Biggest Bionicle Dissapointment

[fishers64]

I saw the Lego movie, and personally I'm just glad Bionicle got an appearance at all. Mostly, I judged the "things that don't matter" comment as Wyldstyle's presumption/taste/view on the subject. I know plenty of Wyldstyle-like characters IRL who would agree.

 

If the your worst disappointment about about Bionicle is that a girl in a movie doesn't like it, Bionicle is pretty un-dissapointing.

[Azani]

I saw the Lego movie, and personally I'm just glad Bionicle got an appearance at all. Mostly, I judged the "things that don't matter" comment as Wyldstyle's presumption/taste/view on the subject. I know plenty of Wyldstyle-like characters IRL who would agree.

 

If the your worst disappointment about about Bionicle is that a girl in a movie doesn't like it, Bionicle is pretty un-dissapointing.

The way in which the "appearance" of the Toa Mata in the Lego movie isn't my greatest Bionicle disappointment; nonetheless, the fact that Lego didn't need to put the Toa Mata in the film at all, but decided to do so in a not-so-appreciatory way surprised me when I saw The Lego Movie. The only qualm that I have with it was that I just didn't expect it to be that way.

[Tattorack]

Oof... I got quite a few...

First of The Legend of Mata Nui, it had the full range of mask powers and a whole bunch of levels to play through... but got cancelled.

The movies, none of them can be considered canon! They're all palefractions of the actualstory. With the exception of the fourth one, none of them actually follow the story in the comics and books and the "action" is terrible. (Zack Snyder or Micheal Bay should've directedand produced the movies... :C )

The Legend of Metru Nui (game), it would have been a serious upgrade over the cancelled LoMN and Bionicle: The Game. It would contained mallee combat (finally!) mask powers and advanced mobility. But no, they cancelled it and went FPS on Voya Nui!! D8<

The sudden, abrupt and inconclusive ending of Bionicle, I don't mind something ending, after all, all good things will eventually end. But give it the ending it deserves!! It was a decade of epicness and should go out with a bang that leaves everybody numb-struck and wanting to do it all over again from the beginning....... not this.... whimper....

[Toa Of Anarchy]

 

 

Bionicle: The Album.

Why didn't this happen.

Why.

^ This.......I can just imagine some awesome songs right now.......

 

Bionicle Brain or whatever it was called....oh Mata, no. D:

 

What, maybe ear-bleeding will increase demand

[NickonAquaMagna]

Oof... I got quite a few...

First of The Legend of Mata Nui, it had the full range of mask powers and a whole bunch of levels to play through... but got cancelled.

The movies, none of them can be considered canon! They're all palefractions of the actualstory. With the exception of the fourth one, none of them actually follow the story in the comics and books and the "action" is terrible. (Zack Snyder or Micheal Bay should've directedand produced the movies... :C )

The Legend of Metru Nui (game), it would have been a serious upgrade over the cancelled LoMN and Bionicle: The Game. It would contained mallee combat (finally!) mask powers and advanced mobility. But no, they cancelled it and went FPS on Voya Nui!! D8<

The sudden, abrupt and inconclusive ending of Bionicle, I don't mind something ending, after all, all good things will eventually end. But give it the ending it deserves!! It was a decade of epicness and should go out with a bang that leaves everybody numb-struck and wanting to do it all over again from the beginning....... not this.... whimper....

 

I'm.... honestly kinda happy that game got cancelled. I mean, sure, back in the day, I was kind of upset, but hey, we still had the Mata Nui Online Game. Looking at the Onua stage that someone managed to piece together and upload new footage of to youtube, I'm not sure we were missing much. The music is underwhelming, the environments range from decent to downright hard to look at, and the controls looks as sluggish and clunky as can be. Anything that was wrong with the 2003 console release was wrong with this, maybe even moreso. I don't want a game just because it has the Bionicle name attached to it if it's ultimately a poorly put together game by technical standards.

 

As for the movies... I admit, most of them aren't that great. However, I do think Legends of Metru Nui is a legitimately good film. Not just a good kid's flick or toy commercial, but a truly good... film, in general. Not great, but competent. "Not enough action" isn't really an issue for me because, well, I just love the story. I didn't care for it much back in the day, but when I watch it now, as an adult, I have so much more respect for it. I mean... it's about a culture dying. Not actual LIVES being lost, but something almost as tragic. This thriving civilization crumbling away, its people losing their livelihood, forgetting their values and regressing to a tribal state, the heroes giving up their youth and powers just to wake them up and preserve whatever shred of their culture they can, 'cause they're just that committed to saving anyone they can as their world falls apart around them. That's a REALLY good story, and for the most part, it plays out really well.

 

 

 

The Bionicle reference in The Lego Movie. It felt like a middle finger to anyone who liked it.

 

I completely disagree. I knew before hand what the scene would be. I went into the movie expecting to hate that scene, and came out of it loving not only the whole movie but that scene as well. They handled it very well, especally considering the twist. I feel that if they did it any other way, it'd be shoe-horned and I'd be unhappy. They said they didn't need to mention it because it would have taken waaaay too long, and wouldn't have fit within the context of the film. I went in to see The Lego Movie, not The Lego Movie plus 5 or so minutes slowed down to explain Bionicle to the character who wasn't listening to begin with.

 

As far as person disappointments go, I don't have many. Some of mine would however include the final fight between Tuma and Mata Nui in TLR, TLR's over all feel, the fact that they declined an offer from Nathan Furst to make the music for TLR, and the Rahaga sets.

 

I have many nitpicks, but that's a given.

 

 

 

As I said in a previous post, it's not that Bionicle wasn't done enough justice or talked about enough. It's that it was put in the "unmentionables" category, which I can't help think was put together to appease AFOLs who don't like any of those later themes shown, including the girly themes (and, if I remember correctly, duplo). To be honest, if they'd said something like... "Other themes that don't need mentioning"... yeah, it sounds nitpicky, but just that would be so much less demeaning. And to be honest, as I walked out of the theater, I'd convinced myself that that was what Wildstyle had said! Just changing that one little thing would actually ELEVATE Bionicle because it implies, "People already know this so well, that we don't need to delve into it." As it stands, it sounds like "Bionicle isn't important, so forget about it."

