Small things that bothered you about Bionicle movies

[ToaKebaka]

This is a loose sequel to one of my previous topics:

Bionicle movie lines that sound better in other languages

So I think everyone is aware that some of the dialoge in the Miramax trilogy is not the greatest (but I don’t mind). However I cannot be the only one who first saw the movies dubbed in some other language and later found out that some of the lines differ significantly in the original english. There is one particular qoute in Mask of Light that always sticks out to me. This one is delivered by Takanuva in response to Makuta just before their match: Makuta: “When you lose, I’ll have that mask.” Takanuva: “I will not lose.” The line is rather bland and Takanuva’s delivery is very mechanical. But when I take the version I originally watched, the dubbed lines translate to: Makuta: “When you lose, I’ll have that mask.” Takanuva: "Forget about the mask, I’m not losing! This feels morre …

This one is sparked out of my interest in other poeple’s experiences with Bionicle movies. Namely any small, seemingly insignificant details that have always bothered you or you simply found them weird.
This can be anything from conundrums, design choices, storytelling, animation details/errors, or anything else.
Mind you these do not have to be negative things, it can also be something you find cool or better than other Bionicle media.

Here are some of mine:

In the second movie LoMM, it always bothered me how Nuju’s scope eye emotes. I get that character models for Miramax trilogy were made in such a way to express emotion, so they rely on lots of stretches in CG models, but this just seems off. This eye is supposed to be a rigid telescopic lense added onto the mask. We even see how the diaphragm works at the beginning when he inspects the Toa stone.

So then how is Nuju able to “frown” with the same diaphragm once he becomes a Toa?

By the very way a diaphragm works, this should not be possible. It’s not like it was needed to express the fact that Nuju is frowning out of sheer concentration, we have his whole other eye to tell us that.
This is just silly and it is one of those small insignificant details which have always bothered me.
…

On a more positive note - as many fans, I like the Nathan Furst score and in particular the various incarnations of Lhikan’s theme. During the Great Temple chase, a theme plays which has all the great musical motifs, but near the climax it “changes direction” (I do not know the proper musical term for this, maybe someone can educate me) and this cuts of the theme. I find this slightly dissapointing in a sense that I wish the theme had continued a little longer.
Imagine my catharsis when I sifted through the BioMedia project and found out that there was indeed the extended verion of that track! It was just as good as I have always imagined it would be

What are your extra specific experiences be it good or bad?

[Mr.Monopoly]

It’s always bugged me how Whenua exclaims “ALWAYS WANTED ONE OF THESE” when he receives his Earthshock Drills.

How does he know and recognise them? At this point in time, no one’s ever seen the tools before!

[Rukah]

Hmmm, could the Toa Mangai of Earth have one or another similar weapon?

[ToaKebaka]

Huh, I never thought of that one. Good point! It implies Earthshock drills are a commercially available product within Metru Nui.

It should be noted that all of Toa Metru toa tools were pre-made and stored within the temple, but that hardly makes it that much more believable.

[TheJerminator]

@Mr.Monopoly

At this point in time, he’s the first person ever to see the tools!

We don’t necessarily know that.

The Earthshock Drills were already in the Suva, so we know that they weren’t made for him, and had instead been made previously. Then, with that being known, it’s possible that he had seen someone wielding another copy of the tools before, or perhaps even those exact ones.

That being said, I still agree that the line seems a little off.

@ToaKebaka

It implies Earthshock drills are a commercially available product within Metru Nui.

It would be kind of weird for Matau to be getting on Vakama’s case about choosing a common tool as his Toa Tool if Whenua did the same thing.

[Mr.Monopoly]

Also there’s that scene in Mask of Light where Takua proclaims “I bet no-one’s ever recorded this before” when examining the totem… despite the fact that there’s an entire staircase leading down there.

[ToaKebaka]

I think the staircase is the least of our concerns - that could just lead to that particular portion of the Lava flow. But what about the steping stones leading directly to it and being rigged like some Indiana Jones trap?
It is hard to believe no one, especially lava surfing Ta-Matoran didn’t try to examine the totem.

But I guess it was just a “warning totem” as Jalller said. Warning about what though? Do not pick me up?

@TheJerminator

It would be kind of weird for Matau to be getting on Vakama’s case about choosing a common tool as his Toa Tool if Whenua did the same thing.

Fair point.

[Mr.Monopoly]

@ToaKebaka

It is hard to believe no one, especially lava surfing Ta-Matoran didn’t try to examine the totem.

But I guess it was just a “warning totem” as Jalller said. Warning about what though? Do not pick me up?

now all I can think is that it’s just some sign that says “danger falling rocks”or something and the reason no-one’s ever examined it is because no-one would actually want to

there we go

[Heyzorks]

what annoys me is how most of the Movie characters look way better than the sets.

[TheTDChronicler]

What annoys me is Mata Nui’s sword that didn’t come with his set, it’s just so based that every time I see it I get reminded how his set never got one
I’d kill to have an official piece of it the jaller mahri sword doesn’t count

[Sonus]

The matoran sets are pretty great.

[ToaKebaka]

@Heyzorks

what annoys me is how most of the Movie characters look way better than the sets.

Which ones would you say look way better in movie form?

@TheTDChronicler

the jaller mahri sword doesn’t count

Well… it’s close enough I guess.

[Heyzorks]

@ToaKebaka

look way better in movie form?

Krekka and Nidhiki come to mind

[Lesnichiy]

Ooooh I like that topic.

