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It's hard to make a good sequel to a movie. Pirates of the Carribean, Lord of the Rings, maybe X-Men, they're all exceptions to the rule. And Lord of the Rings isn't really fair, because they were all filmed at once and then released nine or so months apart. But I guess these aren't animated movies, so there must be a different rule for those. Equestria Girls 2: The Electric (guitar) Boogaloo does an animated sequel right by not neurolyzing the first movie away and making a completely new story. Is that enough references in one paragraph? No. Ok...um...let's...roll the film...?

So this movie starts right after the first, with three seemingly teenage girls sitting in a burger joint complaining about magic, when they witness the rainbow spectacular. Right off the bat, I hate two of these voices. Adagio sounds like a failed attempt for a female doing a male voice, and Aria (did you even know that was her name?) sounds like a cross between a valley girl and an emo. They're both really annoying, which is weird considering they're...sirens (hey, I called it, sort of).

First song. Opening credits. It's good, but it gets annoying as I'll explain in the next one. But holy crap that guitar. Actually, it's a running theme to have some pretty kick ass guitar in these songs. I guess Rainbow Dash and all that. Hey, they say the movie title in the song. At least it's not one of those songs that's only relevant to the scene it's in. I hate those. Oh hey, Aria's name in the credits. Only time you're gonna see or hear that.

The first noticeable setting, back to the gym...thing. Everyone is putting together flyers for a music showcase. Sunset Shimmer makes her entrance, as the crowd whispers about her. This is the defining characteristic of this movie. Everything that happened in the first movie, well, happened. Sunset is an evil conniving demoness who uses people. But she's changed, and at least she has five friends now. Maybe it's because I've watched this movie so many times (I don't have a problem, YOU have a problem!), but one thing that I picked up on was a lot of background stuff, or things that are happening but aren't being addressed. Here, Sunset wipes Fluttershy's face off after Pinkie shoves an icing-covered flyer in it. That's number one. Then enter Celestia and Luna. Since I never reviewed the first movie and probably never will, I'm going to comment on some design choices, namely characters. Celestia and Luna look weird. Especially Luna. It's almost like she glows a little, like her flowing mane still exists. I don't know why. As far as Celestia, I guess it's because she's the tallest one we see, and full-grown adults aren't really prominent in this world. Where are all the teachers anyway? This is a school, right? We don't see anyone in any kind of class. The best we get is a couple shots during the Vinyl Scratch short. So anyway, this is our first shot at seeing the new Sunset. Embarrassed as all hell, maybe feeling a little reclused. It's endearing, I think, and is really good at making me feel sorry for her. Oh, and, Rarity isn't British. Why does she pronounce "advertisement" as...um... ad-VER-dis-ment?
Song number two. I mentioned it earlier, but the problem I have with this song is that it sounds way too much like the opening theme. I prefer the beat of this song, but the lyrics of the first. Smash em together. Some other things here. The audio commentary, which I might reference more, mentions that they animated the characters actually playing the instruments correctly. They aren't 100% accurate, but close enough. I like this. It annoys me when watching a live show seeing characters CLEARLY not playing the instrument they're supposed to be playing. And I get it. You can't really teach them to play the thing in time if they don't already. But sometimes it's so blatant, I wonder if the actors are actually trying. As far as animation goes, I can't think of a show where playing instruments was a prominent thing enough for it to be an issue. The other thing is what each character plays. These are addressed a little in the shorts, but I think for the most part they fit. Dashy plays lead guitar and sings, the two most blatant "HERE I AM" instruments in a band. She has to be the one everybody notices. Pinkie on the drums was addressed in the shorts, and it fits well for her energy to go toward that. Applejack on the base is a great combination. It's a more subtle sound than a guitar. Not very noticeable unless you're listening for it. Applejack, at least her pony version, is one to help people and not want to sit in the spotlight and take all the credit. Sort of like Leeroy Jethro Gibbs. Her importance is great, but it's subtle and not in your face. By that same token, Fluttershy with the tambourine. God I hope that's a tambourine, otherwise I'm gonna look like an idiot. I guess this would be a good time to note that I know next to nothing about music. Anyway, another subtle instrument, which fits for her antisocial behavior. The only one I'm not really sure of is Rarity. I don't even really know the point of a keytar, and during the songs I can't even tell it's there. It's...fancy...I guess? Don't judge me.

