Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru-Nui
Year: 2004
Director: David Molina & Terry Shakespeare
Starring: Michael Dobson, Brian Drummond, Alessandro Juliani & Tabitha St. Germain,
Runtime: 75 mins
BBFC: PG
Published: 09/08/22
Director: David Molina & Terry Shakespeare
Starring: Michael Dobson, Brian Drummond, Alessandro Juliani & Tabitha St. Germain,
Runtime: 75 mins
BBFC: PG
Published: 09/08/22
A second Bionicle film had been planned even before the first film, Mask of Light, had been finished. Thanks in part to the first films strong sales and favourable reception, Bionicle 2 received more support from executives at Lego and Miramax to meet a 2004 release. But would this expedited release hinder Bionicle 2’s overall performance?
In the time before time the island of Metru-Nui was protected by six Toa warriors who served the wise spirit of Mata-Nui. But when the evil Makuta (Lee Tockar) placed Mata-Nui into a deep slumber and began to spread his darkness over the land the Toa began to fall. The last remaining Toa, Lhikan (Michael Dobson), tracks down six Matoran, one from each Metru, and informs them that the fate of Metru-Nui rests with them. Once united, the Matoran transform into Toa, but with the Makuta drawing closer and the Metru’s in danger, so begins a race against time to find a way to stop him.
In the time before time the island of Metru-Nui was protected by six Toa warriors who served the wise spirit of Mata-Nui. But when the evil Makuta (Lee Tockar) placed Mata-Nui into a deep slumber and began to spread his darkness over the land the Toa began to fall. The last remaining Toa, Lhikan (Michael Dobson), tracks down six Matoran, one from each Metru, and informs them that the fate of Metru-Nui rests with them. Once united, the Matoran transform into Toa, but with the Makuta drawing closer and the Metru’s in danger, so begins a race against time to find a way to stop him.
Legends of Metru-Nui is based on the second major storyline from the Bionicle toys. Set prior to the events of Mask of Light, Legends explores how the first film’s Turaga’s (elders) became such. Primarily concerned with the exploits of Vakama (Alessandro Juliani) and his visions of the future, he must work together with the Toa’s of water and air, Nokama (Tabitha St. Germain) and Matau (Brian Drummond). Meanwhile the Toa’s of Earth, Rock, and Ice, Whenua (Paul Dobson), Onewa (also Brian Drummond), and Nuju (Trevor Devall) must escape imprisonment and reunite with their fellow Toa.
I have to say, the story to Legends of Metru-Nui kind of sucks. It’s hard to follow and relies far too heavily on your understanding of the toys mythology. I would consider myself reasonably well versed in the Bionicle storyline because I was so invested in it as a child, but Legends of Metru-Nui is a maze for me to try and navigate with so many new characters and plot elements that I don’t remember ever being part of the toy lines. None of these characters or plot details are given any introduction or explanation either, and the resulting film is a mess to try and understand. It’s also unclear how much time passes over the course of the film, because it feels like it happens over the course of a few days, but the ending and Mask of Light seem to indicate that Vakama and the other Toa Metru were Toa for years.
Mask of Light was surprisingly high quality for a feature length toy commercial that went straight to DVD. The animation was, for its time and budget, very good. Legends of Metru-Nui continues that trend with better production values. Whether it’s more detailed character models, smoother animation, or more expansive and intricate backdrops, Bionicle 2 is an all-round improvement. However, it still suffers from a number of the same issues that plagued Mask of Light. An inconsistent frame rate is the most pervasive issue that really starts to become noticeable during action sequences, and I even noticed some pixel flickering along the edges of the frame.
Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru-Nui is a considerable step down from Mask of Light. Whilst Mask of Light was far from perfect, it at least pulled its own weight when trying to adapt the Bionicle storyline into a visual medium. Bionicle 2 fails at this most basic hurdle, and therefore makes it difficult for me to even recommend to Bionicle fans, let alone newcomers. But this would not be the last we saw of Metru-Nui, as a third and ‘final’ film was already on the way.
I have to say, the story to Legends of Metru-Nui kind of sucks. It’s hard to follow and relies far too heavily on your understanding of the toys mythology. I would consider myself reasonably well versed in the Bionicle storyline because I was so invested in it as a child, but Legends of Metru-Nui is a maze for me to try and navigate with so many new characters and plot elements that I don’t remember ever being part of the toy lines. None of these characters or plot details are given any introduction or explanation either, and the resulting film is a mess to try and understand. It’s also unclear how much time passes over the course of the film, because it feels like it happens over the course of a few days, but the ending and Mask of Light seem to indicate that Vakama and the other Toa Metru were Toa for years.
Mask of Light was surprisingly high quality for a feature length toy commercial that went straight to DVD. The animation was, for its time and budget, very good. Legends of Metru-Nui continues that trend with better production values. Whether it’s more detailed character models, smoother animation, or more expansive and intricate backdrops, Bionicle 2 is an all-round improvement. However, it still suffers from a number of the same issues that plagued Mask of Light. An inconsistent frame rate is the most pervasive issue that really starts to become noticeable during action sequences, and I even noticed some pixel flickering along the edges of the frame.
Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru-Nui is a considerable step down from Mask of Light. Whilst Mask of Light was far from perfect, it at least pulled its own weight when trying to adapt the Bionicle storyline into a visual medium. Bionicle 2 fails at this most basic hurdle, and therefore makes it difficult for me to even recommend to Bionicle fans, let alone newcomers. But this would not be the last we saw of Metru-Nui, as a third and ‘final’ film was already on the way.