BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui is a 2004 All-CGI Cartoon film by Miramax, set in the BIONICLE Adventures era of BIONICLE.
The last of Toa Mangai, Lhikan, delivers six Toa Stones to the select Matorans so they would become the next Toa (known as Toa Metru), and before his capture, asks to unravel the conspiracy behind the disappearances in the city. While the Toa awaken to their powers, Vakama, a Mask maker, struggles with his new heroic role.
BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui features the following tropes:
- Adaptation Explanation Extrication:
- The greater details of Makuta's Evil Plan and why evacuating Metru Nui became necessary isn't explained. The lore tells that the Great Spirit was already poisoned by Makuta at this time, and when it finally lost strength (shown by two suns eclipsing) the Metru Nui became temporarily inhospitable.
- When escaping Metru Nui in the Vahki Transport, the Toa Metru drive into the Silver Sea to escape a squad of Vahki and Lewa hopes it can float which it thankfully does, but in the novels the transport is able to float because they strapped some of the Matoran spheres to the outside as makeshift pontoons.
- Comic and novel author Greg Farshtey shows up in the DVD's behind-the-scenes bonus feature, explaining that you have to read the comics and books to fully understand certain aspects of the film, such as why the Toa Metru don't use their Elemental Powers until the end.
- Adapted Out: Because of the simplification of the Quest for the Great Disks that formed the first arc of BIONICLE Adventures, the Morbuzakh and the Matoran who found the Great Disks don't make an appearance. Other parts of the Adventures storyline, such as the encounter with Krahka in the Archives in The Darkness Below, and the adventures the Toa Metru had when travelling up to the island that would become Mata Nui and returning to Metru Nui for the rest of the Matoran in The Voyage of Fear and Maze of Shadows aren't adapted either.
- All There in the Script: The credits reveal that the Le-Matoran controlling the chute station was none other than Kongu, a character from the 2001-03 stories who would get a more prominent role in later years.
- Animal Stampede: The Toa are rescued from Nidhiki and Krekka by a wild Kikanalo herd, almost crushing Matau as well.
- Big "NO!": Makuta yells when Vakama knocks the Mask of Time from his hands into the ocean. He makes an even bigger scream when he accidentally absorbs a column.
- Bittersweet Ending: While Makuta is sealed off, Metru Nui became a dangerous place to live and the cast arrives to a different island, with most of the Matorans still left behind, though the last scene does take place after they had been recovered making it seem like they were all brought in one go.
- Bullet Time: When Makuta confronts Vakama, the framerate slows down for the dramatic effect and to display the powers of the Vahi.
- Bullfight Boss: Nokama baits a squad of Vahki off the cliff.
- The Chooser of the One: Lhikan delivers the Toa Stones to certain Matorans, who would become the next Toa. Vakama slowly grows up from his insecurities about it.
- Compressed Adaptation: The movie focuses squarely on the Toa Metru's efforts to save Metru Nui from the Makuta leaving all the other side plots from the Adventures storyline by the wayside.
- Contrived Coincidence: Despite Lhikan personally delivering the Toa Stones to each Metru Matoran, and taking a while doing so, with no directions they all arrive to the temple at the same time.
- Credits Gag: The final parts of the credits contain various comical notes written in BIONICLE text, like "Stunt Doubles for Matau" or "Kikanalo Wranglers".
- Dead Man Writing: Lhikan leaves a device at the Great Temple that shows a message when all six chosen Matoran arrive and evolves them into Toa, knowing his time is short.
- De-power: Shortly after all of them awaken their powers and the Great Spirit acknowledges them as Toa, they sacrifice all of their powers to wake up the Matoran. Though Web of Shadows actually takes place between their defeat of the Makuta and the awakening of the Matoran, so they still have some time to be Toa yet.
- Devour the Dragon: Makuta forcibly merges still alive Nidhiki, Krekka, and Nivawk into his body.
- Die or Fly: When Matau falls off the tower, he suddenly grows wings.
- Driving Question: Lhikan asks the Toa to save the Heart of Metru Nui specifically, but doesn't elaborate what it is. He later explains it's all of the Matorans, disappointed the Toa thought rescuing him was necessary.
- Evil Running Good: As Turaga Dume, Makuta has been an undisputed leader of Metru Nui before the current events, and all Matorans have been following him into a trap.
- Evil Tower of Ominousness: The Coliseum gets surrounded by red clouds with lightning when Makuta takes over.
- Exactly What I Aimed At: Lhikan shoots a boomerang at Krekka, who dodges and then gets hit by a falling weight as its rope has been cut.
- Fallen Hero: Nidhiki is mentioned to be one of the Toa Mangai, before becoming corrupt.
- Figure It Out Yourself: As Vakama is the only Toa remaining to not awaken his powers, Turaga Lhikan says that it's something he'll have to discover by himself.
- Foreshadowing: Some of Vakama's visions take footage from the future scenes.
- Frame-Up: The Toa fail to prove their might at the arena, so Dume accuses them of being imposers responsible for Lhikan's disappearance. Dume is Makuta in disguise and has been keeping the real Dume sleeping in a capsule.
- Freeze-Frame Introduction: Each of the Matorans are introduced with a pause and their name pop-up.
- Gotta Catch Them All: Vakama makes an incentive to find great Discs from each region despite it not being part of his quest. Others reluctantly agree to it. These turn out to indeed be important and fuse together.
- Hallucinations: Vakama repeatedly has nightmarish visions about him failing to save everyone. Other Toa are weirded out by his behavior, but eventually rationalize it as messages from the Great Spirit.
- Hammerspace:
- In the beginning of the movie, Lhikan places a Toa stone behind his back, despite having no storage there.
- Vakama manages to store 6 Discs that together are about his size, somewhere.
