Customer Reviews

Bionicle 2 - Legends of Metru Nui

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The entire LoMN experience far superseds MoL as the ultimate incarnation of the BIONICLE franchise. It is not that I hold anything against Mask of Light, it was simply uninventive- rip-offs were everywhere, drawing from everything from LotR to Alien. This prequel is a much more original endeavor.

The special effects are simply breathtaking. From a shadowy hand reaching from an ominous cloud to the incredible action sequence in the forge between Toa Lhikan and... er, the bad guys, this film is a treat for the eyes. Character animations are flawless, and their movements are realistic. Sound effects are unbelieveable, and the musical score is the best I've ever heard in a direct-to-DVD film.

As for the plot: in the original, it was a simple "you'll-only-get-it-if-you're-a-fan". Otherwise, don't even try. In this one the storyline is easier to follow. There are a few moments of confusing dialogue, but just trust me when I say I've been to fan sites and trust me, the most devoted fans are just as mixed up--it's SUPPOSED to be that way.

The main premise is that Toa Lhikan has been captured by agents of an "unrelenting shadow", and had entrusted his powers to six of the inhabitants of Metru Nui- a carver, an archivist, an astrologist, a test driver, a teacher and a forge worker- who will take his place as the guardians of Metru Nui. These Toa quest around their utopian city for the Great Disks of Power, fighting against impossible odds to claim them. Not long after completing their search (told in more detail in the BIONICLE book series), the Toa- the title the guardians are given- are betrayed by the allegedly benevolent Turaga Dume', who secures three of them in custody. The remaining Toa quest around the island, struggling against the enigmatic Dark Hunters as they attempt to find Toa Lhikan, free their comrades, and unravel a growing conspiracy.

The over-view:

Pros:

Understandable, well-paced plotline

Incredible Special Effects

Good Action Sequences

Nice Music

Cons:

Too Danged Short

Characters Bicker Constantly

Overall: 9/10

I had my secretary's son (he's 10), watch this film and then he sent me a written review via e-mail. He gave it an A+. The graphics are "awesome" and it made him feel as though he was playing a game with "advanced graphics on my PS2 (Playstation 2)." It's a film that you will want to watch over and over again...plenty of action "right around the corner." "As soon as something happens, something really unexpected happens next." It's a movie that will keep you guessing and thinking. Buy it! You, and the youngsters in the family, will be thoroughly entertained.

I was sent an advance copy of "Bionicle 2" from Amazon before it was released to the public; now I have to admit that movies based on toys and video games like this and the Anime genre are not really my cup of tea, but I watched this with an open mind.

Having never seen the first Bionicle movie (again, these aren't my forte), the storyline of "Bionicle 2" pretty much went over my head, but the animation and effects are excellent. It's really astounding what animators can do with today's computer technology.

This movie is very low on scary images and there is no violence, so it's safe for kids to watch by themselves.

I really enjoyed this movie, even moreso than the first. This story has great rolemodels for kids and shows the importance of believing in oneself and standing up against evil. Vakama, the main character, is especially interesting because he's just this normal Matoran thrown into a position in which he has to save his homeland. One of the morals of this movie is that there is a hero in all of us. This movie is about doing what's right, even when everyone doesn't support you or think it's possible.

I also admire the fantasy world that the creators created. There are six different villages (one Toa or hero is from each one), and each have their own culture. Another topic that the film touches on is that of racial prejudice and how in spite of each group's differences, they can still form friendships and overcome problems together. There is some interesting interplay between the three Toa that are in prison and a wise elder tells them, "Your duty is to ALL Matoran, regardless of village."

The movie is actually kind of deep after you watch it a few times and get the characters and plot straightened out. The movie is also funny. Matau is probably the funniest character in the film.

I highly recommend this movie.

Bioncle 2 is a classic adventure movie for kids. It has elements of the storylines such as Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.

The story in Bioncle 2 is an old story: Good vs evil and finding the power within yourself to win. I, however, feel that the story is told well. The writers create a neat universe and use an easy to understand but someowhat advanced vocabulary. I was pleased to see words like archivist brought into a movie that appears to be guaged around 7-12. There is even a little bit of slapstick humor.

Of additional note, the movie does address "The Great Spirt" quite often and I think those who are interested in having movies of a religious nature might find it interesting to watch this movie with their children and discuss the themes: good vs evil, finding yourself, faith and altruism.

The graphics, music and sound effects are well used. There is cartoon violence but not much different from what would be found in Harry Potter and/or Power Rangers. I do think very young children might find the last 15 minutes a bit scary. I would advise if there were scared by Jurassic Park to be careful with having them view this movie, especially alone.

