The Critical Frog: Equestria Girls 4: The Revengening (Legend of Everfree)

Well, here we are again. Back on the blog, now that I have the time to spare. College can get pretty stressful. And what better way to blow off stress than returning to one of the common fixtures on this site- the Equestria Girls series?

It might be the bias that I have as a fan of the series that the universe of Equestria Girls is based out of, but I always enjoy reviewing these films. There’s a lot wrong with them, sure, but there’s always something that keeps me coming back. The characters are fun, the 2d animation has it’s moments and the songs can be downright incredible. I’ve had mixed opinions on these films, and each has it’s advantages over the others and their moments. 

The first film in the series followed My Little Pony character Twilight Sparkle and her dragon assistant Spike as they enters the human world in an attempt to recover a mystical crown from the villainous Sunset Shimmer before she uses it’s power. In addition to dealing with hunting down a dangerous foe, Twilight must come to grips with a new world and body as well as encountering human versions of her friends back in Equestria (as well as reuniting the six main characters after an apparent feud). While it was by no means a masterpiece, it was enjoyable enough. The characters’ personalities stayed true, the physical comedy was humorous, and the story held itself together most of the time.

The second had Twilight venture into the human world once again to aid her new friends (including Sunset Shimmer, who has discovered the magic of friends and is now trying to change her villainous image) against the threat of three malicious Sirens who seek to use the school’s musical showcase to take control of the student’s minds. The main characters must work together to evade the Sirens’ spell and the sabotage attempts of the contest-crazed opposition to defeat the three musical menaces and discover why the magic from Twilight’s world seems to be bleeding into the human world. While the story was at times fast-paced or had unanswered questions (wouldn’t Spike be affected by the sirens too?), it did boast a wonderful soundtrack and a delightful trio of villains that easily propelled the film to become my favorite of the series. 

The third film offers us the whereabouts of the human world’s version of Twilight Sparkle, a student at the prestigious Crystal Prep who seeks to uncover the strange energies pouring out from Canterlot High and is forced to compete in the dueling schools’ Friendship Games at the demands of the headmistress. As her new invention unintentionally begins to sap the magic from villain-turned-protagonist and hero Sunset Shimmer and her friends (our Twilight is currently unavailable due to reasons), our heroes must not only participate in the games (which quickly turn dangerous- is motocross technically a school-appropriate sport?), but track down whoever is causing the strange magical events around the school. While this film has neither the humor of the first or the musical prowess of the second, I do give it credit for striking a nice balance between the two, and having arguably one of the most intense climaxes of both the film series and the show. But how does number four stack up?

After a school year of crazy events, human Twilight (who has been transferred to Canterlot High), Sunset Shimmer (who’s human counterpart we have not encountered yet) and their group of friends are going on a field trip to Camp Everfree. This camp has everything the campers want: archery, nature hikes, arts and crafts (the muscular Bulk Biceps’ mama needs new pot holders), but offers only one strict rule: do not go hiking by the rock quarry. Even Twilight finds herself smitten with the counselor’s brother Timber.

The most intriguing thing about the camp to the characters is the tale of Gaia Everfree, a mysterious forest spirit leaving a trail of gem dust in her wake who is said to hold domain over the forest. It was said that she struck a deal with the first settlers that they could have the land for a time- but swore to one day return and take back the forest for herself. Suspecting a renegade magical being from Equestria much as the Sirens were, the heroes must keep an eye out not only for Gaia, but on Twilight- who fears that the camp and her magic  are awakening something dark inside of her. Something she- and the rest of Canterlot High- would probably like to forget.

Tensions rise when Sunset suspects the counselors of hiding something, and Twilight deals with the fallout of her actions in the friendship games in the form of nightmares about her darker side (Twilight Midnight). To top off what should be a relaxing week, wild and dangerous magical occurrences have begun to spring up around the camp, with the mane six at the at the center of the action. Could it be that being at the camp is awakening some hidden powers for our characters? The race is on to discover the truth before Gaia returns to claim the land as her own- or before the millionaire Filthy Rich buys out the land and replaces it with a spa. 

