Movie Review: Steven Universe Movie

Yo, it's Toby.
So, the Steven Universe Movie was released on September 2, 2019. A musical directed by Rebecca Sugar which serves as a bridge from Season 5 to Season 6 of the the usual T.V. series we've known and loved since 2013. Has it actually been 6 whole years? Damn.
I'll admit, I took my time with watching the movie and only recently finished. It was quite a rollercoster. We start by being introduced to the world Steven and the Crystal Gems had built up in the past two years. And, Steven has a neck. It's nice to see some serious development not only on Beach City but with their relationship with Homeworld. Even on Homeworld, gems are making more of an effort to live together in unity and equality. However, Steven's managed to trap himself in a "this is the end" mindset.
Obviously that isn't true, considering he sings about at the very start of the movie. Almost as soon as his song ends, Spinel hops in and ruins the party. A biochemical injector, meant to destroy all organic life on Earth. Okay, definitely a threat. The Crystal Gems hop into action but are stopped by Spinel's rejuvinator. We later find out that it reverts a gem back to its original form. How far exactly is unsure. But we're left with a never-before-fused Ruby and Sapphire, a newly emerged Amethyst, a servant Pearl and a naive Spinel. Even Steven was affected. Though his human development stayed intact, his gem became the same gem on the powerless boy we met in the first episode. This genius idea allows for a story to unfold, digging into what makes each gem themselves. It shows the main traits they've developed that have brought them this far, and highlights their strengths.
As much as I praise it, I have to admit, the introduction of a whole new conflict kind of threw me off. I somewhat hoped for something touched in the series to be readdressed and expanded on, because Lord knows how many issues have been brushed over in this show. Although, Spinel is a nice character. And her story kinda followed others' stories with Pink/Rose. They were close, then she got bored/busy, then she played with them and left. Almost predictable and fit in with the current timeline nicely. She was also a good demonstration of how innocent gems don't always change for the better. Even at the end when Steven was offering her friendship, she'd grown just enough to realize just how damaged she was.
Steven's eyes were also opened in this movie. Everyone's were really. They stopped expecting a perfect life and learned to live with a will to grow. The notion that it'll never be easy is constantly made and Steven realizes just how young he is and how much work he still has to do. But instead of letting it get him down like he used to, he saw it as a new beginning. If today is good, how great could tomorrow be?
"There's no such thing as Happily Ever After...I'll always have more work to do." ~Steven Universe, Steven Universe: The Movie