 

But hey, that's just me. I admit I'm being quite nitpicky, too, now.

[Tattorack]

 

Oof... I got quite a few...

First of The Legend of Mata Nui, it had the full range of mask powers and a whole bunch of levels to play through... but got cancelled.

The movies, none of them can be considered canon! They're all palefractions of the actualstory. With the exception of the fourth one, none of them actually follow the story in the comics and books and the "action" is terrible. (Zack Snyder or Micheal Bay should've directedand produced the movies... :C )

The Legend of Metru Nui (game), it would have been a serious upgrade over the cancelled LoMN and Bionicle: The Game. It would contained mallee combat (finally!) mask powers and advanced mobility. But no, they cancelled it and went FPS on Voya Nui!! D8<

The sudden, abrupt and inconclusive ending of Bionicle, I don't mind something ending, after all, all good things will eventually end. But give it the ending it deserves!! It was a decade of epicness and should go out with a bang that leaves everybody numb-struck and wanting to do it all over again from the beginning....... not this.... whimper....

 

I'm.... honestly kinda happy that game got cancelled. I mean, sure, back in the day, I was kind of upset, but hey, we still had the Mata Nui Online Game. Looking at the Onua stage that someone managed to piece together and upload new footage of to youtube, I'm not sure we were missing much. The music is underwhelming, the environments range from decent to downright hard to look at, and the controls looks as sluggish and clunky as can be. Anything that was wrong with the 2003 console release was wrong with this, maybe even moreso. I don't want a game just because it has the Bionicle name attached to it if it's ultimately a poorly put together game by technical standards.

 

As for the movies... I admit, most of them aren't that great. However, I do think Legends of Metru Nui is a legitimately good film. Not just a good kid's flick or toy commercial, but a truly good... film, in general. Not great, but competent. "Not enough action" isn't really an issue for me because, well, I just love the story. I didn't care for it much back in the day, but when I watch it now, as an adult, I have so much more respect for it. I mean... it's about a culture dying. Not actual LIVES being lost, but something almost as tragic. This thriving civilization crumbling away, its people losing their livelihood, forgetting their values and regressing to a tribal state, the heroes giving up their youth and powers just to wake them up and preserve whatever shred of their culture they can, 'cause they're just that committed to saving anyone they can as their world falls apart around them. That's a REALLY good story, and for the most part, it plays out really well.

Well, of course, I know the game isn't good, but they shold've just given a year or more of developement and it would've been better than Bionicle The Game for the simple fact of it containing the Kanohi hunt and actually usable powers.

 

And I truely don't like the movies at all. The most impressive thing about Bionicle 2 is the CGI.

Yes, story is good, but that's one of the big things missing in B2!

[Katuko]

I just remembered something that is not so much a specific moment as it is a general series-wide squandering of potential: We never got to see or hear much about the other elements and species in the Matoran universe, and next to nothing about the Southern Continent. Just a few side characters - like that Steltian trader or warriors from the Order of Mata Nui - could have been of those species to show that they are not all binary good/evil/whatever. Greg managed to work some into the serials, though, and a lot of issues came out of the set-driven story, so I'm not sure if I would have wanted it all that different. A Vortixx canister set is easy to make (replace a Toa's head with a Vahki's, essentially) but would lack the cool mask and other gear one might expect from a Toa. The Bohrok-Kal would have been a nice group to replace with more unique builds and color (if I had to pick one to replace), but back then they weren't too keen on changing the formula. Changing the colors of the standard lineup to accommodate underused elements would be nice, but it seems the standard worked well enough to keep it all going. Still, can't help but think that with the orange from Pohatu Phantoka (which already existed from those hockey-player sets of a different sports line) we could easily have had an orange-and-white Plasma character, with blue-and-white being Lightning and green/teal being Plant Life.

 

The Southern Continent is supposed to be the largest land mass, and I would have enjoyed it greatly if the alternate dimensions were actually locations on the mainland. For example, one place where Toa have taken over by force (and Tuyet could have escaped to), another place where Toa, Skakdi, Vortixx etc. live in peace due to circumstances forcing them to (the Brotherhood could have wrecked the nearby islands, or something); and so on.

[NickonAquaMagna]

 

 

Oof... I got quite a few...

First of The Legend of Mata Nui, it had the full range of mask powers and a whole bunch of levels to play through... but got cancelled.

The movies, none of them can be considered canon! They're all palefractions of the actualstory. With the exception of the fourth one, none of them actually follow the story in the comics and books and the "action" is terrible. (Zack Snyder or Micheal Bay should've directedand produced the movies... :C )

The Legend of Metru Nui (game), it would have been a serious upgrade over the cancelled LoMN and Bionicle: The Game. It would contained mallee combat (finally!) mask powers and advanced mobility. But no, they cancelled it and went FPS on Voya Nui!! D8<

The sudden, abrupt and inconclusive ending of Bionicle, I don't mind something ending, after all, all good things will eventually end. But give it the ending it deserves!! It was a decade of epicness and should go out with a bang that leaves everybody numb-struck and wanting to do it all over again from the beginning....... not this.... whimper....

 

I'm.... honestly kinda happy that game got cancelled. I mean, sure, back in the day, I was kind of upset, but hey, we still had the Mata Nui Online Game. Looking at the Onua stage that someone managed to piece together and upload new footage of to youtube, I'm not sure we were missing much. The music is underwhelming, the environments range from decent to downright hard to look at, and the controls looks as sluggish and clunky as can be. Anything that was wrong with the 2003 console release was wrong with this, maybe even moreso. I don't want a game just because it has the Bionicle name attached to it if it's ultimately a poorly put together game by technical standards.

 

As for the movies... I admit, most of them aren't that great. However, I do think Legends of Metru Nui is a legitimately good film. Not just a good kid's flick or toy commercial, but a truly good... film, in general. Not great, but competent. "Not enough action" isn't really an issue for me because, well, I just love the story. I didn't care for it much back in the day, but when I watch it now, as an adult, I have so much more respect for it. I mean... it's about a culture dying. Not actual LIVES being lost, but something almost as tragic. This thriving civilization crumbling away, its people losing their livelihood, forgetting their values and regressing to a tribal state, the heroes giving up their youth and powers just to wake them up and preserve whatever shred of their culture they can, 'cause they're just that committed to saving anyone they can as their world falls apart around them. That's a REALLY good story, and for the most part, it plays out really well.

