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You've waited too long for this one. Theme: What Really Matters. More specifically, what really matters is friendship. Also, what you do when life is bad. Do you try to fix it (Mata Nui), hope to escape (Kiina), or give in to despair? (Ackar, and by extension, most of the people on BM, except for the villains) I'm not going to list all the reactions, but you get the idea. Main Character: Mata NuiSecondary Major Character: Ackar. As per usual, he embodies the lack of understanding of What Really Matters, which Mata Nui has to show him. * * *OpeningThe first shot we get out of this movie is a volcano. Anyone remember the volcano in Journey's End where Mata Nui found the knowledge he needed? That undone last trilogy movie might have begun with a shot of just that volcano. (Well, it might have been Ihu, but it's still a mountain. Counts.)Also, mega bonus points to the landscape rendering guys here. We get a beach, then a mountain, then an aerial viewpoint, almost as if we were flying away. Which Mata Nui does shortly thereafter. Nice homage. Further, the destruction of the mountain represents the destruction of knowledge. Mata Nui DescendingFirst off, Mata Nui has just lost half his memory and is in pretty bad shape. It is also clear from the opening voiceover that this movie, especially the opening, is from Mata Nui's perspective. So if you had not been paying attention to your insides for the past 97,000 years or so, you probably wouldn't have a very good grasp on what they looked like. Or how your camoflage system works. Viewed from Mata Nui's perspective, the opening makes sense. And contenuing the age-old tradition of falls at the beginning of Bionicle movies, behold Mata Nui's metaphorical (and literal) fall, with Makuta, the epitome of Me, Myself, and I All Alone because I Am Just Awesome Like That looking on. But there's no excuse for the way the robot stood up here. While Mata Nui might view his standing up with more grace, the cheap CGI is an insult to the Makuta, who can't seem to stand up properly. Which is realism. Arrival on Bara MagnaFirst off, we must estabilish that Bara Magna hates people. It's pretty ticked at Mata Nui for crashing into it and leaving a giant crater. (It's almost as if Mata Nui is trying to assert his status by making a huge crater and Bara Magna is just like "you are worthy of bugs.")The first emissary it sends to attack Mata Nui is a bug. The Mask of Life reacts by giving Mata Nui a body. It also probably modified Click's mind to make him more friendly to this guy that showed up. After all, Click was the Scarabax who touched the mask. The Mask might have also given him some intel on what was going on next: the bug isn't surprised or anything. He actually yawns. Also explains why Click goes for the Mask again - probably looking for information, but got turned into a sheild instead. The Ignika has no morals, but it's Mata Nui's friend. Then Bara Magna decides that was too weak, so the next up is a Vorox. The Mask of Life reacts by giving Mata Nui a sheild, and he lives. Then we see a sapient lifeform next. It's no wonder Mata Nui expects an attack - this planet is hostile. You will also see an odd bonelike structure in the background to the crater as Mata Nui comes in. I wouldn't put it past this movie for it to be a carcass of a biomechanical dino that the Scarabax were eating. Realism here. Metus --> An Arena Match"What happened here?""I would say it was-""Evil.""I was going to say earthquake, maybe volcanic eruption, but evil works."Metus is evil. Evil works? It does, huh Metus. It also gets you turned into a snake. In further case, Metus is a slimy smooth talker with questionable morals from the beginning. Traitor? No surprise. Also, if you get attacked by bugs and beasts upon going somewhere, pretty sure that place does not have your better interests at heart. Also, the Arena Match system is actually not very rewarding to the warriors after awhile. That's because the amount of disputes never ends, so you keep on fighting. And because resources are limited on Bara Magna, you're fighting for the same old stuff over and over again. I imagine that would get old fast. If the metaphorical fall of Mata Nui wasn't enough, we also get a literal fall of Mata Nui into the arena. This is a Bionicle movie, dagnabbit. Characters fall in those things. And Raanu and Metus, also people who don't know the theme look on, and the secondary major character is involved, as usual. Further, Mata Nui's mention of Toa is a Mask of Light homage. Not to mention the drop in the fiery pit. And just to show how messed up this world is, the ice people are nasty here and the fire people win. The water people are insulted in this movie too. Sometimes I like to view this movie as the opposite of MoL. The Mata Nui saga was all about preserving a place that was a cool paradise from an enemy - Makuta, whereas this one is a restoration of a wasteland. Takua was a lowly irresponsible Matoran who learned to use the Mask of Light at the end; Mata Nui already has the scmancy mask at the beginning of the his