The family could sit down and watch this movie together. While it is predictable for adults, I think it is short enough for ages about 7-12 (or mature 6 year old) to enjoy it like they would afternoon cartoons.

This film remains me of that classic Groucho Marx joke in which he points out that a document is so simple even a four year old could understand it. Then, he quickly follows that up with "Quick, find me a four year old. I can't make heads or tails out of this."

And so, it's the same way with Bionicle 2. Adults will have no clue with on earth is going on in this weird direct-to-DVD CGI animated film. Kids, on the other hand, especially if they are big fans of LEGOs or transformers or such, will enjoy it immensely and will have an intuitive understanding of the plot. It apparently involves a pre-historical mythology about the land of these little living machine things. They are protected by bigger machine heroes (first one, then six) who must save them from an even bigger evil, chuckling machine-thing with bat wings. The plot borrows heavily from Star Wars (especially Attack of the Clones) and Ecco the Dolphin (that cool water-tunnel effect) and a handful of countless Japanese anime. There's nothing really original here, and the movie even takes a shortcut by NOT showing us much of the six quests performed by our heroes (presumably, these stories can be found in some comic books, sold separately, naturally).

However, the CGI animation is quite good, and the movie sounds really great. If you have a strong home theater system, this film will rock! Just be sure to have your kid handy to explain the story to you. This film is based on the LEGOs toys and is in English, but it might as well be in Japanese unless you have a kid around to "translate" for you.

video: 5/5 awesome, crystal clear
audio: 5/5 excellent sound quality
story: 3/5, no replay value for adults, plenty for kids
extras: 2/5 mostly promo junk, nothing truly worthwhile

Bottom line: Kids will love it, and parents might as well get it for them as a holiday present.

It makes me wonder why they didn't make this the first movie instade of the second. But I should I care it was still Great graphics were better this time. great action in this movie . If you're a Bionicle fan get this DVD. Hopefully the Third movie has a great story line has the First two did.

My son and I both enjoyed this tape and can't wait to see the next in the series.

This movie is great! It's just as good as SW Episode 2!Some parts were downright hilarious, now thats true.This is a good movie to watch, I should say. I rate this......5 stars!

OK, Bionicle fans, skip this review, since this is for people who wonder whether this is really as good as these Bionicle fans say.
Well, my sad answer is: It's NOT. It IS, however, FAR better than the previous (hideous) film--although there was really nowhere to go but up.
Pros: There are actually a couple of characters I LIKED in this movie, and some scenes DO actually WORK (a major improvement over the last movie).
Cons: The REST of the characters and scenes either make no sense or are just annoying. And "The Great Spirit" is so fake-o-politically-correctly-pseudo-religious that it isn't even funny. It's just CHEESY!

A lot of things didn't make any sense whatsoever. Like, the "Sea of Protodermis". What was that!? Nobody bothers to explain that it ISN'T just water that they're sailing and swimming through. I was only able to discover that Protodermis is their building material and was being researched and refined, because I looked on and in the box and was FINALLY able to infer what it was. But you should be able to understand a movie ON IT'S OWN!!! WITHOUT having to read and study and research.
Not even the fight scenes worked. Why on earth would you have to turn visible to fire a disk launcher? And when did Vakama combine the other disks? On his coffee break!? And what were they carrying their extra items in ANYway? And the Toa powers were SO unbalanced. ONE Toa (the most annoying one, to boot) gets not only two mask powers, but he gets THE BEST ONES! FLYING AND SHAPESHIFTING!? How is that fair? All Vakama gets is invisibility! Even the names are a bit shaky. I mean, come on--Onewa vs. Onua?! And the names "VAkama" and "NOkama" are too similar!
The only scenes that DID work were:
The one where Vakama and Nokama were talking in the back of that storage-vehicle-thing, and--
The other ones with Nokama actually sort of worked, too. Mostly.
These scenes were an improvement, but not enough to save the REST of the movie.

And everyone keeps saying how great the animation is! That bugs me. A LOT. The animation is--well, I won't go so far as to say "hideous', since the kikanalo were actually sort of animated well, and the backgrounds were pretty cool. But the moving, living characters? The sheer horror...... I don't know, maybe they were TRYING to make them move like the toys. Since THAT'S what they were like. EVEN STANDING STILL, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!! If their aim was to make them like people, then they failed miserably. They're akward and toy-like and just not fun to look at. I could go on for hours with all the problems they had.

In short, if you love Bionicle and know everything about it, this movie's for you. You might even understand some of it.
For the average viewer, you might want to skip it. Although it IS better than the first one.