So we learn that the group grows their pony ears and tails when they play. Well, when they play hard. One really has to wonder why. Sure, Twilight's magic hung around and resonates in the people who had access to it. But why music? The first movie had absolutely nothing to do with music. There has to be another way the magic persists that's more logical. Or maybe I'm just reading way too much into this. Oh, more designs. Rainbow Dash also looks weird. I don't know why. Maybe she looks the least human because of her skin tone. Most of the other characters have a skin tone that can at least kind of be human, but she's just pure blue. Flash Sentry shows up and comments on the band, and hopes to get an update about Twilight maybe coming back to visit. It's obvious he's crushing. Here's the thing. Everyone knows what happened before, which means they know that that Twilight is really a pony. I might be the only one, but I think it's weird that a human is crushing on a female he knows to be a different species. You can't really say he's attracted to her personality anyway. The only glimmers we get of their communication come when they quite literally bump into each other. That's purely physical. Oh, we also get a nice little foreshadowing of things to come. Rainbow Dash refers to the band as "my band", which does not sit well with the group. Fluttershy, in the way you would expect, is trying to get Dash to let the group play some of the songs she wrote. Is there some problems between friends?

Sunset is off to show new students around, and guess who it is? I thought this in the first movie when Twilight showed up, and I thought it here, so I'm not stealing this comment from the commentary. But what the hell is the requirements to join Canterlot High? People just show up off the street and it's all good. Sunset gets a weird vibe from them as we see a little more of who each one is. Which, I'm still not sure about. Adagio is the tough smart leader who berates the others. Sonata is the stupid one. Aria is...I'm not sure. She doesn't really have a personality. It jumps between sarcastic asshole, wannabe leader, and too afraid of the leader to stand up to her. It kind of goes along with the fact her name is never mentioned once in the movie. She's a nobody. It's a little annoying. You have three important characters to introduce, and you only establish a personality for two of them. That's weak writing to me.

Hey look, another familiar setting. The cafeteria. Sunset is explaining her feelings about the new girls, while Fluttershy puts her foot in her mouth. Which I still don't understand either. Even for this version of her, it doesn't fit. It would make more sense for her to just stay silent. Sunset must be pretty naive to not sense something evil or at least devious about the girls. Throughout this movie, she's kind of seen as the mature one, but here she doesn't even notice something happening right in front of her. The sirens prepare their plans, otherwise known as exposition. It seems they feed off the negative energy to gain strength. And to do that...

Song number three. First off, it's one of those "it doesn't really work outside the context of the scene". By that I mean that if you're just listening to the song by itself, the lyrics sounds kind of stupid. And that's all I can think of when I hear it. But there's some very subtle foreshadowing here. When the girls lift Adagio on the table, look in the background. This show has a habit of placing familiar characters in the background, but here it's relevant. Vinyl Scratch (by the way, I refuse to use her canon name) is jamming with her headphones on, as she always is. Everyone else seems to be paying all of their attention to the sirens, but she doesn't care one bit. Something else that comes up here. Usually when a song happens in the show, you can write off anything that happens during it as "it's a song, it's not really happening in the world". There's a word for that. But this is the siren's specific ability. They're using their music to seduce everyone in the school. Which I don't understand. Why use your magic to control a bunch of teenagers? These girls and Sunset should be ashamed for misusing their evil magics. Like a couple hundred kids are gonna take over the world for you. I digress. The sirens are actually singing this song during this scene. So when did they take the time to learn it? I don't know about you, but I don't feel comfortable singing a song until I've heard it at least like ten times. These girls came up with a completely new song on the fly, and sung it to perfection, with choreography, instantly. Oh, and there's music accompanying it. Where is that music coming from? Can we write it all off as magic? I think it's a little cheaty to do so.

