TLR is terrible. The animation is supposed to represent primarily organic beings, so I don’t feel the praise it receives is deserved, but that barely even factors in to my stance on the movie as a whole. None of the characters are likeable or well crafted ( I could go on and on), not to mention it destroys, and I mean rips apart, characterization in all other forms of media previously shown that year. The Tuma fight is inexcusable, and the beam of light that destroys the Skrall is even worse. You might think it’s the best Bionicle movie and that’s fine, but it certainly isn’t a great or even good movie by any worthwhile metric.
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I haven;t watched the movies in a long time, but I think MoL is my favourite.
I don’t think disliking TLR is an unpopular opinion.
Of course, I was responding to the several posts immediately preceding mine that were discussing it.
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Let’s be honest: None of the Bionicle movies was good in any way. Pretty much all of them are as terrible as TLR. The only reason this movies are still remembered is because of the Bionicle fans. If it weren’t for us, those movies would have been completely forgotten.
So TLR might be your least favorite, but calling it terrible isn’t the way to go, since all Bionicle movies (yes, even mask of light) are pretty much terrible, but Bionicle fans still remember them, it’s not fair call only one of them terrible…
Not really. MoL certainly had the best soundtrack.
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I do like the soundtrack too, but the movie itself was just not that good. A movie critic will absolutely hate this movie…
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Your example is pointless, as the critic said himself that he doesn’t consider MoL that bad.
Also IHE is mostly a parody channel.
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I wouldn’t say that at all.
Obviously none of them are masterpieces. They’re basically glorified advertisements, let’s be honest, but clearly the original trilogy had a lot of heart put into them.
Most notable is the soundtrack for each film, which I would consider very close to masterpieces themselves. By far they are the one thing that everyone should know these movies for.
The animation itself isn’t bad, aside from maybe one or two instances per movie (something to be expected from a relatively low-budget, direct-to-DVD movie). What people really take issue with is the art style and character design which comes down to personal taste (in my own taste, I love it).
The stories of each one, while fairly basic, aren’t particularly contrived either, certainly not a bad story by any means. Overall, the original trilogy carries as its through-line the idea of coming into your own, of finding who you’re meant to be, which is a fantastic message to begin with. Alongside that, how many modern movie franchises can you think of that maintain a narrative and thematic through-line like that? I wouldn’t wager many.
If you look at the production behind these movies, the effort that went into them, and just the pure heart and soul they evoke, I find it really hard to say they are completely awful, or that they deserve to be forgotten. Objectively, I wouldn’t rate them as anything below mediocre, which is a lot coming from an age where most movies with ten times the budget are comparatively worse where it counts.
And at the end of the day, movies are art. Art is subjective. Don’t let the objective quality of something ruin its subjective meaning to you. The Bionicle movies will always have a place in my heart from what they gave me as a kid, and even now as a wiser and more experienced young adult there are things I can still appreciate in all of them.
#####yes, even The Legend Reborn.
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Just look at the reviews for it: Bionicle: Mask of Light - Rotten Tomatoes
I don’t say that the Bionicle movies are bad, they are ok for the most part, but not really very good compered to the new LEGO movies LEGO has produced. I like the soundtracks, but the story and plot of the movies are way to basic for my taste.
While I wouldn’t call them bad movies, they aren’t very good either. Just my opinion.
Um… there aren’t any reviews.
Check out the audience reviews…
Still the majority.
I know. And even myself I would give it a positive review. It’s a decent movie, but not really great.
As much as wanted to love this movie when I first watched it… I just can’t. As I sayed, the movie is decent, but not very good.
Really? Because in an earlier post you stated:
Definitely just decent isn’t it?
I was just saying that calling Legend Reborn terrible isn’t good, because pretty much all are as the same in terms of how good they are.
And they are decent for Bionicle fans, but not good in any way for non-Bionicle fans. That is what I (at least tried) to say.
But I have a feeling that the non-fans instantly stop caring once they lose track of everyone’s names.
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No one is saying they’re anything particularly amazing. The reason so many people love these movies is because of the effect they had on us in our childhoods.
I know you’re a younger member of the community, and that actually might have something to do with why they don’t have the same effect. The movies came at a time when Bionicle was hot stuff, but in an era ruled by Ninjago and The LEGO Movie, obviously they wouldn’t have the same impact on you watching them now.
You can’t really compare an animated film from the early 2000s to one from 2014 and on. Of course the new ones are better, they have much, much better technology at their disposal that would only have been a dream back in 2002 when Mask of Light came out.
The modern LEGO movies are also about their core System brand, something a lot more recognizable, popular, and marketable than Bionicle ever was.
There’s also the fact that the Bionicle movies were all direct-to-video or DVD. They had a fraction of the budget that the blockbuster theatrical LEGO movies nowadays have.
What I’m getting at is that it isn’t a valid or needed comparison to make. It’s like comparing a flip-phone to a modern iPhone. Of course the iPhone is better in every possible way, but some people still appreciate the good old flip. Quality grows with time.
I don’t want to come off as sounding like I’m trying to invalidate your opinion. What you’ve said here, that is your opinion, and no one has a right to make you think otherwise. And if you have your own reasons for having that opinion, then by all means, have it.
I don’t really mind if someone loves or hates the Bionicle movies, they’re special to me in my own way. Whether or not someone else feels that way doesn’t change their meaning or their impact on me.
What I have spoken against is what you’ve been using to “defend” your opinion. You don’t need to defend it, it is what it is. But these “defenses” you’ve brought up just really aren’t true. You’ve tried to make something a fact by using your opinion to invalidate it (it isn’t fair to call The Legend Reborn bad because you think all the other ones are just as bad).
And that just isn’t true, because it relies on your opinion being truth. And no one’s opinion is truth.
TL;DR:
- No one thinks the Bionicle movies are masterpieces.
- Because you’re younger, they obviously didn’t have the same impact on you as they did on others
- Don’t compare flip-phones with iPhones
- Don’t worry about “defending” your opinion. This thread is literally just for saying what you think.
- You can’t try and make a point that you can’t call The Legend Reborn bad since the other movies are bad, because saying the other movies are bad is your opinion
- EVERYTHING IS A LIE AND NOTHING REALLY MATTERS
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It’s sure not fair to compare an IPhone with an old phone, but even for their time, they were not very good. A good movie is one that will still look good even after decades since it’s original release. Even though Bionicle fans still watch and love them today, they still kinda look like they are older then they actually are…
But of course, that doesn’t make them bad.
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Okay, I get what you’re trying to say, but… 
No. Even flip-phones, in their time, were the most advanced cellular telephones around. Everything is cutting-edge when it first comes out, even old animation.
Again, I have to disagree, a good movie is one that people can still find value in. The aesthetics of a movie, while important, aren’t what make or break it.
Two good examples of this: Toy Story 1 and The Incredibles. Two movies that look ancient when compared to their modern counterparts (Toy Story especially, I mean, have you looked at what Sid’s dog looked like? Yikes.), but ones that people still watch, love, enjoy, and regard as great movies, even today. In the case of The Incredibles, even more so than the newer ones.
And usually that comes down to things more important than visuals, such as storytelling. I’m not claiming that the Bionicle movies are particularly masterfully written, but they’re at the very least competent, something you’d be hard pressed to say about many modern movies.
Yes, that’s what I’m trying to get at!
Anyone has a right to personally find them bad, or think anything they want of them. One just has to realize that their personal opinion does not and should not affect the opinions of others.
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