film, and he's lost most of his heroic glory. And once again, the Ignika proves to be Mata Nui's friend. Ackar's homeThe spinning rims: I got to address this, because in this scene it's real noticable. While the Agori may be organic, they do have Great Being implants to asist them. They're machines, and machines usually have status indicators to indicate orperation. An Agori would want to know if his implant broke down immediately, so that he could fix it. I think the spinning rims serve as that status indicator. They might have had caps at one point, but those were obiviously lost over 100,000 years. And Mata Nui's body should blend in with that - and besides, he's biomechanical anyway. I also get to reexamine the "Woohoo!" Line. It appears that Kiina made some comments about Mata Nui winning her bets. Also, she goes into a dance right after the infamous line, which might have annoyed some people more than the line itself. The other thing is that the scene is realistic - after that emotional rush, Kiina stumbles awkwardly about and even makes logical errors: "Don't even think about pulling a fast one because you're my ticket out of here." That's illogical, because if he does pull a fast one he is not a reliable ticket to anywhere. However, it's consistant with someone who is emotionally rattled. Canyon Fight to Tajun LabNotice that Ackar only does one flip in this fight. Nobody else does flips in the course of the flim, and I'm of the opinion that the ability comes from years of training and skill, not agility. I've practiced martial arts, and I've seen guys who are older than me do those types of flips, although a bit smaller. I can't do that to save my life, even though I'm normally young and agile. It takes a certain amount of physical dexterity, but I'm not sure that diminishes with age. I also blame Great Being implant enhancements for additional strength. If these enhancements were that good, it would make sense that the enemies would attack that stuff first. That would explain the "Berix repairs Gresh" scene. Further, nothing says Berix didn't have the Agori equivelent of a first-aid kit for organic damage. Although there must not have been too much, as Gresh is up and at 'em in the next scene. The sand surfing scene is hard to justify, but let's put it this way. The Mask of Life can give whatever powers it wants to whomever it wants. So I think it might have been nice to Mata Nui and given him enhanced senses, including a good sense of timing and balence. This might have been to compensate - Mata Nui would likely be used to the detail of giant robot sensors, so this would be to make the whole thing more habitable. This could include enough sensory detail to identify weak points in rock or blast Bone Hunters with such accuracy. I think the yellow flash there didn't bring down that gorge; I think it was to repair Mata Nui's blade from the damage of plunging into solid rock. I could also say that the Mask gave Mata Nui the ability to shoot pure energy, but I think that is a bit much, as yellow always indicates the Mask's usage here. A sensory boost would also explain why Mata Nui could detect the Bone Hunters' presence before the others did, how he detected the lack of elemental powers in the Glatorian, etc. Also, Mata Nui might have had access to the Mask of Life's knowledge here, and Toa Ignika did ride a skyboard back in 2008. It might also have helped Mata Nui recognize the UDD. So I generally find the complaints about Mata Nui being too smart to be a little unfounded. I have to give points - the Tajun fight actually makes the Bone Hunters seem like a real threat. They surround Kiina and Ackar, and it takes Mata Nui's gun blasts to save them. They are enough of a problem that Mata Nui decides to do a one-on-one fight instead of confront them all. So they aren't whistling Dixie. Ackar makes a point of pointing out how inexprienced Mata Nui is by knocking him over and knocking Click off his back. And for the record, any time we visit the water people's home, things get destroyed. Remember the Great Temple destruction in WoS? Further, it's water people's village that gets destroyed, as opposed to the fire guy's village. Reverse MoL. Also, why do all the water people have all the knowledge and valuable items, whether it be the Great Temple or the Tajun lab?Reading the Bionicle letters on the wall is "Lego" "Bionicle" and "Secret Lab". Nothing interesting there, kids. Move along. TesaraTesara is a ball joint, socket, and two technic pins standing up in the air. Covered in mud and vine-webs. This is what happens when the Great Beings don't play with their Lego. Also foreshadowing. Then we get another MoL inversion. The guy who gets the power is actually the old responsible guy. Jaller, er, Ackar. And remember Takua's "I am Takanuva." moment where he shoots light energy at stuff. In Ackar's case, behold this awesome pillar of fire. It's also a nice twist on the theme - first off that Ackar isn't giving up like he was before, and second, that what really matters is that I have a friend who saved my tail in the arena and gave me awesome powers LIKE THIS. And that is worth a whole lot more than pointless arena matches, so be quiet. It's a message. Also, Mata Nui was standing on one of the "Technic pins" when the villages were put together. Probably the shorter one on the right. Tuma vs. Mata NuiFor all the bluster about Tuma being too easy, remember what I said earilier about GB implants? It's only inevitable that one would fail after 100,000 years. Do you expect THE MIGHTY TUMA to admit that his implants failed and that he needs medical? I don't. Weakness looks bad. "Arrogance can topple giants. Trust me, I know." It's a shame Makuta can't hear this. Meet the Real MetusFirst off, angry animals are a force to be reckoned with. Second, I doubt the Bone Hunters treated their steeds with TLC. So I can imagine that one would be ticked enough to kick over a bunch of them. The fact that Berix happened to be riding it, and that last move with the sheild can be attributed to dumb luck. It happens. (However, if I was writing the story Berix would end up captured again, and I would totally use that as sequel bait. I'm allowed to say that because this movie takes place in 2009. ) Although Berix does get buried in rock, so his luck does run out. Also, I find it ironic that Metus was busted by Vorox in the end. It puts a whole new spin on the beginning of the film - perhaps Metus was out Vorox hunting ahen he found Mata Nui? Or better yet, the Vorox decided to take Mata Nui's side once they saw he was against the Skrall? Mata Nui even turns enemies into friends here!Sadly, that magic doesn't work on the Skrall, Bone Hunters, and Metus. Well, it doesn't work on Metus. So it's time for the old fashioned magic mask. That will put a dent in your profit margins. And the old fashioned Power of Unity. Which always works. This is a Bionicle movie, in case you missed the UDD in the sky and the falls at the beginning. So there.Previous Random Movie Insights (Don't Post in them, they are long past revival):Mask of LightLegends of Metru NuiWeb of Shadows
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(Okay, I guess it is time for me to stop stringing Windrider along and to post this topic )For those of you not in the know, the band Cyroshell was paid by Lego to do some songs about Bionicle; at least, these songs appeared in commercials and Bionicle.com. On the surface, they have nothing to do with Bionicle; you actually have to think about it.So here’s how I think it relates to Bionicle, and if you have a better explanation, there is that reply button. :)I’m going to look at “Closer to the Truth” and “Bye Bye Babylon” to start, seeing as these are the most cryptic, and if you have any others you want to interpret or me to look at...*points to above comment about reply button*:Closer to the Truth (2008): (Link to Listen to This Song) The songwriter seems to be talking about both Mata Nui, the Toa Nuva, and the Matoran universe as a whole in alternating segments. The first stanza seems to be a general applicatory to statement to all of the characters in 2008.The second one ‘prodigies’ appears to refer to the Toa Nuva. Once you come with the characters that are the ‘prodigies’, you have the solution to the puzzle. The problem with using the Toa Nuva as the meaning for ‘prodigies’ is the line immediately afterward. I don’t recall any of the Toa Nuva having any designs on universal domination.Instead, I consider ‘prodigies’ to be a blanket term for all the members of the Matoran universe. This entire song rings true in Mata Nui’s voice, him talking to the members of his own body and them talking back. For example, in line 3 Mata Nui is saying to the members of his body “We’re the prodigies, but I don’t want to rule this world alone anymore.” The chorus seems to go into how Mata Nui is so lonely, how his dreams (if we go by the canon) are filled with mental interior travel. Greg did say that Mata Nui was aware of what was going on inside of him while he was asleep, so that fits. “We’re closer to the truth now” is actually the “cry” of the lonely souls inside Mata Nui’s body, as is the last four lines.Bye Bye Babylon (2009): (Link to Listen to This Song) This song is more ambiguous. The application comes down to the meaning of terms:Strict Music Video Application:Babylon=Bara MagnaMe = Mata NuiPrime Obstruction = ScopioIf you go with this, this is Mata Nui’s general rant of disgust against Bara Magna. He doesn’t like it, and he wants out. Slightly off character for him, but fine.Core War Application:Babylon= Spherus MagnaMe = Element LordsPrime Obstruction = Great Beings/Element LordsIf you go with this, the Element Lords sing the verses while the Great Beings sing the chorus.Mata Nui versus Makuta Robot Battle:Babylon= MakutaMe = Mata NuiPrime Obstruction = Makuta, of course.This song would be sung before the battle, but the meaning would be applied the actual fight. The whole thing would be sung by Mata Nui as a personal theme song against Makuta, giving the whole thing a ton of personal meaning. “From pride we’ll fall” would refer to the savage nature of the fight; “Unseen” would refer to the fact that Mata Nui cannot specifically see the Makuta on Bara Magna, but he knows that he is there. This is the best application, I think.And of course, there is always this interpretation :Babylon = BionicleMe = LegoPrime Obstruction = Cantankerous Bionicle fandom. -