Pinkie hops when she walks as a human too. I just had to say that. The girls go see Celestia and Luna, who are already under the sirens' spell, and refuse to believe them. This scene though spawns another running plot. Rainbow Dash interrupts Sunset when she's trying to explain what's going on. It seems harmless at first, but it starts a running theme.

The group figures out that the same magic that makes them ponified also protected them from the sirens' spell. Oh, and Fluttershy says "whoop anybody's butt". I found that amusing. The group wants to get a message to Twilight, but Dash correctly states that the portal is closed. Sunset has an idea though. Her book she used to write messages to Celestia. It makes sense. Twilight has a dragon with the inexplicable power to transport scrolls to Celestia and receive them. Sunset has no such dragon. So when she was Celestia's student, she needed a way to keep in contact. It's simple, but a book with that magic makes sense. Makes more sense than the dragon. Sunset's line "been a long time since I've written these words" made me think "well, it's been a long time since we've HEARD those words". A nice little commentary from the writers about themselves. Oh yeah. They keep referring to Twilight as "Princess Twilight". Which is accurate, but I wonder why they call her that. She isn't THEIR princess. Are they specifying that it's not the other Twilight that they're trying to contact? They've never met her. It's weird. It's one thing if they said it once, but they refer to her as a princess over and over.
So, to pony world we go, where we see the inside of Twilight's castle. It's huge. Way too huge based on the outside. I wonder if there's a phone booth in there somewhere... Ahem. So, Twilight keeps using the phrase, "my friends at Canterlot High". This is accurate, but it irks me. It's a really bad way to get around saying the name of the other world. Sure, you want to avoid calling it "the human world", because the word "human" is forbidden, but come on. It's an entire world in there, somewhere. It's not just a school. Hell, we know that from the first movie. Stop beating around it and call it something. The word "Earth" was already used once in the Hearth's Warming Eve play, so it's not like it would be taboo for the writers to use some form of indication that the other world is more like ours. And Rainbow Dash was wrong. They do have cell phones in Equestria apparently. In the form of magic books. Sunset just sent Twilight a text message.
Rant over. The book thing works, and, as usual, Twilight knows exactly what they are because she read it in a book once. Maybe I should start reading these things. Books I mean. So the sirens are sirens, and do siren things. But got banished by Starswirl because why not. Twilight decides to build a machine that harnesses the book's power in order to activate the portal. I am a little annoyed by this. Deus ex machina and all that. I wouldn't think the magic in the book is similar enough to the magic in the portal to be able to activate it. But what do I know, I'm not a unicorn. Twilight tells the others to hang around because two of everyone would be confusing. I wonder though. There's another Sunset and another Twilight in human world. They have to know that there is. Where are these two? And why aren't they being revealed anytime during these movies? Is there a third movie? There's way too much potential there to just end it. I imagine though that money=money, so a third movie would be almost guaranteed.

"I don't think she's gonna show.."BOOM. Yet more what the hell writing. Exposition is exposition, but that's just laziness. You can go a minute without dialogue you know. Hell, Double Rainboom went twenty minutes without dialogue. Oh, it's one thing to use the jokers in a deck of cards. It's another for Pinkie to cheat in two more. There's only two in a deck. Applejack should be calling her out for cheating. Headcanon. Pinkie is a professional gambler. She succeeds because she cheats, and has never been caught. That's how she fuels her sugar habit.

