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Hidden Depth in the BIONICLE Trilogy


Master Inika

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It's clear to even the average viewer that, like much of children's media, the main idea of the first three BIONICLE movies has something to do with responsibiliy. But I've been thinking about them lately, and recently revisited the trilogy, and I realized how strong BIONICLE's early messages about aging and responsibility can be.

 

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BIONICLE: Mask of Light is the easiest to summarize. Most of the film juxtaposes two narratives: Jaller and Takua's journey, and the six Toa's battles with the Rahkshi. For the Toa, the question is, how do we perform our responsibility (or Duty)? For Jaller and Takua, the discussion is more metaphysical: what is our relationship with responsibility? Their question is not how they should go about performing it, their question is whether or not they accept that they have a responsibility at all, with Jaller representing "yes" and Takua representing "no." This is reinforced by the characters' physical similarities to humans at various ages: the Matoran's size and proportions are reminiscent of children, the Toa of adults, and the Turaga of the elderly. (It is important to remember that, at the time of the movies' release, the Matoran-Toa-Turaga cycle had not yet been revealed.) Naturally, the film ends with Takua learning to accept his responsibility and becoming the Seventh Toa in a grand, climactic transformation.

 

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Next in the trilogy is BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui. This installment also focuses on the Matoran-Toa transformation, only this time, the transformation happens early on, and to multiple characters. In short, the transformation, the acceptance of responsibility, is largely demystified. What was previously a special moment centered on Takua has become more broadly applicable, arguably mundane. What does this symbolize? If MoL showcases the moment when a child makes the transition to a young adult, then LoMN showcase the moment when a young adult realizes that everyone else is going through the same process. It's when you realize your parents, and even your grandparents, used to be young and sexy, too. In this film, the two separate stories in the previous film are combined. Vakama's arc mirrors Takua's, coming to terms with the inevitability of his transition. No matter how much he wants to, he cannot return to the comfortable life he had as a Matoran (child). The other five Toa follow the established Toa arc, not questioning that they must meet these new expectations, only how. The demystification of the transformation the film starts with ultimately proves beneficial when Vakama embraces this experience precisely because he's not the only one going through it. Acknowledging these new experiences aren't something you alone go through also lets you acknowledge that people in your life are there to guide you through it to a better station.

 

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MoL asks children, "Is it worth it to accept the responsibility of the grown-up world?" LoMN asks, "Is it humbling or comforting that others make this choice as well?" Once they establish that it is good and right to move forward, BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows asks, "How do I use my new responsibility properly?" Vakama has fully experienced the Matoran arc. He has accepted his role as a Toa. What he has not mastered is the Toa arc, how to steward his new abilities the right way. Enter Sidorak and Roodaka. When I revisited these films, I realized their physical appearances troubled me for some reason. Then, it hit me. If Matoran are children, Toa are adults, and Turaga are elders, then what to these two represent? In the larger BIONICLE storyline, we know that Sidorak is from an unnamed Steltian species and Roodaka is a Vortixx, but let's look at it from the perspective of the films alone, independently of the greater narrative. Sidorak and Roodaka, like Toa, have the body proportions of full-grown adults, only they are significantly larger than the Toa, and massive compared to the Matoran, highlighting their unconcern for them. Makuta can also be viewed this way, but not so much Keetongu. Sidorak and Roodaka represent the choice to embrace adulthood but without any continuity from their time as children. When Vakama is following them, the film creates the subtle implication that, should he continue along this path, he will one day turn into a Sidorak. We who follow the greater BIONICLE story know this isn't how it works, but again, this is gleaned from taking the films on their own without any external influence. Ironically, Roodaka seduces Vakama by reminding him of Ta-Metru, his childhood home. It is ultimately his own inability to be a Toa, a responsible, balanced adult, that he considers abandoning that goal, not any inherent malice. Whether or not the film implies this is true for Sidorak and Roodaka is unclear. Additionally, Roodaka factors into the trilogy's depiction of female characters in an interesting way. Hahli is a child, essentially. Gali is an adult woman, like the mother to Tahu's father. Nokama, like Vakama, begins as a child but experiences the same transformation into a Toa he does. The viewer moves from the role of child to partner. Roodaka, however, appears hyperfeminine, with more pronounced nails, hair, heels, and other female-associated traits. Roodaka, like Sidorak, is the power of adulthood without any of the innocence or positivity of childhood. They are quintessentially what happens when you answer the question of "How do I use my new responsibility properly?" wrong. Tahu while poisoned in MoL touches on this as well. Vakama returns and embraces the more balanced perspective, making the transition into wise, venerable Turaga Vakama, the polar opposite to ambitious, self-serving Sidorak, leaving for the children the films were made for a clear attitude meant to be emulated.

