesel boxcab shows more maturity, and he's supposed to be childlike! Not only that, but James' attitude is over-the-top. Sure, it would work better if this was season one, but the fact is, we're twenty seasons in! James should learn by this point not to let his ego get the better of him, but his attitude completely devalues what he'd learned in Toad's Adventure and Duck in the Water!

And, to be honest, that's very much the reason I don't like the Human Five in the Equestria Girls films. Sure, they were a great help to Twilight in the first film, but in Rainbow Rocks, they're back to childish, petty arguing, and from Friendship Games onward, they've turned into one-note caricatures of their pony counterparts, Legend of Everfree being the point they're non-existent until the end!

Back to Pouty James; the episode's killing blow is this bit of dialogue - "but not for long". So what you're saying is that James has learned nothing... which very much renders the episode as a whole completely pointless! You cut that line of dialogue, and the episode would have a point then! You can't just a teach a moral only to retract it! (On a side note, with 28 Pranks Later, I came very close to disliking Rainbow Dash, but thankfully, Top Bolt managed to salvage her character.)

You know the face the Fat Controller makes after James says "What? Oh! Sir?" That's how I feel about the episode as a whole, and James' attitude. So what if it features corny comedy with the faces? If an episode is bad, it's bad. End of.

Episode 9: Blown Away

Written by Helen Farrall

I don't know if it's just me, but I feel they went to George Harrison's solo discography when it came to picking the episode's title and then added an "N" in the middle. (Try saying that five times fast!)

Anyway, I like how Skiff got an episode to himself, and it was nice to expand on what became of him following Sailor John's arrest. Captain Joe seems like he could be an interesting character on his own, and it's great to see some human interaction. Duck and Oliver also play a good role; they tease Skiff at first, but after he saves them from crashing, they appreciate him for being there to help them out. However, why are the Slip Coaches silent?

How Skiff got himself upright is a bit ridiculous, but considering how intense the situation was, I can let it slide. The stormy scenes were great, and the music playing for the climax was intense. Of course, animation and music are standard by now, but how could I resist commenting about both? Not much else to say, really. A lot of my favorites overall have come from season 20 alone, and Blown Away is one of them.

Episode 10: The Way She Does It

Written by Andrew Brenner Davey Moore

I'll get this outta the way right now - STOP SHOEHORNING THOMAS IN WHERE HIS FUNNEL DOESN'T BELONG!! You could've easily replaced him with, I don't know, the Arlesdale trio and it wouldn't make a difference! Or, if you wanted to feature him, have it at Knapford where it wouldn't feel forced! (Although, to be fair, Annie and Clarabel making comments about Daisy's rudeness was pretty good.)

Okay, now that it's out of my system, let's talk about the episode itself. It's... interesting, to say the least. But does it do Daisy any favors? I think it does. If you hear of something you think will be big and grand, you may end up getting ideas above your head and not bother asking for the details. Plus, who knew that she was fluent in French?

I know some of you will want me to mention the thing that we all have a vendetta against, but for your sake as well as mine, I won't, because I don't care about that. The rest of the humor is, again, really good like Duck's comment to the audience (I think?), Daisy going past three stations at once, Stafford trying (and failing) to catch up to Daisy, and how she interacts with a bull, especially considering what happened in Bulls Eyes.

One other issue I have; why did they even bother with the word "steamie"?! (It's actually Scottish for a public wash house, not a steam engine.) The way the use the term is stupid, and it should stay well in the dark ages. Other than that issue, it's a good episode on it's own merit.

Thomas and Friends Season 20 Scorecard

1. Sidney Sings: 8

2. Toby's New Friend: 8

3. Henry Gets the Express: 10

4. Diesel and the Ducklings: 9

5. Bradford the Brake Van: 9
6. Saving Time: 3
7. Ryan and Daisy: 10
8. Pouty James: 1
9. Blown Away: 10
10. The Way She Does It: 8

Season Rating So Far: 76/100

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Legend of Everfree

More than a month has gone by since its debut on Netflix (except for a week early Brazillian airing for... some reason), but at long last, I can now share my full opinion on the latest installment to the Equestria Girls spinoff, Legend of Everfree! I'm not gonna lie; this is gonna be one of my most interesting reviews to date...