Now to what I assume is Sugarcube Corner, where Rarity wants to know gossip, and Twilight is just as crushing on Flash as he is to her. Which, again, is weird. I gotta wonder how hormones work when one transforms from one species to another. Numbers two and three. I don't get this obession with having characters spill things, and have another clean it up for them. Another animation thing. Dash pulls a Kamehameha, or a Ha-do-ken, depending on your preference. Twilight determines that they can use their magic to rainbow bomb the sirens. But she's kind of forgetting something. Last time, she had the crown. Anytime they do it in Equestria, they've had all the Elements. What's she gonna use this time?
Back to the gym/auditorium, where Twilight bumps into Flash. Again, all physical. It's ok, though, because Flash only cares about the band competition. Oh, hey, the Diamond Dogs. They're clearly reaching here with the designs. Hell, they pretty much just look like themselves. If you wanted to make them human, you needed to, you know, make them human. Should have just left them out all together. No time for that, the sirens are here. Gotta blast them to...somewhere. Twilight and the gang join hands, and...nothing happens. Too funny. Not that, but the fact that Pinkie's chowing on cookies the whole time they're trying to do the whole friendship is magic thing. Another subtle animation thing that's easy to miss the first time. Embarrassed, they run off, and Adagio figures out they're immune to their magic, so they must have their own magic. I have a theory though. In Return of Harmony, the group couldn't use their elements because they were fighting with each other due to Discord's magic. Yes, Dash wasn't there, but stay with me. The hostility brewing between the group caused by the band actually made the big laser rainbow show not happen. Had they been truly together at that point, this might have been a much shorter movie.

Sunset figures out that they need music to harness their magic. Because duh. Now Twilight has to write a musical counterspell, because...reasons? I never really understood this part. The music itself is what draws out the magic, and it doesn't matter what they play. Any song would make the pony thing happen. That's all that would be needed to draw out the magic. The rest of the group already figured this out. Also, Spike is a dick, but we kind of already knew that.

Slumber party at Pinkie's house. Also known as, the scene where we throw in everything we can to reference pop culture things. We have Facebook, selfies, photobombing, video games (as usual, very generic and not referencing anything in particular), and, well, pizza. I think that's a little overkill for one scene. Also, I guess someone loaned Twilight some pajamas.

I imagine this scene is a popular one among fans, but I like it for different reasons. Twilight gets up at night and heads to the kitchen to work on the unnecessary counterspell. And she writes with her mouth, I guess because she's used to it. Sunset shows up as well. The comparisons start here, and, in my opinion, is the scene that is the reason everything works out. Twilight is afraid to let everyone down, as is Sunset, though I don't really understand why. She's at the bottom, she has nowhere to go but up. Enter...Maud. See, as a pony, her actions didn't look all that crazy. It's a world of magic after all. If she wants a rock for a pet, she can have a rock as a pet. But as a human, pouring crackers onto a rock, and watching them hit the floor, it just means that maybe Maud should not be living anywhere where she might cause harm to others. Oh, another design, and not Maud. It happens throughout the movie, but in this scene it's the worst. The chins on most of the characters. They're HUGE. It looks really weird when looking at them from profile.

This isn't a song. In the way the Crusader theme song isn't a song. I do like the fact the others stop playing. Pinkie looks bored more than annoyed though. We have the first case of Spike being responded to. Which at first threw me off, but at this point I guess everyone knows he can talk. Twilight is going borderline Lesson Zero because she can't get the song right. We have more arguments amongst the band members, as Rarity's outfit idea doesn't go well with Applejack. Spike is a dick, we knew, but I never knew Applejack was.

Competition time. If this is the greatest thing to happen at this school, I'm afraid to know what else they've done, because I imagine it hovers around "absolutely nothing". First up, Snips and Snails with the most family-friendly rapping since the last Will Smith album. Apparently it was improvised, but it sucks either way. Not in an offensive way, but in a "it's intentionally bad" way. I do like the fact that Pinkie Pie is digging it. A little reference to her rap in the show.
Song number four? I lost count. Shake Your Tail. I like this song, very catchy, and it gets stuck in my head on a regular occasion. What's it called? Ear something? But I don't like its repetitiveness. That becomes a theme. Also if you listen to it closely, the person basically yelling "shake your tail" during the chorus is just annoying. During the song, other contestants attempt to sabotage them. Apparently Rarity's sleeves are made of metal. Which isn't the weirdest part. How did they know to use a magnet on Rarity's clothing? I do like that the song is actually modified to fit with the goings-ons. Rarity being low volume when she gets pulled from the mic, for one. And more arguments. I don't get how Applejack of all people is the one to blame Rarity. The entire group was being dicked with, not just her. And it's not her fault everybody was trying to sabotage them. AJ of all people should understand that. Sunset keeps it calm, at least for now. Twilight and Flash do the only thing they ever do together, and Flash ignores her. Flash is a dick. Ok, not really, he's just under a spell. But damn.

