Gathered friends, listen again to our legend, of the Bionicle. In a time, before time, the Great Spirit, Mata Nui, fell from the heavens, carrying we, the ones called the Matoran. We were separate, and without purpose, so the Great Spirit illuminated us with the three virtues: Unity, Duty, and Destiny!
– Turaga Vakama, Bionicle: Mask of Light

As the father of two boys, I have just finished watching the four Bionicle movies with them. A strange experience to say the least; the Bionicle movies describe a world of heroic, living machines possessing a bizarre blended theology of polytheism and Eastern philosophy. Since I sat through all four, (some more than once) Goozlepipe presents the first of a four-part review.

When I was a child LEGOs were brightly colored, nearly indestructible plastic blocks that you could use to build anything your wanted… as long as it was roughly rectangular. But times have changed. Sleek and stylized, LEGO’s Bionicle (“biological” + “chronicle”) is a line of toys marketed primarily to 6 – 16 year-old boys.

The story-arc of BIONICLE is set in a sci-fi world inhabited by part-organic, part-machine beings in a subterranean world, which exists in massive domes underground. This world, “The Matoran Universe,” and its races were once protected by a Great Spirit named Mata Nui, until he was cast into an eternal slumber by the evil Brotherhood of Makuta, namely Makuta Teridax, and the world of the Matoran began to fall apart. Mata Nui has since been revived, with unfortunate consequences being Teridax succeeding in conquering the Matoran Universe and ruling it with an iron fist.

Confused? Well, that is part of its allure to adolescent boys. The confusing mix of odd names, titles, locations, and creatures is a secret language to which adults aren’t privy. Don’t feel bad though, during each movie I found myself constantly asking the boys, “Who is that” or “what is his name again?”

Bionicle: Mask of Light

Release: 2003
Runtime: 1 hour, 10 min
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Language: English
MPAA Rating: PG
Starring: Jason Michas, Andrew Francis, Scott McNeil, Lee Tockar, Christopher Gaze, Kathleen Barr, Dale Wilson, Michael Dobson, Trevor Devall, Lesley Ewen, Chiara Zanni, Doc Harris

Amazon Link: Bionicle – Mask Of Light

Synopsis: In a land of living machines, two Matorans are chosen to seek the legendary Mask of Light in order to discover their savior from the dark forces of the Rak Shekah. During the course of their quest, they will call on the heroes of their people, the Great Toa. These Toa, masters of nature’s forces such as Fire, Wind, Earth & Water, try to protect the chosen ones as they seek their destiny.

Mask of Light is tale about two Matorans: Jaller and Takua. One day they stumble upon a mysterious glowing mask and are told by their elders that it is the Mask of Light, which will herald the arrival of the prophesied seventh Toa. Toas are heroic guardians who protect the Matorans, and up until now there have only been six of them—the Toas of Fire, Water, Stone, Air, Earth and Ice. Jaller and Takua are appointed to find this seventh Toa, but the Matorans’ eternal foe, Makuta, isn’t going to make it easy for them. His brutish minions, the Rahkshi (suits of armor controlled by the slug-like creatures), are stalking their every move, just waiting for the right moment to pounce.

The animation is first rate for a direct-to-video movie. The use of lighting, shadows, a variety of effects and camera angles all combined to make this look really advanced by comparison to most animation styles. The animation is very fluid, with the mechanical heroes blending well with their environment.

The voice acting is acceptable, though none are standout performances. The technical aspects covered, what about the story and characters? The storyline was solid enough to carry the movie as a stand-alone project although fans more familiar with the series will get more out of it. In fact, the chronology shows that the events in Mask of Light are actually the last to occur:

The writing was good in terms of character development. As an adult, I thought there were some dark moments and some scary characters that might be a bit much for very young kids, but the situations are moderate and serve to punch up the story a bit.

As I alluded to at the beginning, the story also carries a surprisingly dense religious mythos. Its unsettling blend of polytheism and Eastern philosophy pops up in one way or another in nearly every scene:

• During an early scene, we learn that the Great Spirit’s evil brother, Makuta, casts him into a coma-like sleep and then unleashes his corrupting shadows upon the Matorans’ island home.
• During public gatherings, Matorans corporately praise the Great Spirit and beg for supernatural protection.
• An elder speaks of an ancient prophecy being fulfilled.
• The Toa of Water adopts the lotus position in order to “ponder the Great Thoughts.”
• Three Toa perform a healing ceremony to rid another of a poisonous infection.
• During a climactic battle, the Toa of Light and Makuta (who rules the darkness) fuse together, transforming into a separate creature greater than the sum of its parts.

Kids may say they’re not interested in this spiritual stew, favoring instead the heroic action and computerized animations. But one comes with the other, and children have a tendency to absorb absolutely everything they see and hear, especially when they like what they see and hear.

That caveat aside, fans (young or old) will consider it a must have though, and even an adult such as myself found things to enjoy here… once or twice. Though after repeated viewings I’m getting a little tired of it, but my two sons enjoy it and in that respect it delivers what it promises, never claiming to be more than it is.

Goozlepipe Rating: Really Liked It

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