 

I had been working on this theory for some time before now. When I watched the trilogy in its entirety recently with my friend, I was surprised at just how well it all fits together. He agreed, and we both can't help but wonder how much of it was intentional. Does anyone agree? Does anyone think the BIONICLE trilogy has influenced their lifestyle choices on any level? All comments, questions, and criticisms welcomed.

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"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

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It's when you realize your parents, and even your grandparents, used to be young and sexy, too.

 

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OT, I interpreted Bionicle overall less as a commentary on the nature of obligation but more on teamwork. Unity is heavily emphasized throughout the franchise, and it's worth nothing that it starts out with 6 protagonists who need to realize the awesome power of friendship to overcome evil. What made it work, though, was the fact that they couldn't work together until they sought self-improvement. They didn't just have to work as a team, they had to learn what it was about themselves that was getting in the way of that. It's a more intelligent take on the cliche "friendship is a force equal to that exerted by 20 hydrogen bombs" trope.

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Huh, never thought of it this was before, but I can see exactly where you're coming from. This is genuinely really interesting, and I love it.

 

It used to bug me that the Matoran were portrayed as bickering kids in the first movie; but now that you point out there was symbolic purpose behind that decision, rather than the directors simply not knowing better, I actually appreciate what was done there. I still prefer to think of them as the responsible adult-minded characters that the MNOG gave us, I admit, but it's nice to know that there was a reason why the movies played them the way they did. Thanks for sharing this! ^^

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"New legends awake, but old lessons must be remembered.
For that is the way
of the BIONICLE."

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OT, I interpreted Bionicle overall less as a commentary on the nature of obligation but more on teamwork. Unity is heavily emphasized throughout the franchise, and it's worth nothing that it starts out with 6 protagonists who need to realize the awesome power of friendship to overcome evil. What made it work, though, was the fact that they couldn't work together until they sought self-improvement. They didn't just have to work as a team, they had to learn what it was about themselves that was getting in the way of that. It's a more intelligent take on the cliche "friendship is a force equal to that exerted by 20 hydrogen bombs" trope.

That's true. Another thing I love about the movies is how layered they are. They can weave in these two mostly unrelated themes so well.

 

Huh, never thought of it this was before, but I can see exactly where you're coming from. This is genuinely really interesting, and I love it.

 

It used to bug me that the Matoran were portrayed as bickering kids in the first movie; but now that you point out there was symbolic purpose behind that decision, rather than the directors simply not knowing better, I actually appreciate what was done there. I still prefer to think of them as the responsible adult-minded characters that the MNOG gave us, I admit, but it's nice to know that there was a reason why the movies played them the way they did. Thanks for sharing this! ^^

Glad you got a lot out of my commentary! As far as I know, the more childlike depiction of the Matoran is what LEGO planned from the start, and the more mature characterization was Templar Studios' doing, one of the many ways that MNOG was more of an accidental success. But that worked in MNOG because the Toa weren't seen very much throughout the story. In the movies, it makes more sense because they can be juxtaposed to the Toa.
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"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

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I don’t feel that Templar presented Matoran as “mature” or “adult,” at least not entirely. Thry showed different sides of them, and how each one has a totally unique personality, some playful and childish, and others mature and serious. That’s what made their depiction perfect. Compare Jaller’s strict sense of duty to Taipu’s childlike wonderment of Le-Wahi.

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I don’t feel that Templar presented Matoran as “mature” or “adult,” at least not entirely. Thry showed different sides of them, and how each one has a totally unique personality, some playful and childish, and others mature and serious. That’s what made their depiction perfect. Compare Jaller’s strict sense of duty to Taipu’s childlike wonderment of Le-Wahi.