Sunset confronts the sirens, in the same way Twilight did her in the first movie. The sirens try the guilt card, trying to make her angry for getting ignored by her friends. So we know how this is going to end up. Sunset goes bad again and ruins everything.
Next song. The sirens trying to give everyone watching this weird feelings. "Under Our Spell" would otherwise be a very revealing song if everyone wasn't already under their spell. It's a good song, catchy, but not on the top of my list. A good way to montage through the competition. Sucks though. I kind of wanted to hear what the Crusaders would play. Their outfits look just like their ones from The Show Stoppers. And, you know, Flash's band. He made it to the semi-finals. And his character was apparently important enough in the movie. It's his act that shows how the siren's spell is affecting the students. It's weird that we don't hear a song by his band.

Semifinal time. Hey, we finally get to hear Trixie's song, at least in part. Comment on it later. Fluttershy is still disappointed she's not getting heard in the band, and Trixie manages to make the tension even worse. Next song, Awesome As I Wanna Be. Which is a great pop/punk song, except we don't get to hear it all. Dash gets too crazy and Sunset interrupts the song before she goes pony. Which makes sense I guess, because they don't know that the sirens know that they have magic in them. But I don't see why it would matter either way. Everyone else does, so it's not that. The sirens find out they have magic. Big deal. It wouldn't change anything. Oh, why does Octavia sound like an old lady?
So more tension when everyone gets mad at Sunset, who, in a fit of rage, explains to Trixie that it wasn't a fit of jealous rage. See, Sunset's getting there. She's about to burst. On the bright side, the sirens "convince" Celestia and Luna to pick the Rainbooms over Trixie to play in the finals. But, what kind of unfair competition is this? Sunset, who is not a member of the Rainbooms, interrupts their song. Instead of just calling it and letting the other band into the finals, Celestia and Luna should have given the Rainbooms another chance to play their song. They got sabotaged, clearly, and it's not even the first time. They should have had the opportunity to replay Shake Your Tail in the first round as well. Celestia and Luna are hypnotized, but only to love the sirens. Otherwise, they are acting within their own mindset. The sirens give Trixie the idea to sabotage the Rainbooms, which she does. On the stage outside, she pulls a lever to drop the band into a room. I don't understand it. Why was there a false floor on the stage, and why is there a lever to open it up? And Trixie says "see you never". Did she just commit attempted murder? At least we get one of the best lines in the movie. "Go back to sleep Sonata". Her blank stare afterwards makes me think she complied, and can sleep with her eyes open. And on her feet.

So here's a thought. Why did the sirens use their magic to convince Celestia and Luna to give the Rainbooms the chance to play in the finals? Their plan afterwards was to prevent them from making their set anyway. What was the point? It's not like the Rainbooms weren't already at odds and it wasn't obvious to everyone. They could have skipped a step in their evil plan.

We hear more of Trixie's song now, which brings up a problem. Of the bands we heard more than once, Trixie is the only band to play the same song more than once. I guess to be fair, the Rainbooms songs are all very similar lyrically, outside of Awesome As I Wanna Be. Can't really see how they managed to write so many songs about the same subject. Got their songwriting lessons from Taylor Swift, but since Fluttershy and Big Mac isn't canon, they didn't have the motivation from a failed relationship to write songs about. Also, the song gets really repetitive, but that's mainly because they play the same parts each time. Listening to the full version, it's...much worse. The rest of the song is incredibly disjointed and really hard to listen to.

