Mask of Light Trailer: The Review
Wednesday, February 19th, 2003 at 4:08pm by Rich, BZPower Administrator
The Mask of Light trailer is now viewable by all. After viewing the trailer several times and talking to the people who created the movie, I have some thoughts to share.
I saw the trailer for the first time last night. I have had a whole day to analyze it and get a grasp on what it means for Bionicle, the fans and The LEGO Company.
The trailer is a glimpse into what the movie will be like. The movie is a 100% CGI animated action thriller being produced by The LEGO Company and Miramax.
The first issue to understand when viewing a movie trailer is that it is something new. It is meant to be a first look at a future production – not a final show. The characters we have seen in the trailer will be the characters we will see in the movie. The characters simply look fantastic.
When you look at a Toa Nuva in the movie, they look like something indescribable. Yes, they do not look entirely like what the toy Toa Nuva look like, and some other characters do not look like their toy counterparts. However, there are reasons for the changes.
You cannot have a stubby toy made entirely out of LEGO Bricks moving around in a motion picture. The characters will have no flow, no feeling. In a motion picture, one of the major goals of a scriptwriter is to create a character an audience can relate to. You cannot relate to a character that has no feeling and no way to express emotion.
Therefore, for the movie, new characters were designed. The Toa Nuva were given mouths and heart-like chest items, while Vakama is now capable of moving his mouth and expressing his ideas.
The Toa Nuva and other characters now have the capability to pick up items. A character cannot go through an entire movie with just a block hand as the toys have. They now have hands, therefore making them more personable. As we discussed earlier, making a personable character is very important in creating a movie.
While having human-like characters is essential, in this case the characters must also stay true to the Bionicle line of toys. LEGO has done just that. Yes, there are small changes, but for the most part every character is much like the toys we have all have the ability to go crazy over.
The primary reason why I liked the trailer and ultimately why I will like the movie is because LEGO and Mirimax have been able to blend the two needs perfectly. You are able to relate and be personable toward the Toa, yet when you look at them, they still look like the heroes we know.
That is very hard to do when you have a fan base that resists change so greatly. I had to opportunity to speak with some LEGO employees last night. The subject of all discussion, from talking to the executive producer of the movie, to the lead scriptwriter was how to be able to make the change from regular toys to live action heroes.
As I told the people who created the movie last night, they have done a fantastic job, and I hope you will recognize all the work that has gone into creating such a great mixture between toy and motion.
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