Bionicle: Mask of Light

"Unity, Duty, and Destiny." Bionicles were my absolute favorite thing throughout my entire childhood. All the iterations of these beloved toys I adored, all the way up until they were canceled and replaced with the less superior Hero Factory line. I collected every figure in every era, so it's an understatement to say I cherished this film as a kid.

That all goes to say this was not nearly as good as I remember it being. The animation, script, voice acting, and fight scenes are all comically bad.

I wish they went for more of a Lego Movie approach and made the world / characters actual Bionicles, especially for characters like Makuta who honestly has almost no resemblance to its toy counterpart, it just would've made the movie that much better.

Part of this film will always have a special place in my heart because of my love for the Bionicle line of toys and pure nostalgia, but this is honestly a terrible movie.

This movie is a twist between Lord of the Rings and Warriors of Virtue. The concepts are similar, yet this movie has it's own uniqueness as well. I enjoyed it, though it seemed to not take its time toward the end. 7.8 out of 10.

First I need to say that I know way more about Bionicles that any adult should. I have an autistic son and anyone who knows autism knows that obssessive compulsive behavior comes with it. Well, his obsession (one of them anyway) is Bionicle. I know their names, their skills, where they come from, you name it. You can't go into any room in my house without stepping on a Bionicle. Anyway, I of course had to get the dvd the day it came out and was as excited as my son to watch it. The animation is first rate for a direct-to-video movie. Of course it's not Pixar but it wasn't supposed to be. The storyline is somewhat juvenile and you definately need to know the backstory to know what the heck is going on but the target audience is juveniles who know the story. All in all I liked it. After repeated viewings I'm getting a little tired of it but my son and our other kids do enjoy it and I think it's a well made movie that delivers what it promises. It never claims to be more than it is and from what I've seen on tv and the web, they aren't trying to push it on anyone other than Bionicle fans. I have to give LEGO some credit for that. They know who is going to like it and they're happy with that.

If you or your kids like the toys then the movie is for you. If you don't, well, wait for Finding Nemo.

I'm a huge fan of Bionicle when it first appeared as a Lego creation. The movie previews didn't appeal to me at first, but when I did watch it, I'm glad I did! The story line is a bit young, but the over all effect is fantastic! The characters each have their own unique personalities, which can be related to while watching. The animation is absolutely brilliant, I would love to work on something like that.

If you loved the movie, then I suggest reading the books of Bionicle. Their short and easy to understand, but they are a good read.

My favourite character would be Tahu and Jaller. Tahu, the brave but impatient hero, leads the group but can cause trouble along the way.

Though I can enjoy this movie at certain bright points in the acting, it is not an original storyline. The whole conclusion of my fandom for the first Toa was not very satisfying, but I liked it. I hope Lego can do better in story and in acting in the future. I must say the visual fire-works were amazing. I don't think anyone could boast of doing better. If criticism was cattle, I'd have a herd for this movie. But there were bright points that were worth the painful while. Michael Dobson probably had the best vocal performance out of all. His Kopaka was what balanced the good and bad performances in the film. Here comes the criticism. My main animation criticism is the gestures mostly of Tahu. Tahu was very womanly, in gestures and lines, and I found it a little amusing. Pohatu and Onua seemed to wait a little too patiently for each others lines. Gali overacted by minor degrees. Lewa was good and basic, and a little Mata-nui religious. Takua was a little over dramatic at times, but that was expected. Kopaka had a few flaws at first meeting. Music was cunningly Bionicle, and it is one of the highest rises, and you forget it is there, which smooths out rough spots. All of it together makes a feast for longing fan eyes, but not always their ears. This is a story for the faint of heart. This is Mata-nui's Lord of the Rings.