Equestria Girls Vs. Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks

Eh, let's trot this format out again because I'll be comparing both movies together regardless. So! It's time for!

[size=+1]Battle of the Movies
Equestria Girls Vs. Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks[/size]

Eh, normally I'm not too keen on writing reviews on MLP:FiM because I don't like the idea of trampling over discussion the forum could be happening with my own views and thoughts. While they might be valid, they're also on a nice, big platform that can shout over most others. Probably.

That's why I go mainly for other things because then I don't feel like I'm detracting from anything.

Today however, I figured this was worth talking about. I figured this topic was worth typing out in a large, 'Battle' reivew because I actually find the comparison kinda interesting. Behold! Equestria Girls has a god, damn sequel! You didn't have to Hasbro, but you did anyway. So, does it hold up compared to the first movie?

Ordinarily, even as a Brony, I'd say 'who cares, because both seem about as in canon as that Transformers cross-over!' but Rainbow Rocks has earned a second look and a little more scrutiny than usual, as you will soon see.

RIGHT!

The Story

As per before, I'll keep this quick if you're skimming. So, know that you're missing out hugely and that Rainbow Rocks is heaps better written than the original. Although, I suspect it's in part because it's a sequel. Which is mind-boggling in some ways.

All right, so the problem I have with most of the original is how rushed it feels. And by golly-gosh does it feel rushed. The opening of the film feels just as needlessly urgent as I'm sure Hasbro were with their animators as they shove brooms up their arses to get them working.

So, cast your minds back and we're given a metric ton of information right at the start. First Twilight's crown goes missing. Then we're told it was stolen by the former student of Celestia, Sunset Shimmer, who has a name more like a fancy paint colour rather than a villainess pony but whatever. Sunset Shimmer has vanished into an alternate universe and we have no earthly idea what could be on the other side. We're also told that there's a ticking clock looming over Twilight as she has to return with her crown, an Element of Harmony I might add so pretty important to pick up, within a certain time limit or she'll be trapped in the Alternate Equestria forever.

And then we find that Alternate Equestria is a Modern-ish High School set in a small town that has humanised versions of all the character's we've come to know so far. Also, Spike is a dog. I don't know why. It's like Dragons are a subclass or something. No humanised Spike for this movie, nope! He get's to lick try licking himself while Twilight adventures through a school...

A school...Oh boy...

Despite taking a gigantic fantasy universe that has limitless potential for what you can do with it and then shoving it to the side in what can only be Hasbro's excuse to muscle in on the Bratz market, for some stupid reason, the movie is actually kinda fun. I wouldn't put it higher than most of the series or anything but definitely fun.

It was released around Season 3, the writers weren't at their best. This isn't their A game.

And it's greatly evidenced here as there's little context or breathing room for these very important aspects of this film. We're given a lot of information within a very short amount of time. There's theft, a new villain, the fact that ALTERNATE REALITIES NOT ONLY EXIST BUT ARE EASILY ACCESSIBLE and that we have a short amount of time before Twilight is trapped in the human Equestria.

Except, the ticking clock element barely impacts the story. Instead, Twilight has enough time to meander through the school, fix a group dynamic that could have be solved in two seconds and use the power of friendship to blast Sunset's demon form into obscurity in a scene that is actually pretty neat in it's own way. Even so, the ticking clock doesn't seem relevant or important as any tension it could set up is generally ignored. There's very little the position of the moon or whatever has over the plot other than a reason Twilight has to leave almost immediately after saving the day.

AND HOW ABOUT A MIRROR JUST POPPING UP OUT OF FECKIN' NOWHERE JUST TO TAKE US TO 'SAVED BY THE BELL'! There is no context for this. No backstory or use of something that already exists. Nope! Portal of incredible power and marketability is sitting right there.

No, I will not let the 'Hasbro are doing this for a cash-grab' angle slide because it's plastered all over the inception of the first film. The initial concept feels so, god damn lazy and underwhelming at this stage.

School settings are everywhere in fiction aimed at girls! Especially in TV. It's a minor point, sure, but the ol' 'Extraordinary Character Ends Up In Real Life' has been done to death! Even He-Man has done this! He-Man!

So, thank waffles or something because both movies manage to actually make the concept watchable at the very least. They even manage to introduce a little humour at the expense of the concept, showing that someone, somewhere was trying to add a few nuggets of joy in both films. Someone was trying!

In the first movie, some of the best elements are in Twilight adjusting because they go all out with them. They know and we know that Twilight hasn't ever had to use fingers or feet before. It's kind of a brony joke but it's done decently here. It makes sense that Twilight would find the change disorienting. In fact, they end up making her look quite bizarre doing things that she would find normal if she was a pony. As a human, this is quite amusing. The idea of trying to use her fists as hooves or walk around on her hands and knees pokes fun at the concept in a way that makes sense. I kinda wish they'd found more things for her to do that were like this because it's surprisingly the most entertaining thing I took from the film.

