I've just watched the My Little Pony spin-off movie Equestria Girls. As a brony, I had significant reservations about this movie -- enough so that I had no intention of paying Hasbro for it. But when someone offered me a screener, I decided to give it a try. After all, you can't really have a valid opinion about something if you have failed or refused to experience it. I was ready for the movie to either be provoke righteous anger or to dispel all my preconceptions and be amazing.

I wasn't prepared to be mostly underwhelmed. Frustrations I had gained from knowledge about the movie withered away as I watched. The movie wasn't good, but it was too banal to be upset about. Yes, there were things that, on a conceptual level, I object to -- the movie made several highly questionable decisions. (For example, the original's positive message of individuality, breaking gender stereotypes, is lost when all the girls are skinny and wear skirts that end halfway up their thighs. Oh, and unless the goal is to illuminate Spike's infatuation with Rarity as ooky, don't show that continuing when she's a human and he's a dog. In fact, even if it is, don't.) But, after seeing the movie itself, the only aggravation I feel is because one of the songs is catchy enough that it will get stuck in my head.

Instead, there is something else that I feel should be taken from this movie: Spike is cool.

The one thing this movie really succeeds at is (perhaps unintentionally) showcasing Spike. To wit:

Spike is the new Rainbow Dash: When Celestia orders Twilight Sparkle on a solo mission to another world, our loyal Rainbow Dash is fast to insist that all her friends accompany her. That is, until Celestia shoots that down with some "balance of the worlds" contrivance. When seeing Twilight leave, only loyal Spike decides "screw that noise" and chases after her.

Spike can adapt: Twilight Sparkle spends her first minutes in the human world having a (quite understandable) freakout about her transformed body. She's a human. Spike doesn't freak out to find that he's a dog. Spike went from a dragon to a dog -- to a creature he pet-sat -- which is one hell of a downgrade. An insulting one, even -- sidekick to pet. But Spike not only doesn't freak out or panic, he doesn't complain either. He rolls with it. And he swiftly proves he has a better grasp of the situation and how to behave than Twilight, barking rather than talking in the presence of the natives. In fact, he not only grasps his role quickly, but has to constantly snap Twilight out of behaving like a pony.

Spike is practical: When the end of her first day in the new world arrives, the Twilight realizes she hasn't considered such basic things as where she is going to sleep. But Spike has not only considered this, but come up with a solution and implemented it. Sure, his solution is a bit silly, befitting his status as a baby dragon. But the fact that is he stopped to consider basic necessities, then took the time and effort to plan for and provide them. And that is probably the most "grown up" thing I saw a character do in this movie.

Spike is reasonable: Spike plays the voice of reason when Twilight decides that the best way to protect the safety of two worlds is to participate in a popularity contest in a foreign place where she doesn't know the customs... or for that matter, how to use hands. And while Spike acquiesces to Twilight's line of dubious logic, at least he challenged it.

Spike saves the day: No, not in the finale. Spike rescues everything much earlier when he uses the fact that he can talk to convince Twilight's new friends of the truth. Without Spike, they should never have been able to believe Twilight; she would have looked insane, and suddenly spouting crazy is not a good way to keep friends you have just barely made. Now, granted, it was Spike's idea that she should tell the truth, but that just make's his follow-through here look even smarter.

Spike has been treated unevenly at best in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. But it is times like these -- when he is written well -- that it is clear that Spike far better character than he is usually given credit for, and a character deserving of far better-written and better-characterized focus episodes.