Bionicle Mask of Light Main Character: Takua There is an obvious element to this, but while Jaller was introduced first, it is Takua’s name he is calling. When Jaller and Takua separate, the camera follows Takua. Secondary Major Character: JallerEven though he’s dead for a major part of the film, and absent for a segment, he is a major influence on Takua and other characters. Major Theme of the Film: “Remember who you are! Remember your destiny!” This film emphasizes identity more than any other concept, with vignettes showcasing each Toa’s unique identity, and the end with Takua recognizing his own identity. There’s actually an entire group identity rediscovered at the end of the film – that all the characters in the film(except for the Toa Nuva) are actually displaced denizens of an island city.Story: The Very First scene: Is the biggest foreshadowing of the end of Bionicle, and yet it is so easily dismissed by the most avid fans, who had heard the “Legend of Mata Nui” and/or read the thing countless times before this film ever existed.The first thing you see is the Amaja Circle, a huge sand pit, with brown pillars surrounding it that are just glanced over by the camera. Look familiar? It looks like Bara Magna. If the surroundings are Bara Magna and Mata Nui is on Bara Magna and the six villages divide off of Mata Nui…it tells you that the Matoran are inside the Great Spirit and will come out into Bara Magna. The camera places the citizens of the island of Mata Nui as observers, which they are on Aqua Magna. Even Makuta comes in from the sky of Bara Magna to take on Mata Nui…so close, and yet so far!Further, everything Vakama says in that scene is absolutely true, we just don’t know how it is yet. That scene cloaks the truth about Mata Nui and Makuta in a thin layer of confusion, just so we can’t see was really is any more than the Matoran can. Second Scene: The Lava Breaks: When Takua first finds the mask, the mask glows with light, and Takua, bending forward to read this language, which he obviously has seen before, almost puts on the mask, like he is drawn to it. Only Jaller’s remark about imminent danger stops him, and when he throws the mask to Jaller, the light of the mask abruptly dies.All three of the first trilogy of Bionicle movies begin with a fall, a literal one. In this case it is Takua falling, and is saved by the fact that he is falling with the Great Toa Tahu, who stops and redirects his fall. How Takua stops falling is important – he will only achieve his goals in the film by riding on the backs of others, like the Toa and Jaller. Jaller observes…and he is the one who has the most doubt about Takua and his identity, and who believes Takua is dead after his fall. The “you could have been________bones” lines are actual tie-togethers of Jaller’s doubts. You survived that fall; You survived Makuta; that irresponsible Matoran who I didn’t think could do anything that great.Remember this: The enemy of self discovery is doubt, the enemy of self – confidence is circumstance, and the enemy of leadership is tyranny. The “observers” of each of the three falls represent these three failings. Also, the movie Mask of Light is actually two stories in one: Takua’s journey to find himself and Toa Nuva vs. Rakashi. It is actually Tahu who falls in the first scene; and Tahu is correspondingly beat up the entire movie. He does come out of it, however. It’s also one of the few times Mask powers are used in the film, and it is by far the most noticeable, with most uses rather implicit and not stated.The Kolhii Match First of all, we must acknowledge that Ga-Koro owns all. They win the Kolhii match, Gali runs to the rescue of Tahu’s village, Gali heals Tahu after he has been poisoned, Gali implicitly tells Kopaka to go rescue Onua and Pohatu, and Gali and Hali see the Ta-Matoran to safety after the Rahkshi attack. Not to mention the awesome speech Hali gets to make at the end. This makes up for the fact that we never see Ga-Koro or Ga-Wahi in the film. Not that anybody cares, since we have seen it in two online games and one set of animations. However, if not for the fact that Vakama says it at the beginning and Hali at the end, we would have never known that the setting was an island. The Kolhii match occurs both at the beginning and the end of the film, the first time with Takua losing, and the second time with him winning; this pattern is repeated in Legends of Metru Nui with the “Sea of Protodermis”. Po-Koro is actually the most overlooked village in the film. There’s a small argument that Jaller might be in Po-Wahi when Takua finds him, but that is meaningless. And Pohatu doesn’t really get too much of a show here, and that scene with the Rahkshi down in Onu-Koro was a not-really-that-great. Also, when the Mask of Light comes out of Jaller’s pack, the Mask is just a piece of dim protodermis until it gets thrown about, but