It's fair to say that last year's entry, Friendship Games, was an underwhelming disappointment. That film had promise considering that two schools would be competing in the games, but instead, they were barely touched upon and focused way too much on Sci-Twi instead, and the other new characters (Principal Cinch, the Shadowbolts) had little to no development throughout. But now, we've reached Legend of Everfree, and would it make up for last year's disappointment?

If you want a short, blunt answer, absolutely not. I've seen it once, and I wish I hadn't. Legend of Everfree is absolutely stupid, even for a kid's movie! But where do I start with the problems?

First off, the film's "story" is terrible. It's a blatant rehashing of Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep. I'm not even kidding; the film even starts similarly to said episode with Sci-Twi having a nightmare, and she also avoids talking to other people (possibly except for Sunset) about her problems. Not only that, Sci-Twi's story arc very much copies from Rainbow Rocks point for point - why do we need like a hundred Rainbow Rocks-type stories in MLP? It's getting tired now! Unless they were trying to make Sci-Twi's story arc a half-baked two-parter...?

Actually, the whole movie is nothing short of being predictably cliched. If you've seen the first three beforehand, you'll understand what I mean; Gloriosa Daisy's Gaea Everfree form is basically a mashup of Demon Sunset and Midnight Sparkle from the first and third movies, and she even goes through a rushed redemption! On top of that, Gloriosa is just outright annoying, and she's a lame excuse for a villain - I mean, keeping students trapped just to keep camp going forever is perhaps the stupidest motivation any MLP villain has ever had! Heck, Starlight Glimmer had more merit to her motivations when she was a baddie!

Speaking of the first three, why do we need constant reminders as to what happened? We've seen what happens, so there's no point in making these references repeatedly. Unless you haven't seen the first film beforehand... well, I feel sorry for you, really.

And that brings me onto Sci-Twi (yes, I'm gonna refer to her as such just to avoid confusion with Princess Twilight). I didn't like how she was portrayed in Friendship Games (and they needed a Twilight for EG, because why not), but here? She was nothing short of a whiny, little crybaby! She's basically Starlight with Twilight's body (not that there's any difference between them, but that's beside the point), except Starlight isn't this pathetic! All Sci-Twi does is constantly mope that magic is bad or some crap, and again, her role is basically Luna's from the aforementioned Magic Sheep. Okay, so she does actually come out of her shell a bit, but sadly, it was too little too late to redeem her.

One of my regular Fandom Reaction contributors - Mattstonge44 - had his own issues concerning Sci-Twi's portrayal when it came to overshadowing everyone, even Sunset. Seeing the film for myself, I can see his point. I mean, Sunset has achieved far more than Sci-Twi has, but because all Sci-Twi did was mope, she's somehow rewarded with alicorn-like powers?! What kind of moral is that for children? It's like the "moral" in The Other Side of the Mountain where Thomas complains and moans until his wish comes true, which, frankly, is stupid, but I digress.

I find that absolutely heartbreaking; Twilight was my favorite when I first watched the show, but now? She's been treated like crap throughout 2016 and she's slipped down my favorites to the point she probably wouldn't even breach the Top 10. It's just... sad. Please; bring back the Twilight I loved - confident, selfless, brave. That wasn't what I saw in the film. The Twilight I saw was cowardly, selfish, and mopey. I didn't even see the Human Five either; they're one-dimensional and barely added anything to the film. Why must the writers constantly flanderize them to the point they're annoying?

Oh, and speaking of annoying... you're off the hook, Starlight Glimmer! Because Timber Spruce is now officially the worst character in all of MLP in general! He's not the type of character you love to hate like Quibble Pants, nor is he a comedic character like Discord. No, Timber Spruce is the type of guy who you want to whack in the face with a sledgehammer! He's arrogant, obnoxious, and just outright despicable in general! There's nothing to like about him (even when he confronts Gloriosa), and every time he opens his mouth, I want to put my fist in it. (I'm sure Brian Doe is a nice guy, but after ten minutes of listening to the jerk he voices, I've wanted to sew his lips shut.)

Not only that, his character arc leads to nothing; he wants to get away from Camp Everfree, which, to be honest, is somewhat relatable, but when the camp is saved, he very much chooses to stay there because... well, I don't know! All it does is render his role pointless (not that he had a purpose to start with), and he constantly hits on Sci-Twi because, again, I don't know, it was never made clear. It just leads to a stupid romance sub-plot that will go nowhere and he'll never be seen again after that film. Oh, and his near kiss with Sci-Twi is cringe-worthy.

