Plot: Picking up where things left off after the first movie and season 4, the students at Canterlot High are setting up for a musical showcase. The human Mane Five are starting up their own band, The Rainbooms for the showcase while trying to help Sunset Shimmer learn about friendship as she is trying to redeem herself for everything she did in the previous film. But then three new students called The Dazzelings sing a song that magically convinces the students to turn the showcase into a Battle of the Bands also causing the students to be angry and competitive against each other. So Sunset Shimmer contacts Twilight from Equestria and asks her to help them figure out a way to stop the Dazzelings from what they are doing.
So for what we got in comparison to the last film, surprisingly, this turned out to be a movie that even people who made it no secret that they hated Equestria Girls found themselves liking if not loving Rainbow Rocks. Why? Because anything and everything about it was done absolutely, positively, almost 100%, beyond the shadow of a doubt better. The animation was better, the music was better, the characters, the comedy, the nod offs to the fans, the villains, even the story was done so much better that it's almost downright incredible. While the first movie had a story that was all over the place and had plot lines that where either unfinished or where resolved way too quickly, this one give us a much clearer and more interesting story that gives us a much bigger and more interesting conflict from start to finish. The characters where more entertaining and had more time to be developed. The best example was Sunset Shimmer, who came out a million times more interesting as someone trying to redeem herself than she ever really was as a villain. The entire time, you really feel for her and believe that she really is trying to be a better person and wants people to forgive her for what she did. Also...I can't believe I'm saying this...as an animated character mind you, she was... a little cute. I mean she's not cute, cute. After all, when it comes to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic as a whole, she still doesn't hold a candle to Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle who - in my opinion - are the queen and princess respectively of cuteness and adorableness. But at the same time, it helped her reformation appear more genuine as you can see how much she really changed even if most of the characters in the movie don't. Granted, Flash Sentry didn't get as much of an improvement as he still only appears a couple of brief times in the movie. But at the same time, he still is given a little bit more of a personality which...is close enough for now, but I for would like to see him much more fleshed out in the next film. The animation is also so much more grand. They where just figuring it out in the first movie, and now they have mastered it with even more new features such as the lighting and camera movement in their scenes. I know I didn't really talk a lot about the comedy in the first movie, but that's mostly because there wasn't much to talk about. They really had only one, maybe two jokes that I at least chuckled at, and that was it. But here, there's more jokes, and they are so much funnier and more memorable. The nod offs to the fans came out not only better, but in some cases, much bigger. In fact, while not giving anything away, there's a part in the movie where a very loved background character from the show plays a big part in the plot. I won't say who or when this happens, but let's just say, it was awesome, and it was even foreshadowed in a really smart way. The Dazzelings where great villains compared to Sunset Shimmer. True, their personalities where very cliched; you have the leader, the smart mouth and the comedy relief. But what they lacked in terms of standing out characteristics, they make up for it big time with their actions and songs. If causing all of the students to have negative emotions toward each other wasn't enough, we have hypnotizing, using students to sabatoge The Rainbooms, transforming into bat like monsters, holy cow did they come out so much more menacing. On top of that, they have not one, but two villains songs, both of which are great. Let's have a Battle is dark and epic, while Under are Spell is so incredibly catchy. And speaking of songs, the music is probably the biggest highlight of the film for me personally. The songs where great examples of why Bronies like me enjoy Daniel Ingram's work for the music in the show. They are given a lot of variety, they are fun, and catchy beyond all else. Are there any that are a little bland like most of the music in the first film? Well...yes, but even when the songs are bland, you can tell they have so much more heart and passion to them. All in all, the soundtrack is excellent. It's been almost a month since I first watched this movie, and I still can't quite get enough of the music. Now are there any problems with the movie? Sadly yes. There are a couple of moments like Twilight's first attempt at singing or when the characters Snips and Snails do a rapping number that are just painful to watch. And I really wish there was more of Flash and Twilight's relationship. The first half of the film started off so great with us seeing this whole conflict between them with Flash getting mad at Twilight because he's under the Dazzeling's spell, and it's great. But sadly when they are next seen together, the conflict is resolved way too easily. But hey, that's just one plot line quickly resolved as opposed to most of the plot lines like the first film, so I can live with that.
And that's my review for My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Rainbow Rocks. Where the first film was ultimately a bane to the show in the eyes of a lot of fans, it's sequel gave us a much better story, great animation, a catchy soundtrack and more that made it far superior hands down. It has it's problems, and it's a film that you wouldn't understand unless you've watched the show. But if you just they the setting; the human teenage Main Six are back and are forming a rock band, chances are that this was much better than what you thought it would turn out. I have only seen it three times already, but I hope to see it many more times in the future.
Rating: 85%
P.S. - sorry that this review didn't come out that much shorter than the review to the first film.
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