Re: My Little Pony: The Movie (2017): The Thread: The Discus
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SlateSlabrock
The information's unavailable to the mortal man. - Joined: Feb 14, 2011
Moderators: Perrydotto, Dexanth, Venusy, Wayoshi
SlateSlabrock wrote:The new characters are more decent than I expected. Capper fits the weird, Treasure Planet vibe of the pirate port, and he comes into his own later in the film. The pirates are also a fun bunch. But I wish we saw more of them! The pacing gets pretty weird in the second quarter of the film, and I checked my watch because it felt like the part of the show where they realize they have 5 minutes to wrap things up. Capper wins everyone except Twilight over with a song, Rainbow wins the pirates over with a song... I wish we'd gotten a little more time to chat with them. What was the pirates' deal? Why do they work for the Storm King? How far does his empire extend? These are things I feel like the show would've stepped aside for a moment to address, but the movie rushes past.
So, overall? It was a fun watch. I'm glad they were able to push their artistry harder than before. But for a movie that took at least four years to make, I'm a little confused by the pacing and the breathless way it rushes past supporting cast. I do hope that, if the show lasts long enough, we get a second movie that can be the Rainbow Rocks to this film's Equestria Girls.
DerFurShur wrote:Seems all the backstory for the new characters was indeed locked behind the comic paywall because I expected at least a quick reference to what happened in Celano's comic, explaining how she ended up working for the Storm King, but nope. Pretty much everything in the IDW prequels was kept to those issues.
The Doctor wrote:Equestria effectively surrenders for the sake of the plot. Few airships come in, and 1/3 of the population forgets they can control the weather. The finale has a dozen characters fight off Storm King's army without magic, but a few hundred ponies at the start of the film do squat.
The Doctor wrote:Storm King is menacing because we're told he is. He's threatening because we're told he is. And no, the comics really don't help establish him as a threat. It's pretty much just more "he's threatening because we say he is. Hell, just make Tempest the main villain. She at least had some set up. Equestria effectively surrenders for the sake of the plot. Few airships come in, and 1/3 of the population forgets they can control the weather. The finale has a dozen characters fight off Storm King's army without magic, but a few hundred ponies at the start of the film do squat. The entire set up for this film was just awful.
drunkill wrote:It is not, so a few small cuts exist because Daniel Ingram said he wrote a song for the intro which was cut and replaced by a cover of You got the Beat by the Go-Go's last minute.
PaulloDEC wrote:• There's a few nice laughs in there. "Emotional scarring" and "Raised in a barn" got me good.
Octavia wrote:I loved it. It was visually stunning and was really whimsical.
The story was very typical of a children's adventure movie, but it really hit all the friendship and redemption themes that the show focuses on.
Having to explain everything is a lazy storytelling technique, because it expects the audience to be unable to understand Story and its conventions. We do not ask why the black queen on the chess board is the colour she is, or whether she would prefer another hue or role, we play the game. I do not think Darth Vader improved as a character because the Star Wars Ⅰ-Ⅲ – he was far better when he was a menacing cipher.
Big Boss wrote:
I disagree with this completely. Darth Vader's interactions with Tarkin and Obi-Wan reveal much about his character and his actions are derived from the active plot initiated from the beginning of the movie. Darth Vader's character, however, did improve a lot because of Empire and Jedi, which focused even more on his actions and motivations. But you don't need the other two movies for his character to make sense within the context of the first.
People aren't asking for the movie to stop and give a soliloquy about the Storm King, they're asking for his actual character to derive from within actions and relations to other characters in the film. He could easily be cut from the film and have Tempest's role take over his and the movie would actually be better for it, even though Liev Schrieber had some excellent lines and scenes.
While I don't think the story is bad, it's certainly not a cut above and is at best serviceable for the movie's purpose. The movie is still really good in spite of its flaws because a lot of the main characters are written very well, and Tempest and Skystar are great additions who reveal more about the characters we already know. It pushes a lot of the same buttons that makes the franchise work in a bigger way, and that's why I still liked it a lot. But this edition of the franchise has always been character focused and for the movie to be uneven, character wise, can't be left unnoticed.
Niels Olof wrote:At least he got more lines than Sauron, the Nine Ring Wraiths, and King Sombra combined. I am not particular bothered about backstories for villains – they are like the elements that the protagonists must strive against, and it matters not whence the storm came, only that it came.
Soft Snow wrote:Its second most successful was Alpha and Omega which happened to get seven direct-to-video sequels. Good chance even if this doesn't do stellar in theaters it still might get a few sequels. Hooves crossed!
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