- Hastily Hidden MacGuffin: While being pursued by Nidhiki, Lhikan asks Vakama to hide his Toa Stone, who shoves it under the pile of scraps.
- I Have Your Wife: Nidhiki holds Vakama over the furnace so Lhikan would surrender, then drops him anyway and Lhikan barely manages to shove Vakama away.
- Internal Reveal:
- The film puts heavy focus on the Toa unlocking their mask powers, with each being revealed in dramatic fashion. This being a prequel film, savvy fans would have been familiar with their powers for at least three years.
- Dume being Makuta in disguise is shown to viewers a while before the characters find out.
- It's All My Fault: Vakama takes blame for anything that happens, even in situations he has no control over.
- It Sucks to Be the Chosen One: Vakama thinks Lhikan has made a wrong choice, as he not only struggles at mask crafting, he has no faith in himself to uncover the threat to Metru Nui.
- It Was with You All Along: Turaga Lhikan tells Toa that the power of Masks is something they always have and isn't something they need to receive.
- MacGuffin: The Mask of Time is sought by both Turaga Dume and Makuta , because they are the same person. Vakama was requested to create it, but without all of great Discs it just doesn't work out. Makuta remarks that it's not really needed for his Evil Plan, but building his empire after he wins would take much longer without it.
- Mask of Power: The six Toa Metru need to find the right mindset for their mask powers to activate, without which they are often crassly outmatched by their enemies. Vakama in particular is obsessed with crafting the fabled Mask of Time, having been a master mask-maker in his private life. We also learn Makuta is using Dume's stolen mask to rule over the city, although in this case its power is more symbolic, as Makuta is not shown using the mask's actual regenerative powers.
- Myth Prologue: The movie starts with a brief narration about previous Toa (Toa Mangai) falling to the darkness of Makuta.
- Musical Spoiler: One of the soundtracks is bluntly called "Makuta is Dume".
- No Escape but Down:
- Lhikan escaped pursuit from Nidhiki and Krekka by jumping off the bridge.
- Matau escapes the Vahki ambush by running the Transport off the bridge into the ocean.
- No MacGuffin, No Winner: Vakama throws the Mask of Time into the ocean, so Makuta wouldn't have it.
- No Name Given: Nivawk the bird is never named in the film, although his name is spoken in the Japanese dub.
- Obviously Evil: After Makuta declares that he needs the Mask of Time, in the very next scene Turaga Dume asks Vakama if it's finished yet. Turaga Dume later uses Nivawk, also an Obviously Evil bird, to spy on Toa despite allegedly having faith in them, before declaring them traitors. Naturally, Dume is an imposter.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Vakama finishes melding the Great Discs into the Mask of Time while the Toa escape the city, but it's not shown on-screen.
- The Power of Friendship: When Toa reunite, they seal Makuta in the crystal beam.
- Prequel: The movie occurs before BIONICLE: Mask of Light, with Jaller appearing in the end Passing the Torch scene.
- Red Herring: Dume is acting as The Dragon to Makuta and has been talking to him through a dark veil. Actually, Dume has been captured the entire time and Makuta was Dume in disguise.
- The Reveal: There are a few:
- The film revealed how Turaga are created, and at what cost. Although fairly obvious to viewers from the outset, the Toa are surprised to find out that their mysterious helper is Lhikan himself, having lost his Toa powers and transformed into a wise Turaga.
- Turaga Dume, the ruler of Metru Nui, was Makuta all along, masquerading under the mask of the real Dume who's kept comatose in a metal pod.
- BIONICLE co-creator Bob Thompson claims that Lhikan's line "Makuta! You were sworn to protect the Matoran!" was intended as a twist, revealing that Makuta had originally been a good guy and that Lhikan had already known him. This is faintly foreshadowed in the intro, where the stone representing Makuta has a blue glow that turns red, symbolizing him becoming evil. The line was meant to set up a prequel film about Makuta's backstory, which ultimately never came to be — however, both the pasts of Makuta and Lhikan would be detailed in later books and online stories.
- Makuta's offer to Vakama to join him and his brothers hinted at the existence of the Brotherhood of Makuta, setting up later storylines which would show that Makuta isn't just one person, but an entire species.
- Running Gag: Matau just keeps being slammed into walls.
- Shining City: Vakama certainly remembers Metru Nui as such, describing the city before the Great Cataclysm as a great centre of learning, art, craftsmanship, and innovation.
- Ship Tease: Matau tells Nokama that it looks like they are on a romantic ride.
- The Stinger: During the credits, the glow returns to Makuta's eyes.
- Tactical Suicide Boss: During the confrontation with Vakama, Makuta relies exclusively on his easily dodgeable Cannibalism Superpower attack he can't cancel, in an area full of stone pillars that were already shown to hurt him.
- Taking the Bullet: Lhikan defends Vakama from Makuta's attack at the cost of his life.
- Those Two Guys: The recurring villains are Brains and Brawn Dark Hunters, Nidhiki and Krekka, who aren't very efficient at their job.
- Time-Compression Montage: A montage shows the Toa finding the Great Discs, though doesn't show how they've retrieved them.
- Tube Travel: The Protodermis Chutes that form the rapid mass transit system of Metru Nui.
- Unexplained Recovery: Vakama uses the red Disc as a projectile, but it returns to him off-screen.
- Villainous Breakdown: Makuta gets progressively less patient as the fight with Vakama drags on.
- We Can Rule Together: Makuta offers great destiny to Vakama if he joins his side, which he naturally refuses.
- World of Silence: Makuta's plan is trapping the entire population of Metru Nui in an Forced Sleep and brainwashing them into servitude, with himself as their only guardian. As far as the movie goes, the full control of the city would be a step for even greater goals if other media are considered.