Well, of course, I know the game isn't good, but they shold've just given a year or more of developement and it would've been better than Bionicle The Game for the simple fact of it containing the Kanohi hunt and actually usable powers.

 

And I truely don't like the movies at all. The most impressive thing about Bionicle 2 is the CGI.

Yes, story is good, but that's one of the big things missing in B2!

 

 

I'm sorry, but I think this "lack of story" complaint is just silly. You can't expect them to cover all of the books that had been written leading to that, and I'm honestly glad they didn't make a generic scavenger hunt for the greats disks the main focus! Sure, it would've been cool to see the Morbuzahk, but we didn't NEED to because it... really wasn't that important in the end. Books are not movies, and acting out a book (or in this case, a few books) word for word, a good screenplay does not make. The narrative would just suffer. It's not that there's NO story, or even not enough. It's that they narrowed the scope and focus of the story down to things that mattered most and made for a tighter, more flowing narrative as a movie, and a measly 75 minute one at that. Considering what they had to work with, I think they made something that gets to the point and has great emotional weight to it, and THAT'S what makes it a cut above the rest... to me, anyway.

Edited March 11, 2014 by NickonAquaMagna

[believe victims]

My biggest disappointment was the downward spiral of the story from 2006 on to an ending that was rushed and unsatisfactory.

 

Oh, and Vezon becoming Greg's favorite character write about, so much so that he became a good half of the serials.

[Tattorack]

I'm sorry, but I think this "lack of story" complaint is just silly. You can't expect them to cover all of the books that had been written leading to that, and I'm honestly glad they didn't make a generic scavenger hunt for the greats disks the main focus! Sure, it would've been cool to see the Morbuzahk, but we didn't NEED to because it... really wasn't that important in the end. Books are not movies, and acting out a book (or in this case, a few books) word for word, a good screenplay does not make. The narrative would just suffer. It's not that there's NO story, or even not enough. It's that they narrowed the scope and focus of the story down to things that mattered most and made for a tighter, more flowing narrative as a movie, and a measly 75 minute one at that. Considering what they had to work with, I think they made something that gets to the point and has great emotional weight to it, and THAT'S what makes it a cut above the rest... to me, anyway.

 

I do. Its not "the Bionicle story" without it. And whoever said they'd have to turn all the story of 2004 into just one movie? Or one really short movie?

Lord of the Rings managed to do it. Game of Thrones is doing it even better.

I didn't watch the movie now, I watched it when it came out. I was 10 years old then, and found the story very shallow and the characters quite unrelatable.

A good screenplay writer, director and producer would've been able to turn the disk hun and the Morbuzak, and perhaps the entire event of 2004, into a very exciting and story driven movie that leaves out or changes certain parts but manages to tell the entire story anyway. None of the movies are that.

[NickonAquaMagna]

 

I'm sorry, but I think this "lack of story" complaint is just silly. You can't expect them to cover all of the books that had been written leading to that, and I'm honestly glad they didn't make a generic scavenger hunt for the greats disks the main focus! Sure, it would've been cool to see the Morbuzahk, but we didn't NEED to because it... really wasn't that important in the end. Books are not movies, and acting out a book (or in this case, a few books) word for word, a good screenplay does not make. The narrative would just suffer. It's not that there's NO story, or even not enough. It's that they narrowed the scope and focus of the story down to things that mattered most and made for a tighter, more flowing narrative as a movie, and a measly 75 minute one at that. Considering what they had to work with, I think they made something that gets to the point and has great emotional weight to it, and THAT'S what makes it a cut above the rest... to me, anyway.

 

I do. Its not "the Bionicle story" without it. And whoever said they'd have to turn all the story of 2004 into just one movie? Or one really short movie?

Lord of the Rings managed to do it. Game of Thrones is doing it even better.

I didn't watch the movie now, I watched it when it came out. I was 10 years old then, and found the story very shallow and the characters quite unrelatable.

A good screenplay writer, director and producer would've been able to turn the disk hun and the Morbuzak, and perhaps the entire event of 2004, into a very exciting and story driven movie that leaves out or changes certain parts but manages to tell the entire story anyway. None of the movies are that.

 

 

It isn't "The Bionicle story" without the hunt for the great disks? but... why? They're just that year's mcguffins.

 

You HAVE to understand how unreasonable and nitpicky you sound. In order to cover soooo much material, they would either have to-

 

A. Focus less on Makuta and the plan to corrupt the Matoran, which is what the story's REALLY about.

 

B. Make the movie super duper long, like The Lord of The Rings. They didn't have the budget or the time to do that.

 

We're not talking about a 3 hour movie, or a multi-parter, or an ongoing series like Game of Thrones where you... well... have the time needed to cover all that stuff. You're expecting too much for such an admittedly SMALL project. They had a story to tell, and they told what needed to be told with what little they had.

 

They can't do everything, man. They had to cut corners wherever they could, and I'm happy with what they left in, because, again, what we got was where the real emotional core of the story was, and that's what matters most. I would much rather have a story that's easy to follow and, well, has a clear point to it, than see every little thing about a larger narrative condensed into a mess of a toy commercial with no quiet moments or flow. It's a movie, not a documentary.

 

Keep in mind, there are things about the movie that I myself don't like, and would like to see done differently... but those are just personal things for me as a Bionicle fan that wouldn't actually make it a better MOVIE, instead potentially sacrificing narrative in order to pander to me from moment to moment.

Edited March 11, 2014 by NickonAquaMagna

[Sir Kohran]

 

I'm sorry, but I think this "lack of story" complaint is just silly. You can't expect them to cover all of the books that had been written leading to that, and I'm honestly glad they didn't make a generic scavenger hunt for the greats disks the main focus! Sure, it would've been cool to see the Morbuzahk, but we didn't NEED to because it... really wasn't that important in the end. Books are not movies, and acting out a book (or in this case, a few books) word for word, a good screenplay does not make. The narrative would just suffer. It's not that there's NO story, or even not enough. It's that they narrowed the scope and focus of the story down to things that mattered most and made for a tighter, more flowing narrative as a movie, and a measly 75 minute one at that. Considering what they had to work with, I think they made something that gets to the point and has great emotional weight to it, and THAT'S what makes it a cut above the rest... to me, anyway.

 

I do. Its not "the Bionicle story" without it. And whoever said they'd have to turn all the story of 2004 into just one movie? Or one really short movie?

Lord of the Rings managed to do it. Game of Thrones is doing it even better.

I didn't watch the movie now, I watched it when it came out. I was 10 years old then, and found the story very shallow and the characters quite unrelatable.

A good screenplay writer, director and producer would've been able to turn the disk hun and the Morbuzak, and perhaps the entire event of 2004, into a very exciting and story driven movie that leaves out or changes certain parts but manages to tell the entire story anyway. None of the movies are that.

 

 

The Lord of the Rings trilogy was one of the biggest undertakings in cinematic history with a budget of over $200 million. It's only on that level that a whole array of different plotlines and events can be covered. You can't seriously compare a production made for a kids' toyline to that. A Bionicle movie simply doesn't get the sort of budget that a huge amount of storytelling requires.

 

Game of Thrones is a television series that isn't really relevant to a discussion about movies.

[fishers64]

The way in which the "appearance" of the Toa Mata in the Lego movie isn't my greatest Bionicle disappointment; nonetheless, the fact that Lego didn't need to put the Toa Mata in the film at all, but decided to do so in a not-so-appreciatory way surprised me when I saw The Lego Movie. The only qualm that I have with it was that I just didn't expect it to be that way.

 

Another way to view Wyldstyle's comment is "not relevant to this story" (that is, the story of the Lego movie) because, let's face it, it's not.

 

But I get where you're coming from - it kinda sucks that couldn't paint Bionicle in a more positive light, especially in a movie that's supposed to be a celebration of all things Lego.

 

I don't know, my opinion of the Lego Movie was that it was kinda okay. Not the "the best movie ever", but not "the worst thing ever" either. It's a comedy that will leave you glowing after the end of it, but then the effect quickly wears off because it's somewhat brainless at the core. That might be tainting my viewpoints here - it's also one of those things that was overhyped, so you kinda feel bad saying "I don't like this." because you're a Lego fan, so you're supposed to like it.

 

Me always a Bionicle fan first, though.

 

The movies, none of them can be considered canon! They're all palefractions of the actualstory. With the exception of the fourth one, none of them actually follow the story in the comics and books and the "action" is terrible. (Zack Snyder or Micheal Bay should've directedand produced the movies... :C )

Actually, in some cases the movies are more canon than the books. Also Micheal Bay should not be anywhere near Bionicle. That has been established quite firmly in previous topics, and is one of the few things that Lego can agree with us on.

[bonesiii]

The movies, none of them can be considered canon! They're all palefractions of the actualstory. With the exception of the fourth one, none of them actually follow the story in the comics and books

This part of your post confused me. Why would them telling different stories from other sources make them non-canon? One book doesn't tell the same story as another book. (And besides, the movies you're referring to had book versions...) They are entirely consistent with the comics and books and designed to fit inside them. It was very intentional that the comics, etc. didn't spoil what would happen in the movies. All you need to do is follow all three in the right order to understand (which was admittedly much easier at the time when they were being released in order).

 

In any case, as others said, the Bionicle movies are canon, with only a few minor exceptions of artistic license here and there (like the "hammerspace" which was only to save money as they were on a very limited budget).

[Azani]

 

I'm sorry, but I think this "lack of story" complaint is just silly. You can't expect them to cover all of the books that had been written leading to that, and I'm honestly glad they didn't make a generic scavenger hunt for the greats disks the main focus! Sure, it would've been cool to see the Morbuzahk, but we didn't NEED to because it... really wasn't that important in the end. Books are not movies, and acting out a book (or in this case, a few books) word for word, a good screenplay does not make. The narrative would just suffer. It's not that there's NO story, or even not enough. It's that they narrowed the scope and focus of the story down to things that mattered most and made for a tighter, more flowing narrative as a movie, and a measly 75 minute one at that. Considering what they had to work with, I think they made something that gets to the point and has great emotional weight to it, and THAT'S what makes it a cut above the rest... to me, anyway.

I do. Its not "the Bionicle story" without it. And whoever said they'd have to turn all the story of 2004 into just one movie? Or one really short movie?

Lord of the Rings managed to do it. Game of Thrones is doing it even better.

I didn't watch the movie now, I watched it when it came out. I was 10 years old then, and found the story very shallow and the characters quite unrelatable.

A good screenplay writer, director and producer would've been able to turn the disk hun and the Morbuzak, and perhaps the entire event of 2004, into a very exciting and story driven movie that leaves out or changes certain parts but manages to tell the entire story anyway. None of the movies are that.

 

You don't think that two films would be too expensive for Lego to promote one year's worth of toys? Lego didn't have incentive to make two 2004 films because the films existed only to promote Lego's toys. There weren't nearly enough toys in 2004 alone to warrant Lego making another film. And, as Nick said above, I don't think that a second film would necessarily add much to the story of 2004.

[Sybre]

The Legend Reborn movie. Left out characters I wanted to see, like Gelu. DA MITEE TOOMAH fight was pretty disappointing, but what I was really disappointed about was the lack of big Mata Nui. I thought Mata Nui would transform and crush DA MITEE TOOMUH, but no. No transformation.

[Just A Dot]

Disclaimer: I have not seen The LEGO Movie yet and had no idea before seeing this topic that there was any Bionicle allusion.

 

That said, I'm a little confused as to what anybody would be expecting out of a movie that is about minifigs? They exist in an entirely different "universe of scale" -- Toa are roughly human height but made of LEGO pieces sized way bigger than minifigs, which kind of represent human figures, and this movie is aimed at a wider audience. It would feel weird for most people to see Toa as giants; they either might think "mini" in minifig is meant literally, or might mistake Bionicle for a story about giants. And if they made Toa minifig-sized, it might feel too weird to your average Bionicle fans. A poster actually sounds like the perfect solution to me; when I read the first post here that said it was disappointing, and then saw someone clarify it was a poster, frankly my thought was "well... what else could it be? That sounds just like what we should expect..."

 

Sorry to have spoiled that for you.

 

I actually wouldn't have minded seeing a Toa who was about 8 inches tall, towering over a minifigure. That would have made perfect sense to me, and I think a viewer unfamiliar with BIONICLE would be able to gather that the sets are just bigger.

[Tattorack]

Actually, in some cases the movies are more canon than the books.

 

This part of your post confused me. Why would them telling different stories from other sources make them non-canon? One book doesn't tell the same story as another book. (And besides, the movies you're referring to had book versions...) They are entirely consistent with the comics and books and designed to fit inside them. It was very intentional that the comics, etc. didn't spoil what would happen in the movies. All you need to do is follow all three in the right order to understand (which was admittedly much easier at the time when they were being released in order).

In any case, as others said, the Bionicle movies are canon, with only a few minor exceptions of artistic license here and there (like the "hammerspace" which was only to save money as they were on a very limited budget).

 

If that were so, what about the Morbuzak (that wasn't even mentioned)? Or the actual first encounter with the Rahkshi the Nuva had in the comics?

 

Also Micheal Bay should not be anywhere near Bionicle. That has been established quite firmly in previous topics, and is one of the few things that Lego can agree with us on.

 

Hmm... yeah, too many explosion I suppose...

 

 

We're not talking about a 3 hour movie, or a multi-parter, or an ongoing series like Game of Thrones where you... well... have the time needed to cover all that stuff. You're expecting too much for such an admittedly SMALL project. They had a story to tell, and they told what needed to be told with what little they had.

 

The Lord of the Rings trilogy was one of the biggest undertakings in cinematic history with a budget of over $200 million. It's only on that level that a whole array of different plotlines and events can be covered. You can't seriously compare a production made for a kids' toyline to that. A Bionicle movie simply doesn't get the sort of budget that a huge amount of storytelling requires.

Game of Thrones is a television series that isn't really relevant to a discussion about movies.

 

Wich is why I generally think Bionicle movies would've been a lot better off if they made a series from it.

And then made a movie.

[NickonAquaMagna]

If that were so, what about the Morbuzak (that wasn't even mentioned)? Or the actual first encounter with the Rahkshi the Nuva had in the comics?

 

Hmm... yeah, too many explosion I suppose...

Wich is why I generally think Bionicle movies would've been a lot better off if they made a series from it.

And then made a movie.

 

 

Gosh, it's getting hard to keep so many quotes sorted out.

 

Anyway... I'm pretty sure the comics aren't as important to Lego as the movies. Around that time, the comics kinda became their own thing that supplemented the movies, not the other way around. If either is to be considered more "real" than the other, it may as well be the movies. If you don't feel they should be considered canon simply because you don't like them, well... that's not going to change it.

 

Also, Micheal Bay just isn't that good at making a legitimately good story.

 

Maybe you're right about Bionicle being better off as a series. I've had the same thought, before. However, Lego just couldn't do that back then. Computer animation wasn't as commonly used as it is nowadays, and while it may be feasible to take that road if Bionicle was still being produced NOW... back then, that was just too much to ask for. That's why, considering what little time and resources they could spare on even one production, I think Bionicle 2 turned out well. They made due with what they got.

[Tattorack]

Anyway... I'm pretty sure the comics aren't as important to Lego as the movies. Around that time, the comics kinda became their own thing that supplemented the movies, not the other way around. If either is to be considered more "real" than the other, it may as well be the movies. If you don't feel they should be considered canon simply because you don't like them, well... that's not going to change it.

 

I'm not considering the movies none canon because I don't like them. Its because they simply aren't. They have canon elements... but they are in no way the story of that year.

 

Also, Micheal Bay just isn't that good at making a legitimately good story.

 

Because he preferres explosions? XD

 

Maybe you're right about Bionicle being better off as a series. I've had the same thought, before. However, Lego just couldn't do that back then. Computer animation wasn't as commonly used as it is nowadays, and while it may be feasible to take that road if Bionicle was still being produced NOW... back then, that was just too much to ask for. That's why, considering what little time and resources they could spare on even one production, I think Bionicle 2 turned out well. They made due with what they got.

 

They could've stayed with flash animations, but instead put as much effort and budget into the flash animation series as they would've into the movie.

The first season would obviously be not so great, but the next one.... and after that......

[bonesiii]

T, sorry but the movies are canon. I have no idea what you mean about "not the story of the year." My only guess is, like I said earlier, you may be forgetting that the comics had to avoid spoiling movie plot so that people would feel they needed to buy the movies -- but this applies to most stories. The movies actually are the central plot of each year where there is one. (To the point that in other years LEGO opted not to have them so that the other media could get some of the more important plot -- of course, sales issues were also related.)

 

And again, it is not that they are non-canon with canon elements -- it's the other way around. They are "entirely canon except for a few minor details".

 

Does this help at all?

 

If that were so, what about the Morbuzak (that wasn't even mentioned)? Or the actual first encounter with the Rahkshi the Nuva had in the comics?

Those things were already covered in other story sources. (Also, the Morbuzakh was shown in a brief cameo, but that was the plot of the first half of the year; the movie for that year was the second half.) This is how Bionicle story worked -- every individual story source is meant to take place within the gaps of others or vice versa. At the time it all made sense as they were released roughly in order. (Part of the point of my retelling of course is to present the proper order to help out those confused by it now. )

Edited March 11, 2014 by bonesiii

[Fry]

Why does everyone care about the Morbuzah and the Great Kanoka Disks???? We got the comics!!!!!!!!!!! Why would it have to be in the movie? Personally I'm contempt with what we got!!! Either way, do you really expect a Lego movie promoting the toys. MAIN WORD: PROMOTING. Introducing *drumroll* VolumeAire and TrashBoat! These are my new group (from collage).

[Shadow Destroyer]

Anyone here ever watch Beast Wars? (Transformer tv show from 1996) I would've loved to see a Bionicle tv show done like that...