The rest is sort of...meh. There's the subplot about the humanoid 'Mane Six' falling out because of a few missed calls that resulted in them getting stood up, all likely orchestrated by Sunset Shimmer. Even though there appeared to be no obvious reason to do such a thing. Furthermore, this is the most pathetic idea for a conflict I have ever heard. You could solve this with an email. Or if someone happened to listen to it for five seconds and fathom it out. Which, Twilight does in record time. It's a waste of time for a payoff that could be seen a mile away! You know that the six of them will get back together and the reason their feuding for so long is moronic. It's there to pad out of the film, pure and simple.

And then Sunset Shimmer powers up, blasts lasers everywhere, destroys part of the school and this all gains a life of it's own before ending and credits.

Rainbow Rocks suffers from none of this and is the stronger movie for it because it just builds on the original.

Gone is the idiotic need to have the group busted up over something mind-meltingly trivial. They're still friends and it's fine. In fact, everything takes place, confusingly, a few days after Twilight left the Humanised Universe but also after the events of Season 4. It doesn't matter much but sure, whatever.

Gone is the ticking clock element that made no impact on the story at all.

Gone is the dull plot about becoming popular enough to win Prom Queen when really, the plan should have been how to sneak into the Principal's Office and steal back what's rightfully her's. Afterall, Twilight was meant to be pressed for time. Emphasis on 'meant'.

Gone is most of the Twilight adjusting to the new world stuff which is a bit of a shame but, I guess they couldn't think of too many places to stick it in.

Gone is Sunset Sh-She's still here? And now she has to fit into a school that fears and despises her for the rightful reason of having demolished the School's front door, enslaved the student body and then proceeded to try and take over the world? That's actually pretty awesome! Good work, there!

Honestly, it's one of the best elements of Rainbow Rocks: how it handles it's characters and ideas. Pretty much everything feels polished, balanced and makes some modicum of sense as if it was a script written by professionals, rather than hurried together and pushed out the door.

In fact, while it's a normal one and a half hour movie, it uses it's time effectively enough that you're not bored and you're not feeling short changed. Someone's been earning their doggie treats.

The story begins immediately after the events of Equestria Girls. Infact, the final battle is happening way into the distance as the three new villains introduce themselves. While harvesting negative emotions that they are able to produce through singing, three Psyrens - yes, the MLP version of the Greek Monster - are alerted to the presence of Equestrian Magic. You see, they're already able to manipulate the weak, magic-devoid version of Equestria using their voices but only enough to make them behave like colossal douche-canoes to one another. The negative emotions fuel their singing powers.

But, the Equestrian magic that turned up and has lingered in this world would make their voices even more alluring, allowing them to enslave the entire world, making everyone debase themselves Youtube Troll Commenters levels of emotional toxicity.

Guess who has the Equestrian Magic in them! No. No. Not in this movie. No. He-Man is way off. It's the humanoid Mane Six. They discover that they grow ears and a pony tail when they rock out in their school band. When the Psyren's descend on the school to try and take the magic from them, they call on Twilight for help. The Psyren's use their powers to create decent in the School, using a Battle of the Bands competition to brew up some hatred for their fellow man. However, the girls figure out that a counter spell would reverse the douchery the school is plagued with. Because the battle's final would have the most amount of people present and the counter spell appears to have to be a song, they opt to try and play in the competition, get to the end then play at the finale to break the spell.

This makes a decent amount of sense. Enough so that you really have to work hard at poking holes in it. Like, why not cast the counter spell to reverse the Psyren song on as many people as possible and then another group of people? Simple, because the Psyrens can easily just sing again and reverse that. There's also how they have no idea what a counter spell song should sound like and so it's down to Twilight to try and create it.

This is the biggest flaw of the movie: Twilight has nothing significant to do once she's arrived. When she's in the picture, she just sits in the background, frustratedly scribbling. You see, she's been lumped with writing the song they'll use as a counter song. The success of their mission is hinged on her and she'd woefully out of her depth with song writing. So, she's freaking out, because it's Twilight.

Even though they repeatedly point out that Fluttershy has already written something. Over and over, this point is laboured and nothing comes of it. She points it out, then is promptly ignored until the end. In fact, it's said that any song would have done and Twilight just wasted her time.

Now, this gets a pass because no one had any idea of how the Equestrian Magic the group has works. In the end, it's more of a 'Ah, look, it's probably likely this' rather than anything definite. They're still guessing right till the end, quite frankly. So, I'll let this slide as it's not as focused on as the other elements and the ignorance of the characters actually makes sense. So, fair enough.

The other elements, work fine. As said, I like how Sunset Shimmer is getting flack for her past deeds. I like how the group is starting to get on each others nerves in a way that makes sense (which is mainly how Rainbow Dash is hogging the spotlight too much (as indeed, she would)). I like the other bands and acts that take part. Trixy is great in this, the murder of rap by Snips and Snails is cringeworthy and what the hell was up with Derpy's band. I have no idea what they were going to play but...just...wow...

All in all, Rainbow Rocks is just better written. It's better conceived, better told and far less clumsy than the first. First point to the sequel!​