Down in the basement thing, the Rainbooms continue to argue, and Twilight freaks out over not having the solution. Eventually, the negative energy gets to the sirens. Sunset's time to go crazy? Nope! Sunset sees how Twilight is reacting to everything, and due to their connection, she stays calm and gets everyone else to calm down. That's my theory at least. Twilight's freak-out kept Sunset from doing the same, because she saw how bad it was making everything. Oh, headcanon. Rarity has been to a different universe. In that universe, scientists have figured out how to contain items, no matter the size, in a small capsule. That's how Rarity gets her wardrobe in the basement and anywhere else she wants. Also, Starswirl is actually Goku in pony form. He and Rarity abuse this portal for their fun.

Next song is another siren song. Lyrically, pretty similar to the last one. Pretty boastful to write songs explaining how much control they have over everyone. Like the first two songs in the movie, they feel too similar, and it makes me like them a little less. So, after everyone gets all buddy buddy again, Spike gets someone to open the door to save them. Hey, look who it is. The only person not under the sirens' control, Vinyl Scratch. Who knew she'd have such an important part? I guess some people did if they put the pieces together, but I sure didn't the first time.

So the Rainbooms stand in the back of the stands, too far away to be heard. They're saved by...hey, again, Vinyl Scratch. She's got a transformer apparently. So, here's the thing. The Rainbooms needed to be in a position to make sure everyone heard them sing, and they determined the band competition was it. Makes sense. And at this point, they're out of the competition because they were late to the finals, so they're stuck on a hill overlooking everything. They didn't know that was going to happen, but either way I think they did way more than they needed to to get to that point. If they were just going to interrupt the sirens' song anyway, what was the point in actually competing to buy time to write the counterspell? They didn't HAVE to be in the competition to play it, if they were just going to crash it anyway. Captain Hindsight out.

The sirens take their pony forms, which doesn't really make sense because they're not ponies. The sirens look more like dragons than anything, but their forms they take are similar to the pony forms the Rainbooms take. Speaking of, it's time for a music-off. This song kind of breaks up for the sake of story, and I don't remember the full version, so I'm not going to comment on it as a song. I will say, though, that's it's another case of magic making people learn songs instantly. I'm waiting for Sunset to walk up on stage and say "I know kung fu". But it gets worse. Pyrotechnic magic battle happens after the band goes pony, and Twilight loses her microphone, only for it to fall at the feet of Sunset. Sunset joins in on the song, and learns kung fu. The lyrics here sound really specific to the scene. What song did Fluttershy write that gave her foresight powers to know to write one about beating the sirens? After Sunset goes pony, a giant alicorn appears and beats out the pyrotechnic sirens, breaking their jewels. Making their music stop, and their voices turn into mine. They get booed off stage, because apparently after trying to take over the world, your punishment is a few seconds of embarrassment.
Rainbow Dash offers Sunset a spot in the band now that Twilight is leaving. She offers her the spot of helping Fluttershy with backup vocals. Wait, what? In every song we've heard so far, there has never been a point where Fluttershy was the sole possessor of that role. Everyone at every time was backup vocals, so that really doesn't make any sense. Oh well. At least we won't have to hear Twilight singing twice in a row. Rebecca Shoichet does the voice of Sunset, and the singing voice of Twilight. It's very noticeable, and a little distracting.

Twilight leaves, and we get a glimpse of a new pen pal. Sunset will be writing letters to Twilight now. The problem with this is that the movies are not referenced in the show, but we need that aspect of "learning the magic of friendship" in the show. It's something that would be great to at least see in the background in the following seasons of the show, but I don't think it's something that's going to happen. We're treated to the last song of the movie, Shine Like Rainbows, and the second best song. It's...catchy enough, and it's vague enough that you could sing it anywhere and it would fit. But wait, we're not done yet! Post-credits scene, and...it's the other Twilight. See, now you better have something else planned after that. A thousand fires of burning fury something something if there isn't. Besides, these movies are getting better each time.

So, here's a thought. Celestia and Luna are principals at this school. There's a whole world out there not yet explored by the audience. This school is just one building in a massive world. In Equestria, Celestia and Luna control the sun and moon. They are basically gods. The two worlds parallel each other. Don't you think it's weird that the two women have such a minor role in the other world? They're just an administrator at a school. It doesn't make sense. Unless... there's something special about this school. It's not Twilight's Crown, it's not the sirens' music. This school is magical itself. And I bet a new movie or TV show would reveal this over time.