Edited March 12, 2014 by Shadow Destroyer

[Tattorack]

T, sorry but the movies are canon. I have no idea what you mean about "not the story of the year." My only guess is, like I said earlier, you may be forgetting that the comics had to avoid spoiling movie plot so that people would feel they needed to buy the movies -- but this applies to most stories. The movies actually are the central plot of each year where there is one

 

That still leaves a whole lot of things not even mentioned and not-too-well-fitting.

So its that kind of canon that fits into the rest of the story jigsaw with a bit of mashing and squeezing (kinda like what the x-men movie series is now).

 

 

Why does everyone care about the Morbuzah and the Great Kanoka Disks???? We got the comics! !!!! !!!!!! Why would it have to be in the movie? Personally I'm contempt with what we got!!! Either way, do you really expect a Lego movie promoting the toys. MAIN WORD: PROMOTING. Introducing *drumroll* VolumeAire and TrashBoat! These are my new group (from collage).

 

Then they should have left it at comics and put all the effort and budget of the movie into that instead. Then focus on movies later.

[NickonAquaMagna]

 

T, sorry but the movies are canon. I have no idea what you mean about "not the story of the year." My only guess is, like I said earlier, you may be forgetting that the comics had to avoid spoiling movie plot so that people would feel they needed to buy the movies -- but this applies to most stories. The movies actually are the central plot of each year where there is one

 

That still leaves a whole lot of things not even mentioned and not-too-well-fitting.

So its that kind of canon that fits into the rest of the story jigsaw with a bit of mashing and squeezing (kinda like what the x-men movie series is now).

 

 

Why does everyone care about the Morbuzah and the Great Kanoka Disks???? We got the comics! !!!! !!!!!! Why would it have to be in the movie? Personally I'm contempt with what we got!!! Either way, do you really expect a Lego movie promoting the toys. MAIN WORD: PROMOTING. Introducing *drumroll* VolumeAire and TrashBoat! These are my new group (from collage).

 

Then they should have left it at comics and put all the effort and budget of the movie into that instead. Then focus on movies later.

 

 

 

In other words, make a lackluster movie because you like the comics more? Come on. You seem to have this weird impression that the movie "erased" the Morbuzahk and all of the material from the Adventures books. um... no. Just because they didn't bother to delve into that stuff doesn't mean they're saying it didn't happen. Sure, there are some little things in the comics (at least later on), that kinda sorta conflict with the movie a little bit, but that's only because it's a different take on some of the same things.

 

In the end, the movie is just one part of a larger story, and there's no reason they should've been expected to cram that entire story into one bloated toy commercial, and go into a bunch of things you'd already seen in other media. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a lot of surprises to be found in the movie itself, and thus, nothing to be gained from watching it. It would be like if the comics revealed that Takanuva was Takua in the issue where he appears. It's just silly to expect them to dump EVERYTHING into one medium. They chose to tell what was MOST IMPORTANT about that year, and let the movie stand on its own for that.

 

You seem to think there's something wrong with them doing that, but... no. There isn't. You sound like you need to learn a few things about movies.

 

And about your earlier question, no, it's not just cause he makes "too many explosions." Micheal Bay is a ham with a warped view of reality and what people like that seeps into his goofy movies.

Edited March 12, 2014 by NickonAquaMagna

[Pupwa21]

Taking set wise, 2007-2009 (with the exception of the Barrkai.)

 

Story wise, Was 2010, Kinda feels rushed.

[bonesiii]

That still leaves a whole lot of things not even mentioned and not-too-well-fitting.

So its that kind of canon that fits into the rest of the story jigsaw with a bit of mashing and squeezing

To the first point, had the movies mentioned other things, first of all they wouldn't be relevant to the movie's main plot so would just confuse more casual viewers, and second, the movie would end up much longer, probably over budget. Also, it would rob them from other sources where they were meant to be.

 

To the second, keep in mind Bionicle was intentionally meant to require work to understand. From the very first comic this was established, such as in the note commenting about Nuju's riddle and directing the reader elsewhere to learn more about that. 2001 often referred back and forth between what few sources there were; MNOG did not mention most of the comic plot, the comics never showed the final confrontation with Makuta for that year and only mentioned it in passing in an introductory comment to the first Bohrok comic, etc.

 

So basically, this is nothing new to the movies; it was part of the "genre" Bionicle was intentionally trying to be. Yes, that creates a puzzle and it can be a mess at times, but the point is, that's not unique to the movies and doesn't affect canonicity. Just affects the risk for fan headaches.

[Tattorack]

In other words, make a lackluster movie because you like the comics more? Come on. You seem to have this weird impression that the movie "erased" the Morbuzahk and all of the material from the Adventures books. um... no. Just because they didn't bother to delve into that stuff doesn't mean they're saying it didn't happen. Sure, there are some little things in the comics (at least later on), that kinda sorta conflict with the movie a little bit, but that's only because it's a different take on some of the same things.

 

No, don't make the movie. Or if you do, make it then from where the comic, book or other media then left off. The movie was obviously made to introduce the characters and an adventure stand-alone from the books and the comics for somebody who might've never read them. Meaning the movie started "from the beginning", then make it also from the beginning or just leave it.

If not, then, like I said before, start it where whatever came before left off. Then it can fit nicely in as:

the movie is just one part of a larger story,

 

And there wouldn't be such a problem.

 

You seem to think there's something wrong with them doing that, but... no. There isn't. You sound like you need to learn a few things about movies.

 

I can tell a good movie from a bad movie and it becoming a bad movie does not only rely on its budget.

This was a bad movie, and it felt very wrong after I had watched it the first time and the two times I watched it afterwards.

 

And about your earlier question, no, it's not just cause he makes "too many explosions." Micheal Bay is a ham with a warped view of reality and what people like that seeps into his goofy movies.

 

Somebody seems to like it, look at the amounts any of his movies gross everytime (not saying that's a good thing).

 

Just affects the risk for fan headaches.

 

And endless discussions with your very confused little brother who is showing an imense intrest in Bionicle years after its cancellatin! >.<

Edited March 12, 2014 by Tattorack

[NickonAquaMagna]

Are you calling me his little brother? Uh... no.

