Bionicle: Mask of Light is first in three of the direct-to-video Bionicle movies. These movies revolve around an island called Mata Nui.

Plot

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 honor, 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 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 center 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 his village's destructions.

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. 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 cavern, revealing the long lost city of Metru Nui...

Production

• There are three referances to the original Mata Nui Online Game (MNOG) in this movie:
• When Lewa asks if they have ever ridden a Gukko bird, Takua states he was a Second once. A Second is what Le-Matoran a disk thrower who sits in the back of a Gukko, and Takua was briefly one in the MNOG.
• Upon arriving at Kini Nui, Takua is upset that they had to travel all over the island to get there. In the MNOG, The Kini Nui can be directly accessed via a passage from Ga-Koro, the village closest to their starting point of Ta-Koro.
• Jaller states that Takua goes out of Ta-koro every chance he gets to look for stories. He does this in the Mata Nui Online Game throughout the game. It can be downloaded here
• The Kini Nui's appearance is changed from its apearance in MNOG. In MNOG it has four large spires and is on a flat area of land. In this movie, it has six spires and is at the top a step hill with a river at the bottom.

Awards

Bionicle won some major awards:

• Saturn Award for Best DVD Release - Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in Direct to Video -Motion Pictures Sound Editors -Timothy Borquez (2004)
• Best Visual Effects in a DVD Premiere Movie - Shui-Wen Tsai, Duane Loose

It was also nominated in 2005 for another two awards:

• Best Animated DVD Premiere Movie- Sue Shakespeare
• Best Director of a DVD Premiere Movie- Terry Shakespeare, David Molina
• Best Editing of a DVD Premiere Movie- Craig Russo
• Best Original Score in a DVD Premiere Movie -Nathan Furst
• DVDX Award for Best Original Score(for a DVD Premier Movie) -Nathan Furst.^[1]

Quotes

• Turaga Vakama: "Trust in the mask; let it be your guide."
• Before the Kohlii game starts, Takua, Hahli, and Hewkii clank their Kolhii staves together and say: "Play well." That is the LEGO company's current slogan.
• Toa Gali: "I think my brother is worried about getting his fires extinguished!"
• Book: Takua: "Hmm.Can't say exactly.But I'm betting the word "irresponsible" would come up."
• Movie: Takua: "Irresponsible"

References

External links

Official Site

• Bionicle:Mask of Light Offical Site

Other

• IMDB Page