That's a good point. It's fairer to say that, in MNOG, the Matoran represented a complete human-equivalent society, while in the movies, the Matoran represent children, with their dependence on Turaga and especially Toa emphasized. In the movies, the Matoran, Toa, and Turaga collectively represent the equivalent of a complete human society.
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"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

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That's true. Another thing I love about the movies is how layered they are. They can weave in these two mostly unrelated themes so well.

Well, if you REALLY want to compare Bionicle to an onion, you can then say that it addresses how to attain Unity, how Unity is necessary to fulfill and decide your Duty, and how pursuing your Duty is tied to taking control of your Destiny.

 

And going back to WoS as an exploration of the merits of adult responsibility--it's pretty significant that this is the movie with Roodaka, whose design and behavior...uh, I think the older fans all understand the particular overtones the first scene with her and Vakama has, what with how she runs a finger down his chest and whispers almost sensually into his ear. I'm inclined to think this has to do with pursuing the, er, fun parts of adulthood and the further responsibility that comes with that. This is supported by Vakama's arc, in which he starts off seemingly enjoying his leadership but later becomes disenchanted with the obligation and how he goofed while enjoying being a big man making his own decisions.

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I don’t feel that Templar presented Matoran as “mature” or “adult,” at least not entirely.

I think there's a clear difference between MNOLG Jala saying to Takua "It warms me that you have chosen to accept our trust" and MOL Jaller saying to him "Kohlii head, you coulda been lava bones!" One of the things I liked about early Bionicle in general was its more dark and mature tone, instead of the goofiness and immaturity there was in most other child-friendly media of the time and earlier. That's not to say there weren't any lighthearted moments at all, and I'm glad there were some, but they didn't change the generally serious atmosphere.

 

The MOL portrayals aren't fatally bad, but they do feel a bit different.

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I don’t feel that Templar presented Matoran as “mature” or “adult,” at least not entirely.

I think there's a clear difference between MNOLG Jala saying to Takua "It warms me that you have chosen to accept our trust" and MOL Jaller saying to him "Kohlii head, you coulda been lava bones!" One of the things I liked about early Bionicle in general was its more dark and mature tone, instead of the goofiness and immaturity there was in most other child-friendly media of the time and earlier. That's not to say there weren't any lighthearted moments at all, and I'm glad there were some, but they didn't change the generally serious atmosphere.

 

The MOL portrayals aren't fatally bad, but they do feel a bit different.

 

Jala is definitely on the adult side of MNOG. Someone earlier mentioned Taipu, and he's a great example of a more childish character.

 

And going back to WoS as an exploration of the merits of adult responsibility--it's pretty significant that this is the movie with Roodaka, whose design and behavior...uh, I think the older fans all understand the particular overtones the first scene with her and Vakama has, what with how she runs a finger down his chest and whispers almost sensually into his ear. I'm inclined to think this has to do with pursuing the, er, fun parts of adulthood and the further responsibility that comes with that. This is supported by Vakama's arc, in which he starts off seemingly enjoying his leadership but later becomes disenchanted with the obligation and how he goofed while enjoying being a big man making his own decisions.

There's so much I have to say about Roodaka. On the whole, I think she and Nokama are foils. Both of them encourage Vakama to leadership, but in different ways for different reasons.

"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

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  • 2 weeks later...

This really brings up memories...my first real introduction to bionicle was MoL, at the time i didn't know there was an ovearching story or narrative, I just tought this was a movie to give context to the toyline i saw publicized at the lego shop. The funny thing is: your theory is really similar to my father's explanation of the film (he used to explain the meaning and morals behind movies when my brother and I were kids). He explained to structure of the narrative just like you did so, when I saw the others some years later, I always maintained that perspective of them even if, after having been invested for so much time in the LORE of bionicle, I have to admit that I had almost forgot about that kind of "behind the scenes" point of view, instead enjoying the story defined by canon and in-universe material. One thing i'm sure i never thought about was the personification of the concepts of adulthood without purity in the characters of Sidorak and Roodaka and I have to say, I think you're spot on. 

I really have to thank you Master Inika for bringing up this memory and remembering me of this kind of perspective about the bionicle movies, great analysis!

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