 

As Bonesii said, this is just how they did things back then. Everything had a piece of the story, but never the entire thing. The movie didn't tell us everything about the Toa Metru's adventures, but it's not strange or "bad" that they at least showed us how they became Toa. Do you expect them to just appear with no introduction whatsoever? They tried to make a base for newcomers or people who didn't go through the trouble of reading the comics or the books to get to know them. They couldn't tell the entire story, but they at least tried to tell enough of it for the movie to, yes, stand on its own as a competent product. They at least TRIED to tell a cohesive, self contained story that felt complete. Whether or not it does will vary from person to person. For me, it does. However, it's not because of nostalgia or whatever. I honestly didn't like the film that much when I was a kid, myself. I mean... I thought it was okay, but it was strange to me. But hey, I was a kid and I missed the Toa Nuva. I wasn't able to look at it nearly as objectively as I am NOW, as an adult, having watched it again recently, and realizing how strong it really is on its merit as a film, and not necessarily as the most accurate telling of Bionicle's story. Maybe it's the same for you? I mean, it sounds like you haven't looked at it since waaaay back when and refuse to let your opinion change as opinions naturally do over time as you learn things.

 

I really wish you'd give SOME reason for disliking it that sounds remotely reasonable, or relatable. It's fine that you don't like it, but you make it sound like NOBODY should like it, without justifying that, saying "It's doesn't tell enough of the Bionicle story, so it's shallow," and leaving it at that. I'm gonna be honest... I think that just sounds stupid. Not saying you're a stupid person simply for having that opinion... just that it sounds like an unreasonable opinion to have.

[Tattorack]

Are you calling me his little brother? Uh... no.

 

Wait... what? No! Not you! my real actual second little brother! XD

 

The movie didn't tell us everything about the Toa Metru's adventures, but it's not strange or "bad" that they at least showed us how they became Toa.

 

The beginning and how they became Toa wasn't bad, its the rest afterwards. They could've just as well done that in another form, comic or book, along with the Morbuzak adventures, then afterwards had the movie. This would attract potential readers who only saw the movie to find out what happened before. Or they could've started it as a movie and anythng else later on for the intrested in continueing the story. OR.... they could've had a higher quality flash series that releases a 20 minute episode monthly or bimonthly that tells parts of the story and the comic that tells the other parts throughout and in between. Especially the last one would fit to the style of doing things Bonsesii mentioned.

 

They at least TRIED to tell a cohesive, self contained story that felt complete.

 

It felt more like the possability was there and they jumped at it impatiently...

Like you said before, cgi wasn't as big and cheap as it is now. Personally I would've waited a little longer with making a movie.

 

I really wish you'd give SOME reason for disliking it that sounds remotely reasonable, or relatable.

 

It had a nice-ish beginning, then felt like it took too many short-cuts to the end.

Same goes for Bio 3.

 

"It's doesn't tell enough of the Bionicle story, so it's shallow,"

 

It is just simply shallow. And not just because it doesn't tell enough of the year's story.

It contains so many missed opportunities that the movie itself felt like a missed opportunity.

 

I mean, it sounds like you haven't looked at it since waaaay back when and refuse to let your opinion change as opinions naturally do over time as you learn things.

 

Last time I saw it was about two years ago I think. I don't think I need to see it another three times in order to try and like something about it.

The more I see the film the more I feel they shot wide off the target. Some opinions just don't change, like I till don't like coffee, or beer.

[NickonAquaMagna]

Look, Tato.. I'm just gonna say one more thing. The thing you have to understand about that year is that it really was supposed to be one year. And the focus of that year was showing us what the Matoran were like before their civilization fell apart and they were reduced to the tribal state we see them in throughout the prior three years. They told different parts of the story across several mediums, and in different chunks, throughout the year, but it was all building up to the movie released in those final months, in which we finally see it all go down once and for all. It was the exclamation point at the end of sentence. It was the signature at the end of a memoir. It was nice to see all that other stuff, but the movie was the end note to it all. Even the ending of it feels pretty complete, that way.

 

Heck, I think Greg himself has even said that for a time, they're wasn't even going to BE a Web of Shadows, or Roodaka, or the Visorahk, or Hordika or any of that. Metru Nui was going to be a short break from what we'd seen so far, and we'd jump right back to Tahu and the others at the end of that year. Things didn't work out that way, but that was the movies' role, to be the final word on Metru Nui. It would've been great if they could've told the entire story over the course of a series of episodes throughout the year, a season of a Bionicle show, culminating with a season finale, a special that's... well, basically the movie we got in real life... but they couldn't do that. It sounds like you think the movie SHOULDN'T have been about Makuta taking over or whatever, but then... what would it be about? The things we'd already seen happen in other mediums? But, then there'd be no reason for the movie to exist. If it couldn't tell its own story, it would've been a HUUUUUUUGE waste of money.

 

Just... consider what they had to work with at the time, and what they were able to churn out to the best of their abilities. With all of that in mind, I think the movie turned out pretty swell.

[Tattorack]

Just... consider what they had to work with at the time, and what they were able to churn out to the best of their abilities.

 

And exactly because of that I think it was a bad move to make a Bionicle film at that time.

 

I really did not have that feeling of a conclusion to a buildup the movie was apparently meant to serve.

[Sir Kohran]

Good points, NickonAquaMagna.

 

Heck, I think Greg himself has even said that for a time, they're wasn't even going to BE a Web of Shadows, or Roodaka, or the Visorahk, or Hordika or any of that.

 

True, hence why the movie's ending is set just before the original Mata Nui arc began, concluding the flashback by showing that the Matoran were transferred up and the Toa fulfilled their destiny and became Turaga (it's left unclear how Makuta escaped his prison, but that didn't need an entire year or movie to address). By the time Lego decided to extend the flashback to use the Metru Nui setting again for '05, the movie was too close to completion to be changed so drastically. Had it been possible to do that, the second movie would probably have ended on a 'cliffhanger' with the Toa popping back to the city after discovering Mata Nui only to find it crawling with Visorak, and the third movie might've ended as the second one does. But as it is, '05 ended up as a long missing chapter within '04.

 

I wonder - if the initial one-year flashback plan had been stuck to, might the third Bionicle movie have been about the Ignition story?