There's a moment where Flash sees Sci-Twi with Timber... and I will say it right now; the development they gave Flash is forced and contrived on every level, and that scene exists purely to give him that development, regardless to any unfortunate implications this could lead to! Not helping is that it's also a half-arsed way to give "development" to Flash and Sunset's dynamic. Too little, too late - we're four films in! If they wanted to develop their relationship this far into the series, either it spawned out of a pointless throwaway in the first film, or the writers suck at developing subplots.

Yeah, after watching that film, I still won't ship FlashShimmer as a pairing, even if I was never a TwiSentry fan. The dynamic portrayed on film is simply terrible (and I've seen fanfiction that handle it better!) - I mean, Sunset tells him to get over his crush on Princess Twilight, and Flash... immediately does so. I've said it before, but that is not how this works! It takes time to get over a loss, and more than a conversation you could easily fix! That brings forth another unfortunate implication; does Princess Twilight still care for Flash, even after he upset her, despite it not being his fault? Oh, and Sunset very much leaves Flash to follow Timber Spruce, and her interactions with Flash are never brought up again, rendering any development he got pointless. Were they saying (unintentionally, I admit) that Sunset doesn't care for Flash, a person she slighted more than Sci-Twi, who she's just starting to know? All Sunset did to Sci-Twi was yell at her when she almost endangered the Games! Meanwhile, Sunset used Flash to gain popularity, and it got a very unsatisfying closure to the point she may be hurting him again without knowing it. In fact, I feel more sorry for Flash than I feel for Sci-Twi!

However, there's a line of dialogue Flash says that really frustrates me; he tells Sunset he knows when something's bothering her, and that leads to another problem. Before Legend of Everfree, he has never directly interacted with Sunset. Why does he choose now, of all times, just to rekindle with her? If we had a moment of them in the end credits for Rainbow Rocks, or a scene together in Friendship Games, I'd be more accepting. But instead, again, it comes off as a throwaway line in the first film. Pro tip the next time you write a 70-minute EG film - use that time to develop character dynamics. (And not just the Human Five, please!) If you want to see a dynamic similar to Flash and Sunset's, try Twilight and Moon Dancer's from Amending Fences; the story flows more naturally, the characters are made relatable, and it felt like an effective use of fan-service. If Legend of Everfree was their way of appealing to the FlashShimmer fans, they crashed and burned.

Also, can we put Flash in roles that don't involve romance in any way? A Banner Day was one of the more unique shorts and it showed what the writers could do with him as an independent character, and he interacted with two background humans! Sure, it might be seen as stereotypical and I wouldn't blame you for thinking that, but still, I thought it was interesting, and I'd take that over yaks being bullies any day of the week.

Back to Legend of Everfree, and further expanding upon Sci-Twi and Timber's so-called relationship, isn't that against regulations to date students? I don't care for how old Timber is, but since he is an employee at Camp Everfree, his "romance" with Sci-Twi is nothing short of creepy, and they constantly shove it down your throats! Say what you want about Flash's moments with Princess Twilight, but at least they were trying to be succinct without making it the main focus - oh, and Flash never comes off as self-absorbed, that's also somewhat important. On top of that, Sci-Twi is potentially in danger of a pedophile, and Sunset just seems to go with it and, again, doesn't seem to care for Flash, which is a red flag for her character development. It's a shame as the rest of her role, actually, is pretty good, but then again, she's always a highlight in anything Equestria Girls, so...

Also, Filthy Rich appeared for about a minute or two overall, and contributed nothing to the story. Moving on.

The fight with Gloriosa Daisy is, as I mentioned above, predictable. Granted, it was nice to give it a longer run time, but as for how it ends? How could Sci-Twi stop Gloriosa with one attack, and yet five girls threw more punches (both literal and metaphorical) and the villain didn't even flinch? Oh, and why is the villain female, again? We've had ten female antagonists (yes, including Sunset) within the past three films! Again, it's all getting tired; can we stop using those tropes?! (We even avoided villain redemption in Rainbow Rocks, for goodness' sake!) It also feels like that was done to make Sci-Twi good, despite that she constantly whined and moped beforehand! Again, people (yes, even myself) complain about Starlight's story arc...

