Lego Bionicle: The Journey to One (2016) User Reviews

Friggin' Bonkles, Man

[tebarker-39309 · 4/10 · 17 May 2017]

You know that movie you always wanted to see? Maybe you were a big fan of some superhero and your whole life you want to see a movie about that character. You think about it a lot and and have clear dreams for what you want it to be like. Then that dream finally comes to pass, your favorite superhero or cartoon is made into a movie and you watch it and it sucks.

This show is like that.

I always dreamed of seeing a cartoon about Bonkles. Which were my favorite toy growing up. It should lend itself well to cool animation and characters, with a surprisingly deep lore and relatable/fun/complex characters for kids to get to know.

This show is not that.

Tahu sucks. Kopaka sucks (which is especially lame because he was my favorite). Gali is okay. Lewa is okay. Onua is in this show. I think. Pohatu is... okay, I guess. The Antagonist sounds like he only knows how to talk through his nose (which is lame because he looks like a badass). The ending is Deus Ex Machina.

I was disappointed. Did like the art-style and animation, though. And there was one funny bit.

But, a little piece of me died when I watched this.

A beautiful journey all across Okoto

[weraptor · 10/10 · 21 March 2016]

I'm reviewing the first season which consists of 2 regular episodes and 1 prequel. Starting off with the prequel, it is revealed that the story of 2015 (the webisodes) were in fact narrated by Narmoto, also known as the Protector of Fire. The prequel sums up the story of previous year nicely. In the first episode, called Quest for Unity, the Toa are set our to find and tame so-called six elemental Creatures, each one representing the proper element - fire, water, jungle, stone, earth and ice. But Umarak, the creature from the shadows itself, and mysterious spirit of fallen Mask Maker, Makuta stalk them. In the episode 2, Toa and their Creatures travel to an ancient Maze of Control in order to recover Makuta's former mask. But Umarak is cunning and retrieves the mask for himself. But Makuta's spirit overpowers Umarak, mutating him into a wicked brute...

Overall, the story is not bad, what am I saying, it is great (compared to 2015 animations). But the thing that stood out the most was animation. Although having few goofs and errors, it is very well done. 3D character blend into 2D word greatly. The voice-acting is done by different voice actors this time around and Gali finally receives a female voice. In the end, I thing the voices performed well and they resemble each character nicely. That sums it up.

Exactly what it should have been.

[bensoysauce · 10/10 · 9 August 2017]

The original BIONICLE storyline was deep with lore, stretched across multiple eras, and was told through multiple forms of media. This was a great thing, as those interested could dive deeper and gain a greater knowledge of the world. However, the 9 year long saga of the original BIONICLE is not something you can go back to and experience again easily. Main characters and locations are constantly changing, and the primary form of media changes along with them. While one part of the story is told mainly by comics, another is told by novels, web animations, or movies. And while the main objective of the story stays the same, it takes many turns along the way, and requires a large investment of time to experience.

Journey to One takes BIONICLE back to its core. Six robotic heroes are sent to a tropical island, which has been consumed by darkness. It is their destiny to collect magical masks and awaken a powerful being of good in order to defeat his even more powerful brother of evil. This wonderful idea is demonstrated more coherently and beautifully than ever before in Journey to One. The prologue episode perfectly summarizes the web series from 2015 into a 12 minute backstory for our heroes. Then we see them embark on their ultimate quest to defeat Makuta, collecting masks, uniting with creatures and battling formidable foes along the way.

The BIONICLE world has always been beautiful, and Journey to One showcases all 6 regions of the island of Okoto by seeing each Toa travel through their respective environment. The places visited by all 6 as a team, like the city, the labyrinth, and the dark portal are also all very visually appealing. The flashbacks to Okoto's glory days utilize an alternative metro nui like look for Okoto, providing a perfect backdrop for Ekimu and Makuta's battle.

It is known that the second generation of BIONICLE was cut short, but I feel it may be better off for it. What I love about Journey to One is that it's a confined telling of the classic BIONICLE story. You follow one team of Toa, on one island, on one quest to defeat one ultimate enemy. Any scenes in the past or future directly relate to the current objective. It's essentially what BIONICLE would be like told as a single feature film, and I love getting that experience in such an easily accessible way.

A perfectly concentrated reimagining of a vivid world and a classic story.

Not the usual LEGO

[ersbel · 21 August 2017]

This is not the usual Lego movie. There is much religion. And mumbo-jumbo. And the animation is quite unfinished. Probably even the production team was unsure about this series, so the budget was cut accordingly. The only quality: the cartoons are colorful. And that is about it.

Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch