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Bionicle: Mask of Light

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Films

               Bionicle: Mask of Light
     Directed by   David Molina,
                   Terry Shakespeare
     Produced by   Conny Kalcher
     Written by    Henry Gilroy,
                   Tracy Berna,
                   Bob Thompson
      Starring     Christopher Gaze,
                   Michael Dobson,
                   Paul Dobson
      Music by     Nathan Furst
   Distributed by  Miramax Films
   Release date(s) September 13, 2003
    Running time   70 min.
      Language     English
       Budget      US$5.2 million
     Followed by   Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui
                    IMDb profile

   Bionicle: Mask of Light is first in three of the direct-to-video
   Bionicle movies based on the Lego toy series. It has sold over 40
   million copies worldwide since it's release.

   The movies revolve around an island called Mata Nui. The spirit
   protecting the island, put into a deep sleep, has returned and only the
   Mask of Light, in the hands of two Matoran who are assisted by six
   heroes, can return it to the Toa of Light and return his mask before it
   is too late.

   The direct-to-video sales made Mask of Light one of the top selling
   DVD's of 2003 in the United States, and has helped in the development
   of two more movies in the franchise. It was praised for its visual
   effects and sound direction, but thought to be average in its storyline
   and character development.

Plot

   Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

   The story starts out with the backstory briefly explained the story
   thus far (How Mata Nui brought the Matoran to the island that they
   named Mata Nui in his honour, how Makuta put Mata Nui into a deep
   slumber, etc). The story then shifts to the fortress village of
   Ta-Koro, which in located in a lake of lava. The island-wide Kohlii
   championship is about to start and Jaller is looking for his teammate
   Takua the Chronicler. He soon finds him, looking at a warning totem
   next to a molten river. Just before they are to leave, Takua picks up
   the totem, and the ground begins shaking. He drops the artifact into
   the lava, revealing a Kanohi mask that was embedded in the totem. At
   that moment, a wave of lava begins to rush through the chamber at
   Takua. He throws the mask to Jaller and tries to use a lavaboard to get
   across the lava river, but only gets halfway. Just as he is about to
   become "lava bones" (As Jaller later puts it), he is saved by Toa Tahu
   Nuva, Toa of Fire. The two then rush to the Kohlii field, and Jaller
   puts the mask in his pack. At the field, Turaga Vakama introduces the
   three Toa present: Tahu, Gali the Toa of Water, and Pohatu the Toa of
   Stone. He then introduces the three teams: Hewkii and Hafu of the
   desert Po-Koro, Hahli and Macku of Ga-Koro, which is built over a lake,
   and Takua and Jaller. The match caries on into the night, until Ga-Koro
   is the winner. At the end, the Mask Takua found falls out of Jaller's
   pack, shining a bright light on him. The Turaga deduce that this is the
   Mask of Light, which is to be worn by a legendary Seventh Toa that will
   defeat Makuta. The Mask of Light will lead its herald to the Seventh
   Toa, who is Takua. But he's too much of a wimp to admit it, so Jaller
   is mistakenly believed to be the Toa's Herald. Unfortunately for Takua,
   he still has to come along as well to chronicle Jaller’s heroics.
   Pohatu leaves to spread word about the Seventh Toa, and Gali has left
   already. The two leave Ta-Koro the next day on Takua's Ussal Crab,
   Pewku, with the Mask leading them to Le-Wahi.

   Deep beneath Mata Nui, Makuta is fully aware of what is happening
   above. He talks to a large statue of a Kanohi Hau Mask, which he refers
   to as his brother Mata Nui. He then decides to release three of his
   spawns of shadow, the Rahkshi, to find and destroy the Herald. On the
   surface, Gali is at the Kini Nui, a giant temple near the center of the
   island. The Rahkshi burst from the centre of the Kini Nui and attack
   Gali, who narrowly escapes by hiding in a nearby river. Realizing the
   Rahkshi are headed for Ta-Koro, she gets there before them and alerts
   the city. The Rahkshi burst through the walls of Ta-Koro anyway, using
   their powers of shattering, disintegration, and poison to wreak havoc
   and eventually destroy the village, but all the Matoran escape
   unharmed. In the fight, Tahu's mask is scratched by the Rahkshi
   Lerahk’s poison staff, leaving a sickly green scratch. He doesn't care
   through, as he is more concerned about the destruction of his village.
   Takua and Jaller are heading through the jungle of Le-Wahi, following
   where the past of light shows them to go. They are then attacked by a
   Graalok ash bear, and are rescued by Lewa, Toa of Air, who gives them a
   faster way of traveling, a Gukko bird, with the use to fly to the icy
   Ko-Wahi. Upon their arrival, they learn of Ta-Koro's destruction, the
   message sent by the Drums of Le-koro. Lewa then flies to Ta-Wahi to
   find out more, leaving Takua and Jaller behind. They are caught in a
   blizzard, and run into Kopaka, Toa of Ice, whose personality is as cold
   as his powers. Upon arriving at Ko-Koro, they are attacked by the
   Rahkshi, and escape down the side of a mountain. Kopaka is knocked out
   in the escape, and Takua tries to get away across a lake, using
   Kopaka's shield as a raft and the Mask as a paddle. Just as the Rahkshi
   close in, Kopaka wakes up and freezes the Rahkshi in the lake. Pewku
   (who had been left behind in Le-Wahi) arrives, and Kopaka leaves to see
   to his village. The Matoran then leave for the underground Onu-Wahi.