Wait, but I'm not done yet. Pinkie Pie did some stuff. In fact, she did a lot of stuff. She was, I think, perfect in her humor in this movie. Somehow, they got her exactly the way she needs to be and better than anytime in the show. She was funny without being too overtly random about it, and her jokes didn't always come from silly. Most of them did of course, but still. The only thing I'd say that I didn't get was that she acted incredibly intelligent the whole time. It was her comment that gave Twilight the idea to use the book's magic to open the portal. It was her comment that made the group realize their magic kept them safe from the sirens' spell. And others. I'm not calling Pinkie stupid, I'm just saying it's not something she's really known for. Actually, I think the decision to make her a little bit more intelligent than normal was done to contrast Sonata's clearly moronic behavior. If Pinkie was her usual self, I think the two characters might have felt too similar.

And then there's Sunset Shimmer, who the movie kind of revolves around. I'm a little annoyed at how quickly she went from evil demon to nice mature girl, but she grew on me. I like the mislead throughout the movie, tempting her to go back to the dark side, and ending with her keeping calm and saving the day. I love her character now, and I hope they continue in some way with it. Besides, think of what they can do. The other Twilight and Sunset still have to make contact with Canterlot High. The pony versions are really itching to go visit their human counterparts. You could have Sunset going back to Equestria and helping against some new evil threat. I hope the rumors about this turning into a spin-off series is true, even if I am the only one. Rainbow Rocks gets an A, and is much better than the first movie. I will say, though, that without the catchy music, this movie probably would have been a pile of crap. Which is weird coming from me. I don't like musicals. And while this movie is far from one, saying it's only good with the music kind of says it's only good as a musical. Huh.

Guess I should comment on the commentary, since I reference it and I'm all about it. When it comes to commentaries, animated shows do it much better. I guess there's just more to talk about. Anyway, this one is rather meh. The group spends a lot of time almost narrating the movie. Like "Ohhhh, here it comes" kind of stuff. There's some good stuff there too, but I've listened to much more interesting commentaries. There's one reason I can think of. The "panel". First, there are no voice actors in the commentary. That's just asking for dull. And second, this is a movie that is ultimately about music. Where in the hell is Daniel Ingram? So yeah. Still good, could have easily been better.

Hey look, prequel shorts. This is never going to end. When I first watched these, Hasbro was releasing them one at a time. I didn't quite get what the point of them was. Now that I've watched them in succession, after seeing the movie, it all comes together. It's a cool idea, so let's get to looking:

A Case for the Bass: You know, I've never been a big fan of the Flim Flam Brothers. I get them. I just, I don't know. This one is hard to like because it features them pretty heavily. One thing that amused me was, while Pinkie was saying "and she DOES play the bass", she was riding...a pony. Just saying. Oh, I don't understand how the Brothers knew Applejack's real name. AJ isn't much to go by, and it was stated that their store was new. They look older, so they're not from the school probably (and we don't see them there). So, are they psychic? Also, why is AJ dressed up as a banana advertising for them? How is that a mascot for a pawn shop? Unless, is it some kind of reference to Peanut Butter Jelly Time? Huh.

Guitar Centered: You know, during performances, Trixie doesn't actually play her guitar. It's just kind of there while her bandmates use their mixer things to produce the sound (either that or it's magic like the Dazzlings' music). Here, we see clearly that, during a "shred off", she very much can play. And, while I know this is opinion and all, I find it clear that Trixie won that competition, not Rainbow Dash. I think Dash's ego is just so big she just assumed she won. I like Trixie though. The show and this world can use a harmless antagonist, and we don't see her enough in Equestria. More time at Canterlot High means more Trixie time. Also, it looks like Vinyl works at a music store. Which is fitting, but she's an ass. I hate walking into a store and seeing that the clerk or whoever is performing customer service has earbuds in and barely paying attention.

