Concerning the Friendship Games: Although I did thoroughly enjoy it, as I enjoyed all of the movies, I will say that their "final boss battles" (Because we're
gamers and that's what
gamers say.) are fairly sub-par as far as their plot goes.
The first movie and the third movie had finales that involved the (literally) personified elements of harmony joining together to somehow create an arch-villain who represented the opposite of friendship. Sunset Shimmer was originally this arch-villain who was a loner, (Sort of), didn't believe in friendship or the value in other people, and shunned the basic tenets of being a decent person in favor of power and selfish gain.
Twilight had similar experiences here when she transformed into (of all things) some odd horrific mixture of
Princess Twilight Sparkle and Nightmare Moon. But I don't know
why she would. The device of hers absorbed the elements from each of the mane
six five, and then spat out something twisted? Did Twilight make herself into whatever she became with the influence of all that magic? Did actual magic power just go to her head, just like how winning a billion dollars would make a person forget their values so quickly? She did just want to understand what was happening, sure, and it looked like she accelerated that scientific inquiry from 0 to 120 in a split second there.
So I'm not surprised why she was so easily "defeated" by Sunset Shimmer's
Avatar of Friendship™. She had been bossed around during the whole dang movie, and finally had her chance to really experience the true meaning of friendship. Except for Rarity and Rainbow Dash. They did nothing with her when their powers were absorbed.
Though I guess Twilight might have been ... eh ... watching Dash when she rescued Sunset Shimmer, maybe? Is that enough? Again, eh.
But what I
really loved about the movie was how the main premise of the movie basically mirrors the very first episode. The mantra is, "
Twilight, make some friends!" Twilight goes from having no friends and full ambitions to getting to know first-hand what real friendship is. I especially loved it when Applejack showed Twilight how to hit the bullseye. Considering the competitive nature of the affair, that was a particularly awe-inspiring thing to do. I hope everyone absorbs the ramifications of that as a social phenomenon versus an
inter-social phenomenon. Very important. It's the opposite of competition. It brings people together in ways you can't imagine.
So there really is a lot to like in this movie, if you know what to look for. Although there are plenty of moments that some may consider "lame" somehow, despite that we collectively watch a show filled with pastel-colored ponies who learn about friendship
(and occasionally cause assorted explosions, yes... and I was going to put a lot more into this sentence but I'm being lazy.) it's one of those movies that will really speak to the student of friendship in us all.
So it can be sappy, it can be marketed for children, it can be toned down at times, it won't have the swear words that it probably could, and it doesn't have Michael Bay directing it as he could have directed the last episode of Season 4, bless its dear soul, but it certainly made my soul feel all warm and happy.
I can live with that.