   In the underground network of tunnels, Takua gets lost. He is surprised
   by Makuta, who appears before him in the form of two glowing red eyes.
   He warns Takua that if he does not give him the Mask of Light, Jaller
   will die. Takua refuses, but later panics and leaves Jaller and the
   mask and behind. Pohatu and Onua (The Toa of Earth), are telling the
   Onu-Matoran about the Seventh Toa when Takua and Pewku arrive. Guess
   who else arrives: the Rahkshi, only different ones this time. These
   Rahkshi have the powers of fear (makes victim incredibly afraid), anger
   (turns victims against each other), and hunger (saps victim of its
   strength). As the Matoran are forced to flee from their villages Takua
   realizes this is his fault, as he is the real Herald, meaning the
   Rahkshi are looking for him. Tahu, Gali, and Lewa arrive, and Tahu's
   scar has gotten worse. When he is hit by Kurahk’s anger energy, the
   poison and the anger cause his to attack Gali. He is stopped when
   Kopaka arrives, freezing the enraged Tahu in ice. Meanwhile, Pohatu and
   Onua cause a cave in, and the Toa are forced to flee the village. Gali,
   Kopaka, and Lewa later free Tahu from his madness.

   Takua finds Jaller and the two head for the Kini Nui, which the mask
   says the Seventh Toa should be. Nothing happens, though, and all six
   Rahkshi surround them. The Toa come to their aid, and destroy all the
   Rahkshi except Turahk, who tries to kill Takua, but Jaller takes the
   blow instead. As the dying Jaller tells Takua "You were always
   different" the Chronicler realizes that the Herald doesn't find the
   Seventh Toa, the Herald is the Seventh Toa. Takua puts on the Mask of
   Light and becomes Takanuva, Toa of Light. He destroys Turahk, and then
   builds the Ussanui out of Rahkshi parts and flies down to Makuta's
   lair. After a "game of Kolhii" (played with a ball of protodermis)
   Takanuva and Makuta fall into a pool of protodermis and emerge as
   Takutanuva. The combined being leads the Matoran, Turaga, and Toa (Who
   had been lead down to witness Makuta's defeat by Hahli, the new
   Chronicler), through a gate in the Kanohi mask statue. Takutanuva, who
   is holding the gate up, then regenerates Jaller by sending some of his
   energies into Jaller's mask. However, this transfer leaves Takutanuva
   to weak to hold the door up, and it crushes him. As the dusk clears,
   only the Mask of Light remains. Takanuva is then revived as well, and
   his light makes a hole in the cavern, revealing the long lost city of
   Metru Nui.
   Spoilers end here.

Production

   Miramax and Lego made a partnership in 2002 to develop and distribute
   two Bionicle movies. The directors Terry Shakespeare and David Molina
   noted that there were several already existing interpretations of the
   Bionicle look, including the flash web comic, comic book, and CG
   commericals, and eventually decided to base it on the CG commercial
   look. After attending several days of "Bionicle school" in Denmark,
   they were given a grounding in how they were developed. Several
   features were redesigned for the movie, including the introduction of a
   movable mouth to allow for a more human character. Also, the characters
   such as the Toa Nuva were redesigned, beginning with the creation of a
   skeleton and muscles. For the design, Shakespeare noted that "The first
   film had primary colors that were coded to the areas and a younger
   feel."

   Two scripts for the Bionicle movie were created, one by writer Alastair
   Swinnerton (also one of the original Bionicle creators) and one from
   the other, Henry Gilroy, to see who would write the better script. Due
   to time constraints, however, the Gilroy script was accepted with some
   of Alastair's ideas included. He reported that the creator Bob
   Thompson, who had reportedly had some of the characters in mind for
   years. "I really made it my duty to stick close by his vision, while
   bringing my ideas of comical character and big screen action, all the
   while staying true to the LEGO ideals of construction and community."
   The Lego Company insists they would "never compromise their values for
   the bottom line." The movie was also an occasion for the expansion of
   the Bionicle universe by the addition of the Rahkshi and its line of
   toys.

Reception

   The film premiered on September 13th, 2003, at Legoland in Carlsbad,
   California, which featured a huge mosaic built of Legos and a special
   effects show. The DVD was one of the ten best selling premiere DVDs of
   2003. Cartoon Network acquired the license to broadcast Mask of Light,
   airing for the first time on April 17th, 2004.

   Entertainment Weekly gave the first Bionicle movie a "B+" The film was
   thought to be spectacular with its visual effects and sound mix, but
   lacking in dynamic characters, and possessing a simple plot, though
   others thought that thanks to skilled voice acting, the characters were
   allowed to grow. The assumption that people are already familiar with
   the story made it difficult to follow for the uninitiated. Some
   reviewers noted references to Raiders of the Lost Ark ,Harry Potter and
   Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings lauded film trilogy (whose final film
   was released in December later the same year) throughout the story. A
   video game based on the movie was released on the Playstation 2,
   GameCube, Xbox, and Gameboy Advance receiving below average reviews.
   There was also a novelization of the film and a line of toys from it.

   Bionicle won the Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in a DVD
   Premiere Movie. Composer Nathan Furst was nominated for his second
   consecutive DVD Exclusive Award for Best Original Score. Mask of Light
   was also nominated for Best Director, Best Animated Premiere Movie,
   Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, and Best Editing.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bionicle:_Mask_of_Light"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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