Hamstocalypse Now: I make it clear that The Last Roundup is one of, if not my favorite episode. I also make it clear that I understand it's supposed to be an Applejack episode, but it gets stolen by Pinkie. Sometimes, stealing the focus away from, well, the focus, helps. Here, it's clear that it does not. Rarity makes this short very un-entertaining, and takes the focus away from where it is needed. Fluttershy of course. Fluttershy and her apparent ability to have even some control over animals as a human. Rarity is just annoying. And Fluttershy on the tambourine doesn't make for a very good way to show her getting her pony on. She also says "everyhampster". Even if that's not what they were going for, it sounds way too similar to ponyisms. There needs to be some kind of disconnect between the worlds, and this short just shoves way too much pony Fluttershy into human Fluttershy, with a little Rarity on top.

Music to My Ears: I get it. I'm not going to sit here and go "well, I don't like the music", or "there's no dialogue". I could, but I'm not. It's got its point. Hard to listen to without watching, but whatever. I didn't really understand at first why Vinyl would even get her own short, but after watching the movie, it makes sense. Sort of. It's well done. And it's a great way to showcase a character who gets no screen time, but everyone has been clamboring for. Still waiting for a voice I guess. I do like the mane5 showing up at Sugarcube Corner.

Perfect Day for Fun: The first couple times I listened to this, I found this song very annoying. I also hated the lyrics, because I guess I'm just a grumpy little dick who hates friendship-y lyrics. But, the song grew on me. I will say, though, that it is still a bad song. Also, it's the third Rainbooms song to use the "oh oh oh oh" deal, and that just gets repetitive. This music video, along with Shake Your Tail, don't make sense chronologically either. They're supposed to take place before the movie. However, they feature Twilight on vocals. There is no way she could have done that. It would have had to take place after the movie events, which also doesn't make sense because there is no Sunset, who is now an official member of the band. We're in Dragon Ball Z movie territory here. It's a decent video. Their cutie marks being text images is another way to keep actual English away from the show. I know a lot of animated shows do that, and I'll never know why. I get a little teary at the end though, at the image of the group sitting on the ferris wheel. I don't know why.

Pinkie on the One: It's Pinkie Pie, how could this not be fun? I do wonder though, if Pinkie, during Dash's explanations, is actually trying to impress Dash with her drum skills, or if it's just her being her. I'd like to think it's the latter. Dash should NOT have told Pinkie to "use as much glitter as you want". That's just asking for trouble. I think my favorite line from the whole movie comes from this short though. When Pinkie starts drumming on the table, AJ stops her, and she lets out with a "Whaaaaat?". It's just the way she says it. Good pun at the end. But it's weird because this movie kind of strayed away from "let's just shove a bunch of references to the show in", yet they use that to end this short.

Player Piano: Man I don't like Rarity. But aside from Pinkie, this is the best short. I don't understand how Rarity thought she could PUSH A PIANO, but whatever. At least the Diamond Dogs don't talk. I already don't like the fact that they're there at all. A nice little animation thing. When the alarm goes off, Pinkie grabs it and sticks it in her hair. So Rarity tries the keytar, and finds she rocks it. This is a little problem I have with the show in general that I'll touch on here. Pinkie and Rarity's shorts specifically have them finding out they can play these instruments. They didn't practice them for years. They just picked them up, and, hey, pony time. It's just like the characters getting cutie marks in Equestria. Yeah, they have to try at least. But they become instantly good at something. It sends a bad message to kids, adults, everyone. You're not going to be good at something from the start. Take it from someone who isn't good at ANYTHING. You have to try, and keep at it, in order to get there.

Shake Your Tail: Same song, but we have a video to go with it. As I said, chronologically this doesn't make sense. Also, in this one, we get an image of Vinyl doing some, well, scratching, for them. This would only make sense after the movie, when she becomes kind of a member of the band. Anyway, I like this video, and it shows a little something about the group. They each try to get the others to do something specific to that person. None of it works out, because, as the songs say, they're all different, but still friends. I like it. I feel at times that I'm completely different than even my best friends, and I am. But that doesn't stop us from being friends.
I'm done. I promise this time.