So, some of the things I find especially curious:

Mask of Light

• When Tahu falls after the lava fall, he does so for ~20 seconds. So should be quite a distance. For how much time did Jala stand there and wait, until Tahu climbed all that distance back up? An hour? Yeah, their acceleration of free fall is not equal to ours and everything, but still feels a bit stretched.

• Argh, why Pohatu’s torso not upside-down.

• Why all Ta-Koro Guards have Kakamas?
  

  

• So Lerahk’s staff har 3 blades per tip, but they are not even radially symmetrical… Why did they do it at all if the didn’t want to fully redesign the piece?
  

  

• Vakama - the Legend-Keeper, the Takara-Leader, he of the Great Firestaff who farms the Mangai Volcano’s burning core. I mean, this moment is just a beautiful display of Ta-Matoran’s signature bravery.
  

  

• Why Takua is so uncaring, he didn’t even spare a moment to say a proper goodbye to Pewku?

Legends of Metru Nui

• Why his arm looks so much like a welding machine?
  

  

• Perhaps you are using inferior disks.

• On the subject of weird translations, in this scene, instead of “Why do I bother” Nidhiki says “I don’t think so, I know so” in my language version.
  

  

• Thank you, Nathan Furst, for my happy childhood with Lhikan’s theme and ideally fitting music for Vakama vs Teridax fight.

• Once again on the subject of weird translations: Teridax’ last phrase for the movie, “Even Toa Lhikan could not defeat me alone - how could you?” is changed to “Even Toa Lhikan could not defeat me alone - one in the field is not a warrior.”, which is a proverb in my laguage, and I think it adds interesting wisdom vibe to the Makuta.

The Web of Shadows

• Vakama toying with his launcher instead of listening to Norik is so rude. But an interesting detail.
  

  

• Soooo… Metru Nui’s Central Park?
  

  

• Wait what, Nokama has heels? (Literally just noticed while searching for all the interesting moments)
  

  

Might write abound Legend Reborn later, might not

[KanohiReqi]

The fact that none of the female characters had actual mouths besides Roodaka and Rahgah Gaaki. It was always a glow behind a transparent filter. It makes you wonder what would happen if they animated Marka and a ga-matoran with a kakama.

[DuneToa]

It was the same with the Kakama on the other Matoran in the movies.

[Mr.Monopoly]

@Lesnichiy

When Tahu falls after the lava fall, he does so for ~20 seconds. So should be quite a distance. For how much time did Jala stand there and wait, until Tahu climbed all that distance back up?

I find the thought of Jaller just standing around up there for hours on end hilarious, so I thought I’d take the time to find out how long the entire scene actually would take.

why did I do this

First of all, we need to figure out the distance Tahu falls, using the equation distance = speed x time. We can easily find out that the fall takes almost exactly 20 seconds, but we don’t know Tahu’s speed.

To figure out this variable, I’ve chosen to examine this shot, as it’s the only time we see Tahu move with a static background:

During this shot, Tahu moves from the point shown to the bottom of the screen in about a second. Now all we need to figure out is the distance.

The distance Tahu travels is exactly 10 times his own height, as shown here:

The average height of a Toa is 2.19 metres, putting this distance at about 21.9 metres in length. With both variables now known, we can perform a very simple calculation: 21.9 divided by 1. This gives Tahu a speed of 21.9m/s whilst falling, allowing us now to complete the first equation to figure out the full distance he falls.

By multiplying Tahu’s speed, 21.9m/s, and the time it takes him to fall, 20 seconds, we can find out the length of distance he travels, which comes to exactly 438 metres.

All we need to do now is figure out Tahu’s speed during his ascent. Since Tahu moves his swords at a constant rate during the ascent, we only really need to look at a single sword stab to figure out his speed. We can see here that he travels about half his own body height, or 1.095 metres, with one stab, with this action taking about 0.75 seconds:

By dividing 1.095 metres by 0.75 seconds we can find that Tahu’s ascension speed is 1.46m/s.

Finally, we can figure out how long it would have taken him to scale the cliff by dividing 438 metres by 1.46m/s, giving us a time of exactly 300 seconds, or 5 minutes.

So in actuality, the time frame everything took place in is completely reasonable. Huh.

[DuneToa]

In the end of Legends of Metru Nui, there is one Po-Matoran that is exiting its Matoran Sphere at the exact time that one of the Toa Metru transforms into a Turaga. Somehow, the Matoran never mentions to anyone that the Turaga are (or used to be) Toa. But if this happened in reality, he would have told everyone about “The Turaga are Toa!”

[Geetonguga]

In my version. Finnish, nidhiki says:

Krekka: did they go this way?
Nidhiki: I do not even bother to answers that.

Also what I like of the movies is the heart lamps. Simple concept that every moc has implemented. Thanks miramax.

What the heck are toa stars? First movie shows one is born but how and why!?

[ToaKebaka]

This is exactly the type of analysis I like Great job. Hopefully @Lesnichiy will be able to sleep soundly after this

@DuneToa

In the end of Legends of Metru Nui, there is one Po-Matoran that is exiting its Matoran Sphere at the exact time that one of the Toa Metru transforms into a Turaga. Somehow, the Matoran never mentions to anyone that the Turaga are (or used to be) Toa. But if this happened in reality, he would have told everyone about “The Turaga are Toa!”

This one actually does have an explanation. The memories of the Matoran were very scrambled and cloudy some time after awakening so, the Matoran either forgot or thought it was a hazy dream.

@Geetonguga

What the heck are toa stars? First movie shows one is born but how and why!?

As for this one well the ones in MU are Mata Nui’s thoughts, the ones outside are a mixture of real stars and projections from the Red Star.