when the Mask throws all its light on Jaller, it is on Takua’s foot. And then Tahu the bold buffoon jumps to the wrong-right conclusion. Jaller does find the seventh Toa; but it was the seventh Toa who threw all the light on Jaller in the first place!Two short male characters set out on a mission regarding a golden object. Sounds a bit like MoL and LotR. Sadly, some people missed a few things.T&J leaving, Gali Nuva Meditation scene to Destruction of Tahu Koro. (And yes, I did mean Tahu Koro) “Do not take your journey lightly” Bad joke, Vakama. By the way, when Takua fails to “walk in the light” is when he gets in the most trouble (Onu-Koro, dark cave).The scene with the Rahkshi involves Makuta passing his hand into glass pillars (intangibility powers) while he says “…their destiny I must shatter.” Piece of irony that is actually those glass pillars that shatter later.Then is Gali’s vignette scene where her identity is revealed. The meditation “floating” is either the strength of Gali’s thoughts, bad animation, or a Mask of Levitation. Remember, the Toa Mata/Nuva could have multiple masks in one; this was before it was declared that Toa could only use one Mask at a time, so I’m tempted to go with the latter. This scene is probably the ultimate picture of beauty ruined by the Rahkshi. The first showdown with the Rahkshi is at Kini-Nui, and so is the last, and both occur after Gali meditates. Talk about a pattern.This is also the film with the most gymnastics done by the Toa (Wos probably comes in second. Maybe.).“The Toa of Water approaches! The Toa of Water-““Is here. Sound the alarm.” Meanwhile, while Gali was doing great things, Tahu flips into the scene, annoyed at having been awakened from his nap. After Nokama says “Rahkshi”, Vakama adds his addendum to her statement to keep all the Matoran in line with his crazy tale of reality he has spun. “If I don’t add this additional comment, the Matoran might think we’re crazy!” Tahu makes a stupendously bold proclamation that is immediately proven wrong. The Ta-Matoran have to be bailed out by Gali, who has to be bailed out by Tahu.Ko-Area. Second, we must acknowledge that Kopaka owns the world, having defeated three Rahkshi on his own, where the rest of the Toa pretty much get stomped by them. He bails Tahu and Gali out in Onu-Koro, as well as Onua and Pohatu. Yes, Jaller, the real herald has the mask. The next segment of the movie is a fight over who’s the herald, which is pretty stupid since Jaller really is the Herald, but Takua is actually the Toa, which is better than the Herald. “I’ll find the seventh toa whether you are the true herald or not.” Not. Except the person he is supposed to find is the one who is leaving him, angry and quitting. Note that Makuta attacks Takua, not Jaller. He wants to discourage Takua so he doesn’t become what he should. He doesn’t care about Jaller at all.There is something about the scene between Pohatu and Onua in that scene when they first meet the Rahkshi. Some people have claimed that it beats up on Pohatu for a reason that I cannot remember. It does, however, obviously chew on Onua, characterizing him as an overpowered buffoon, which is not only insulting, it is inaccurate.For a film that focuses on identity, it is highly intolerant of some people’s identities. If you aren’t Gali, Kopaka, or Hali, Jaller, or Takua, you don’t have a place in this film.“Kopaka, do you think the Turaga are right about us? Have we lost our unity?” Kopaka thinks, We have. Pohatu and Onua aren’t here…and then he goes and rescues them. At least, that is how I picture it. You can tell this is a kid’s movie.The Mask of Light was never at Onu-Koro, but the only person who could be killed and, in doing so, stop the creation of the seventh Toa was.“Mata Nui, where does my destiny lie?” Cue earthquake. Cue massive earthquake and Giant Robot Face comes out of island. It is part of the destiny of everyone on the island. The other thing, Mata Nui is actually below, so an earthquake makes some sense. It also forshadow’s Jaller’s death and getting back his life thru Takua’s actions at the end. It is Takua who gets him out of precarious position; it is Takanuva who brings him back from the dead.Kini-Nui Since I’m already stating the obvious, the “we will not be broken” is actually a use of shared mask of shielding.How in the world did Pohatu get his climbing claws back in all that mess? He must have had a spare set. Which begs the question of why Lewa wasn’t carrying a spare when he was fighting the Piraka later. Poor planning skills?How is it that a blast of fear can cripple Pohatu, but on Takua wear off pretty quick?Makuta’s Lair The UDD symbol made of Energized protodermis. Do I even need to mention EP’s connection to the three pieces of rock the UDD symbol represents? No, I do not.“Let’s take a closer look behind that mask.” Masks and identity again.I’m going to take a rudimentary guess and say that the giant door is actually an emergency escape hatch for Mata Nui’s body, which explains how the inhabitants of Metru Nui were later able to escape to Spherus Magna so quickly.The End (of the first movie)