But most intriguing to the characters is the tale of Gaia Everfree, a mysterious forest spirit leaving a trail of gem dust in her wake who is said to hold domain over the forest. It was said that she struck a deal with the first settlers that they could have the land for a time- but swore to one day return and take back the forest for herself. Suspecting a renegade magical being from Equestria much as the Sirens were, the heroes must keep an eye out not only for Gaia, but on Twilight- who fears that the camp and her magic  are awakening something dark inside of her. Something she- and the rest of Canterlot High- would probably like to forget.

On the surface, there’s a lot of interesting things going on in the fourth Equestria Girls: the background characters develop themselves a little more (many of the well-loved background characters have fun moments or speaking roles, and even former worthless love interest Flash Sentry finds himself with a little development), the characters retain their personalities and enjoyable demeanors, as each character has their quirks and running jokes (much like the other two sequels, the characters can’t stop accidentally reminding the two former foes of how awful they were at the Fall Formal and the Friendship Games), and there’s a legitimately interesting story about human Twilight  and her friendship with the other characters, particularly Sunset Shimmer, who proves that the two are similar in more ways than being cabin mates. There’s also some great chemistry between the other characters and their developing powers (there’s a fun scene where the girly girl pushes the tomboy into a lake). The songs are nice too (human Twilight has a short but sweet soliloquy, and Sunset Shimmer continues her run as one of the best solo singers of the bunch)- while they certainly as bombastic or synchronized (or often)  as the second film’s, Daniel Ingram supplies a much more laid-back and relaxing soundtrack this time around. I suppose it fits the rustic atmosphere of the fourth film.  There’s a neat villain who displays some impressive powers and a catchy song along with some reason behind their madness. And while the climax is a bit rushed, that’s run-of-the-mill in Equestria Girls films. There’s an interesting setup for a sequel as well- one i’m sure will come.

But, of course, we have to have to discuss the flaws. The conclusion is, of course, somewhat forced and sappy and designed to sell toys- as one would expect from a kid’s film. There’s a nice array of characters and stories, but most of them are shoved aside in favor of the development of Twilight, Sunset or Timber. Some characters have one line and are pushed out the door (Trixie, who was a minor antagonist in the second film (although you could argue that she was brainwashed) has one line and only shows up as a background character). And, of course, there’s a love story that slogs the interesting parts down. It’s not too badly done, but it certainly holds the film back. I would have also liked to see more of the powers in action, but maybe that’s just me. Regardless, Equestria Girls 4 is a welcome addition to the series- while not quite attaining the status as the second, it certainly comes close. Story and character-wise, it surpasses them all- but it’s lack of the musical prowess of the second holds it back from being the best yet.

6.5/10

Further Thoughts: 

-It’s the background jokes that really make the film. There’s a lot of in-jokes to the series that are fun, and we even get little shots at the characters from the 100th episode (I still think lyra and Bon Bon are into each other). I would love to see little slices of life at Camp Everfree from these character’s perspectives. That would be a fun mini-series to do. Someone get on that.

-Call me crazy, but I ever actually thought Filthy Rich was as bad in the show as he is in this film. I always thought of him as a respectable, wealthy, but still kind businessman. He supports the local farmers (he buys the first 100 or so jars of their apple jam every season), donates to the school and even takes time out of his work schedule to visit the hospital and see if the old matron of the Apple family’s farm is recovering from a supposed illness. If he’s this bad in the human world, I’d hate to see his wife. She was bad enough as a pony.

-I was hoping to see some more of the characters who had been introduced in the last seasons of the show, if i’m being honest. Now that Starlight Glimmer is a member of the cast, I wonder if we’ll see her in an EG film anytime soon. Preferably not leading a cult. As silly is it is, i also want to see Pinkie’s and Rarity’s families sometime. Their stark contrasts are simply hilarious.

-What happened to the other Crystal Prep people? i couldn’t care less about that witch of a headmistress, but the other characters would be interesting to follow. Do you think Cadence and Shining Armor are together yet? Will we be getting a humanized Flurry Heart?

-WHERE’S MY HUMAN DISCORD?