Fish and Cherries Productions

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: Friendship Games falls between the previous two movies, better than Equestria Girls but not as good as Rainbow Rocks. The funny thing is that is has the least missteps of the trilogy, but the good stuff isn’t quite as magnificent. Part of this could be attributed to the fact that this movie has a different writer than the others, which has its ups and downs. Additionally, this movie premiered on television rather than the theaters, which fits because this feels a lot more like a TV movie than a grand theatrical event. The stakes are a lot smaller and the whole thing feels more low key. That’s fine, since the rest of the movie holds up decently.

The film almost feels like an apology to fans who were displeased by the episode “Equestria Games,” which some felt didn’t give enough focus to the titular games themselves. Well, Friendship Games certainly makes up for that by giving us a dynamic view of the competition between the two schools that is both action packed and entertaining. The climax also has a lot in common with first Equestria Girls, though executed with a lot more grace and competence as a way to make up for the fumbling of it before. Not everything’s perfect, though; I do feel like there were some missed opportunities, particularly with Flash Sentry interacting with the alternate version of his would be love interest which wasn’t mined for nearly as much comedy as it could have been. There’s also a mention of the main villain being highly allergic to dogs, but this doesn’t really have any payoff. Speaking of whom, Principle Abacus Cinch is a bit of a mixed blessing, since she’s so despicable that it’s engaging and yet takes focus away from the other members of the competing team, who could have certainly used more development. Like I said, it’s not perfect, though fans of the show will probably find a good time here. But if you’re an outsider to the show or fandom, this isn’t the one that’ll get you on board.