Edited March 13, 2014 by Sir Kohran

[NickonAquaMagna]

 

Just... consider what they had to work with at the time, and what they were able to churn out to the best of their abilities.

 

And exactly because of that I think it was a bad move to make a Bionicle film at that time.

 

I really did not have that feeling of a conclusion to a buildup the movie was apparently meant to serve.

 

 

Well, keep in mind that these are your personal feelings about it. You may wish it wasn't made, 'cause you... find the comics more enjoyable or something, but do remember that a lot of people love this movie and are happy it was made. That's all.

I wonder - if the initial one-year flashback plan had been stuck to, might the third Bionicle movie have been about the Ignition story?

 

I'd sure hope so. Heck, I started a thread about just that.

Edited March 13, 2014 by NickonAquaMagna

[Azani]

 

 

Just... consider what they had to work with at the time, and what they were able to churn out to the best of their abilities.

And exactly because of that I think it was a bad move to make a Bionicle film at that time.

 

I really did not have that feeling of a conclusion to a buildup the movie was apparently meant to serve.

 

Well, keep in mind that these are your personal feelings about it. You may wish it wasn't made, 'cause you... find the comics more enjoyable or something, but do remember that a lot of people love this movie and are happy it was made. That's all.

 

I wonder - if the initial one-year flashback plan had been stuck to, might the third Bionicle movie have been about the Ignition story?

I'd sure hope so. Heck, I started a thread about just that.

 

I always did have the feeling that the Visorak/Toa Hordika storyline was inserted in to a point in the story where a bridge wasn't really necessary, as though the administrative higher-ups at Lego made the decision solely based off of how the Metru Nui sets sold, and the story team had to somehow fit in makeshift story because of that. There was nothing wrong with the 2005 story, but a few aspects of it appeared to be a bit forced. Keetongu, anyone?

[JAG18]

 

 

 

Just... consider what they had to work with at the time, and what they were able to churn out to the best of their abilities.

And exactly because of that I think it was a bad move to make a Bionicle film at that time.

 

I really did not have that feeling of a conclusion to a buildup the movie was apparently meant to serve.

 

Well, keep in mind that these are your personal feelings about it. You may wish it wasn't made, 'cause you... find the comics more enjoyable or something, but do remember that a lot of people love this movie and are happy it was made. That's all.

 

I wonder - if the initial one-year flashback plan had been stuck to, might the third Bionicle movie have been about the Ignition story?

I'd sure hope so. Heck, I started a thread about just that.

 

I always did have the feeling that the Visorak/Toa Hordika storyline was inserted in to a point in the story where a bridge wasn't really necessary, as though the administrative higher-ups at Lego made the decision solely based off of how the Metru Nui sets sold, and the story team had to somehow fit in makeshift story because of that. There was nothing wrong with the 2005 story, but a few aspects of it appeared to be a bit forced. Keetongu, anyone?

 

If I recall correctly, Greg always said that the whole 2005 storyline was made just so that Metru-Nui wouldn't be abandoned after only one year.

[Azani]

If I recall correctly, Greg always said that the whole 2005 storyline was made just so that Metru-Nui wouldn't be abandoned after only one year.

One would expect, though, that Metru Nui would have been readily abandoned if the 2004 sets had failed to sell well. A least one revenue-producing product of 2004, whether it was the books, the film, or the sets, must have been profitable enough for Lego to release an entire years worth of books, sets, and a film which were also set in Metru Nui.

Edited March 13, 2014 by Artakha's Nephew

[JAG18]

 

If I recall correctly, Greg always said that the whole 2005 storyline was made just so that Metru-Nui wouldn't be abandoned after only one year.

One would expect, though, that Metru Nui would have been readily abandoned if the 2004 sets had failed to sell well. A least one revenue-producing product of 2004, whether it was the books, the film, or the sets, must have been profitable enough for Lego to release an entire years worth of books, sets, and a film which were also set in Metru Nui.

 

True, but you'd think that if they failed to sell well than all BIONICLE might have been abandoned.

 

I'm sure it had something to do with it, but did--could the setting have had such an impact on sales that they had to use it again in order to have such sales?

[NickonAquaMagna]

 

If I recall correctly, Greg always said that the whole 2005 storyline was made just so that Metru-Nui wouldn't be abandoned after only one year.

One would expect, though, that Metru Nui would have been readily abandoned if the 2004 sets had failed to sell well. A least one revenue-producing product of 2004, whether it was the books, the film, or the sets, must have been profitable enough for Lego to release an entire years worth of books, sets, and a film which were also set in Metru Nui.

 

 

I think they'd just put so much work into cultivating this rich new setting that they didn't want to abandon it so quickly. They wanted to make the most of it.

[FallenCor]

*raises hand* I'm female, and never in all my years have I been even remotely bothered by the "wonky" gender ratio. :T ("It's raining men, hallelujah~" *brick'd*) Really, the only thing that might have needed some tweaking was the female personalities. The writers could have been at least a tad more creative with them, aside from "she's the calm one, she's the chipper one, she's the grumpy one..." etc. And even then you could apply this to a number of male characters, too, so it's not like it's that big a deal.

 

 

Also, Micheal Bay just isn't that good at making a legitimately good story.

 

Because he preferres explosions? XD

He can make any explosion look gorgeous, but he can't write/execute a decent story to save his life. :I

ANYWAY, on-topic: Aside from the story ending period? I think the biggest for me was the rushed final year. Here we are, seeing a new land for the first time, just getting used to it, when Lego pulls the plug. Despite mine and others' nitpicks, I really liked that storyline and setting. I would have been happy as a lark if they had let it go for at least one more year.

Somebody mentioned the golden armor thing, and while I LOVE the shout-out to the old days, I don't think the end of the story was the place for it. Whether they had the time for it or not, I feel like it disrupted the flow of the narrative? Yes, let's have Clash of the Titans and 300 going on over here while a couple characters go on a scavenger-hunt over there. Good plan.

I'm also disappointed that we didn't really get to see any other Matoran/Toa types aside from the main seven! Such a shame...

Hm, there really isn't anything else that stands out to me at the moment, but I'll end it with this: Movie Sidorak and Tuma. Enough said.