MartinHafer Depending on your age and background, you may well be aware of what 'Bronies' are. These are, usually, adult male fans of the recent animated My Little Pony series--a series intended for very young little girls. The folks who made the shows were surprised by this phenomenon. It seems that adult men are now its most rabid fans and have begun organizing giant conventions for My Little Pony which are every bit as big as you might find for Star Trek or Anime. The purpose of Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony appears to be both to explain this fandom and to also normalize it as much as possible. Nice and very likable teenage and adult men are interviewed about their obsessions with these incredibly happy and sweet cartoon characters. And, the film features charming narration by John de Lancie (who does the voice for one of the characters on the show and is also adored by Star Trek fans for playing 'Q') and it also has many interviews including the show's creator as well as another one of the voice actors, Tara Strong. They all seem to agree that it's a benign obsession and the notion of these guy emulating the positive messages of the show isn't a bad thing at all--and the film does a great job in normalizing this fandom. However, it also seems to occasionally miss the proverbial elephant in the room. This is because two big problems really aren't addressed in the otherwise entertaining film. First, the women and children who like the show are almost completely ignored. Now I know that the film is about adult fans but the film says a Brony can be a man or a woman--yet not all that many women are interviewed and the focus clearly is on the guys. No young girls are interviewed. That is all very odd-- especially in light of the second problem. There is a far darker side of many of the Bronies. The Brony movement began on 4chan--a website often linked to some of the stranger, more militant folks lurking on the internet. In light of this, it isn't surprising that SOME of the Bronies have a much more sexualized view of My Little Pony and there are quite a few reports of inappropriate behaviors by some of the Bronies at conventions or on websites. Sexual harassment, an unnatural infatuation with children, anatomically correct pony pillows or fan art and emotional bullying are sometimes serious problems. Now I am not saying all or even most Bronies behave this way, but it IS a problem--one often addressed on the internet yet oddly missing from the documentary. Sites such as Ponies for Parents and Brony Stupidity (among others) point out many examples of inappropriate conduct that clearly indicate that not all Bronies are as nice and benign as the ones you see in the film. Try a Google search using the terms 'My Little Pony porn' and you'll come up with tons and tons of examples of amazingly twisted fan art and porn videos. Yet, inexplicably, the film never mentions any of this. When a film ignores such obvious controversies, it becomes, in a way, more like propaganda than a documentary--the big reason why I felt a little uncomfortable watching this otherwise well made movie. Watch if it you want--just be aware that there is far more to the fandom than you see in this film.

PaulSquall My biggest disappointment is that this film isn't at all funny.It's primary reason for existing seems to be to proselytize the virtues of the cartoon and justify the reasons grown men are fascinated by it. If you aren't a brony, you aren't going to find much in this film, because it doesn't have a sense of humor about itself.There is room in the market for a film like this, and because it was for a group of fans that seem a bit obsessive, it will probably make a profit. I can't really say it shouldn't have been made, simply that it does not speak to a broader audience.The one thing that I did take away from the documentary was that even simple stories, if made with quality, can find an audience. People that have trouble relating to one another and develop real world friendships find a lot to love about a show that explains why friendship is magical. At least that's what I saw as the plot of this film.Okay, now why the summary headline. . . I found this movie a bit disturbing for one main reason. Every My Little Pony obsessed man in this film felt they needed to tell us "I'm not gay." Like that makes their passion socially acceptable. They might as well be saying, "Sure, I like pink unicorns, but it's not like I like men! THAT would make me weird a pariah!" It's a rather homophobic view, in my opinion, and totally undermines the movie's supposed message of acceptance.So it's not entertaining, particularly educational, or social conscious, but if you obsessively collect everything with a pony on it, you'll probably like it.

Commander Hurricane This documentary does an excellent job describing what the brony community is like. A lot of it is from the view of other bronies, but you get to see or hear a lot of what other people think.There's no shortage of heartwarming moments, and plenty of funny situations as well. The animations made for this documentary are very professional and look like something out of the show itself, not to mention the music that fits so fluidly with the animation.They did a great job capturing the real antics of the bronies who were interviewed during the documentary. It didn't feel like they had a camera crew following around.In all, it's a pretty entertaining documentary and also pretty informative even to bronies, but you certainly don't have to be a brony to enjoy and learn a lot from this film.

Ordinary Brony tl;dr: Watch this movie if you are a loved one or friend of a brony, or are just curious about bronies in general and want to understand the draw. You will "get it" by the time you finish this documentary.This film is also worth watching if you are a brony and want to know what open-minded outsiders and show creators think of bronies, or are looking for a medium through which you can show someone else what it's all about.If you're looking for a film to confirm your preconceived notions about bronies, or are looking for yet another media source through which you can take part in making fun of "freaks," then don't bother: You won't like this film.---Full disclosure: I am a brony, and I feel the handling of the subject matter in this film is as true-to-life as anything I've ever seen. I don't usually write reviews, but I am now in light of the fact that at the time of this writing, the film enjoys pretty good ratings on IMDb, yet almost all of the other reviews of the film are pretty negative.Let me correct a few misconceptions about this film: It isn't meant to try to convert you into being a brony. It's also not really even trying to defend bronies, or paint them in an overly positive light. The film seeks to help the viewer answer questions like "Who are the bronies?" and "Why would grown men like My Little Pony so much?" I believe this film accomplishes those goals very well.Specifically, the film starts by showing excerpts from interviews of bronies who were just as surprised at becoming fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic as the viewer probably is, then shows typical criticism of adult fans of the show as seen on popular media or among "normal" people.From there we're introduced to several typical bronies of various types in several parts of the world. Throughout the film we watch these people both as they make preparations to attend brony conventions, how things go for them at said conventions, and their reactions afterward. Interspersed with this are excerpts from the show, from independently-created animations and from interviews with show staff, other various bronies, professional psychologists and sociologists, and subject-matter experts. The point of these excerpts is to bring the viewer up to speed on some of the terminology, cultural aspects, inside jokes, and show-related specifics which add color and depth of understanding to the brony fandom.Part of the reason for telling the story this way, I think, is because the kind of people who identify as bronies and the reasons they do so are extremely varied. But through the narrative and footage you will learn what some of the more common traits, motivations, and values are, and what brings bronies together as a sort of extended family.I very much sympathized with the people whose stories we follow. I've known people who've faced physical violence because of how they choose to express themselves. I know people with severe problems functioning in social situations. I experienced both the alarm and anxiety, relief and joy as I got to see these people go through their experiences attending conventions. And I couldn't help but smile seeing the parallel between the bronies singing "Smile, smile, smile!" and the characters from the show doing the same.Overall, I was highly impressed by the film, and feel that it is the most accurate representation of the brony fandom created to date.To address some things brought up in other reviews:*The original animation done for this documentary was easily on par with the actual cartoon. It is an example of some of the best fan-made animation the brony community profusely produces. (And indeed, some of the best animation that *any* fandom produces.) *The film does jump around somewhat from story to story. If you're not paying attention, it could be easy to get confused. However, I found that the overall narrative that's being told is very cohesive.*The people chosen for their stories in the film actually are pretty typical of the fandom, as are the challenges they face. I don't have anything to back this up, except my experience in the fandom. Though, I do think several university-funded sociological studies have been made of the brony demographic which would back up this claim.*If you don't think that bronies are challenging social norms by first being willing to admit they sincerely, non-ironically enjoy a television show aimed at little girls, are willing in many cases to express this by wearing clothes depicting characters from the show, and also in many cases even trying to live by the values taught in the show… then all I have to say is you and I must not live on the same planet.*If you don't think the previous point warrants treatment in a documentary, then please feel free to make your own on whatever subject you wish, and quit wasting my time and the time of people who actually want to learn something about bronies.*If you think this film portrays bronies in too positive a light, then I would submit that you probably don't know many bronies. For the most part, they're just ordinary people who care sincerely about other ordinary people. And ordinary people tend to be good people. (Or at least, most bronies think so.)The only actual criticism I have for the film is that at certain points the camera work and audio are a bit wonky, particularly in those scenes in the "Mane Hall" at Bronycon. But I guess that's what sometimes happens when you're filming a live event and don't stage your footage.I found this documentary to be easily watchable, entertaining and informative. I highly recommend it for anyone curious about bronies and what makes them tick.