But you where the film really falls apart? Not the cliched plot (although it is a contributing factor), not Flash and Sunset's poorly written dynamic, and it's not even the stupid romance! No, the film falls apart, because when the Human Five suggest a fundraiser to save Camp Everfree - like, ten minutes before the film ends - Gloriosa agrees to the idea, and hold it in the Crystal Cave... because that's where you hold galas...

Okay, I just have to ask; if Gloriosa was this desperate to save her family's camp, why did she not think about holding a fundraiser in the first place?! All this does is imply that Camp Everfree is run by a duo of incompetent siblings who can't slice bread to save their lives (not that one of them was likable to start with, but still), and it renders the entire film pointless in the long run! So yeah, everything building up to the climax is pointless, and if you reduced it to 44 minutes, it would still feel like pointless, cliched filler. The fact that they have a post-credits scene, further dragging the movie longer than it needed to, basically tells you "this was pointless; thanks for wasting 73 minutes of your life."

In fact, I've got a theory about this film; Friendship Games intended to give Sunset a subplot where she feels homesick for Equestria, but in the end, she decides to stay in the human world, and Sci-Twi goes back to Crystal Prep. In the final cut? Sunset's just... there, and Sci-Twi transfers to Canterlot High. Further, Legend of Everfree was produced whilst production was winding down on Friendship Games, and it was finished in August, less than two months before its Netflix debut. So, bottom line, Legend of Everfree was a last minute project because Hasbro and/or DHX forced Josh Haber to make changes to Friendship Games, and it came off as a film that even he doesn't like (and I don't blame him, to be honest). However, if he didn't like the final cut, why didn't he try making the end result cohesive? It's not like he was forced to make a bad film!

Would Legend of Everfree have fared any better if Friendship Games was released the way it was intended? Maybe, but sadly, we may never know because it feels like Hasbro and/or DHX would rather screw with fans rather than give them what they want. In fact, I wouldn't be shocked if DHX was somehow responsible for MLP's decline in quality...

As for the songs? I'm not gonna bother discussing them since they're just straight up generic and don't feel fresh at all. The only one that might be worth mentioning is "Embrace the Magic", and for Sunset's second solo number, it's actually pretty nice, but it does feel somewhat preachy at points (actually, I could say the same for every song in the film). That said, I still think "My Past is Not Today" is the best song in MLP, hooves down.

Final Thoughts

Sometimes in the film industry, a crisis may lead to great art. Inside Out managed to salvage Pixar's reputation after a slump during 2011-2013, and Blue Mountain Mystery felt like a step in the right direction for Thomas and Friends after seven years' worth of bad writing. But as for My Little Pony? Well, after the lackluster performance of season six, they dug themselves into a deeper hole with Legend of Everfree, and the film ranges from cringe-worthy to straight up appalling.

With a story so cliched and predictable, unsatisfying character dynamics and unfortunate implications abound, it's very much the worst movie I've ever had the misfortune of sitting through, and will ever watch (yeah, don't tell me I haven't heard of the likes of Battlefield Earth or Plan 9 from Outer Space; I'm not gonna bother with them as it's just not worth it).

Yeah, the animation looks great, and other technicals like voice acting and music are also spot on, but I don't care for that, as they're pretty much standard for anything MLP, not a freak accident. I look for good storytelling, something Joanna and Kristine somehow managed to forget for this film. And considering they also wrote Gauntlet of Fire and Top Bolt this year, this is a huge disappointment coming from them. They can write better than that.

I would've made suggestions on how to fix the movie, but I won't bother. Instead, I suggest watching Rainbow Rocks as the pacing is stronger, Sunset's redemption feels more natural, and the songs (well, most of them) are actually really good. Legend of Everfree is atrocious on every level and it was an absolute chore to sit through.

If it isn't Sci-Twi being a whiny crybaby, it's Flash and Sunset getting two scenes together for the sake of fanservice. If it's not that, it's Gloriosa Daisy being an incompetent camp counselor with terrible motivations. If it's not Gloriosa, it's Timber Spruce. If it isn't either of them, it's the plot being pointless, stupid, boring, and predictable. If it isn't that, it's the trope of bad guy redemption that they insist on pushing out, and has been overused since Crusaders of the Lost Mark!

Bottom line, Legend of Everfree is the worst movie ever made. I hope it rots.

Rating: -10 out of 10