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Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui is a 2004 direct-to-video science fantasy action film based on the Bionicle toy line series created by Lego. The second Bionicle film, it is a prequel to Bionicle: Mask of Light (2003). Set years prior to the events of Mask of Light, the film tells the past of the Turaga elders of Mata Nui. Chosen by Toa Lhikan, the last protector of the island city of Metru Nui, to become a new generation of Toa, they are tasked with protecting the "heart of Metru Nui" from a mysterious evil.

Plot
Following the events of Mask of Light Turaga Vakama, one of the six elders of the island of Mata Nui, tells the adventures he and the other Turaga had as Toa. Years ago, the island city of Metru Nui lived in peace, protected by Toa. However, the Toa were slowly killed by an evil force seeking to seize control of the city. Lhikan, the city's only remaining Toa, steals six Toa stones from the Great Temple. Lhikan gives the stones to six Matoran (Matau, Nokama, Nuju, Onewa, Vakama, and Whenua), one from each of the city's six regions. After giving the final stone to Vakama, Lhikan is captured by two Dark Hunters, Nidhiki and Krekka. Vakama is confronted by Turaga Dume, the island's elder, who instructs him to complete the Kanohi Vahi, the mask of time.

Upon meeting at the Great Temple, the six Matoran are transformed into Toa. After Vakama receives a vision, the six new Toa collect the six great disks, hoping to Dume an be accepted as the island's new defenders. The Toa appear at a public event in the island's Coliseum but Dume, unimpressed, assigns them a grueling task. The Toa fail and are branded as imposters. Nuju, Onewa, and Whenua are captured but Matau, Nokama, and Vakama manage to escape the island's law enforcers, the robotic Vahki; Dume orders the Dark Hunters to capture the remaining Toa.

Matau, Nokama, and Vakama attempt to escape in the city's chute system, but are forced to abandon it after the flow is reversed. Believing Lhikan to still be alive, they set out to Po-Metru find him as well as to discover their Kanohi mask powers; Vakama discovers the great disks can be merged together. Meanwhile, the captured Toa train with a Turaga while in captivity, who trains them to use own mask powers: Nuju can lift objects with his mind, Onewa can control the minds of others, and Whenua can see in the dark and illuminate dark places.

During their journey to Po-Metru, Matau, Nokama, and Vakama flee from the Dark Hunters; along the way, Nokama learns her mask power allows her to communicate with animals while Matau learns his allows him to shapeshift. After finding Lhikan and the other Toa, the group escapes in a tunnel system where they find the real Dume has been imprisoned in stasis. Heading to the Coliseum, they find that the fake Turaga, really Makuta in disguise, has imprisoned all of the island's Matoran in metal spheres. Makuta, who plans to brainwash the Matoran into accepting him as their leader, absorbs the island's energy, as well as Nidhiki and Krekka, sending the Great Spirit Mata Nui into a deep slumber and unleashing a cataclysm on the city. The Toa manage to flee with several imprisoned Matoran.

Vakama forges the Vahi from the great disks and confronts Makuta. Impressed, Makuta offers Vakama the opportunity to join him, but Vakama refuses. Makuta attempts to absorb Vakama, who uses the Vahi to slow down time; however, it affects him as well. Lhikan sacrifices himself to save Vakama, who discovers his mask power allows him to turn invisible. Vakama tricks Makuta into harming himself, and the Toa combine their powers to trap Makuta in an unbreakable seal.

Departing the ruined city, the Toa bring the imprisoned Matoran to a new island. The Toa sacrifice their powers to free the Matoran, becoming Turaga; Vakama gives Lhikan's mask to Jaller, a Matoran whose mask had broken. Naming the island Mata Nui, after the Great Spirit, they begin their new lives on the island.

Cast

 * Alessandro Juliani as Toa Vakama, the Toa of Fire, a former mask-maker who sees prophetic visions of the future.
 * Christopher Gaze as Turaga Vakama (the narrator)
 * Gerard Plunkett as Turaga Dume, the leader of Metru Nui.
 * Tabitha St. Germain as Toa Nokama, the Toa of Water, a former teacher who strives to do her duty.
 * Michael Dobson as Toa/Turaga Lhikan, a Toa of Fire and former guardian of Metru Nui & Krekka, a powerful but unintelligent Dark Hunter.
 * Brian Drummond as Toa Matau, the Toa of Air, a lighthearted former test driver & Toa Onewa, the Toa of Stone, a headstrong and independent former carver.
 * Paul Dobson as Toa Whenua, the Toa of Earth with respect for the past & Nidhiki, a former Toa turned Dark Hunter.
 * Trevor Devall as Toa Nuju, the Toa of Ice with respect for the future.
 * Lee Tockar as Makuta, the main antagonist & Kongu, a Matoran operating the chutes in Metru Nui.

Production
Plans were in place before the release of the first Bionicle movie to create a second movie. The directors Terry Shakespeare and David Molina did have some input into the storyline, though most of the mythology had already been sketched out.

For the visual style of the film, director David Molina stated “We wanted to give this audience a bigger view of the Bionicle world – more environments, larger vistas.” Also, “The island of Bionicle 2 is something like Manhattan, with lots of commerce and large buildings. The first film was very intimate, very organic. Metru Nui is more mechanical, so it has a different feel.”

Talking about the camera work, director Terry Shakespeare said "We really concentrated on depth of field with the camera," Comparing the two Bionicles, he felt "The first film had primary colors that were coded to the areas and a younger feel. For BIONICLE 2, we opened it up – the palette had to be more sophisticated, more realistic with earth tones, so we desaturated the characters."

Most of the animation was created in Taiwan by a company called CGCG. The process of creating the movie, from storyboarding to delivery of the film took 12 months. Molina additionally added that the pipeline and process for creating this film was faster and more refined than the original Bionicle movie. “Our strength is bringing characters to life and not just robots,” added Shakespeare.

Soundtrack
Nathan Furst, composer of the first film's soundtrack, returned to score Legends of Metru Nui. In place of the tribal elements used in Mask of Light, Furst integrated electronic and techno sounds into the second film's music to accommodate its futuristic style.

The Legends of Metru Nui score was released as a digital album on December 12, 2017, thirteen years after the film's release. Unlike the Mask of Light and Web of Shadows soundtracks which contain the complete scores from their respective films, this release contains most of the Legends of Metru Nui score while omitting music from some scenes. Furst stated that two tracks were excluded on purpose due to their redundancy and because they would have disrupted the "flow" of the album, though he has also said that he plans to distribute them.

This release includes two "bonus tracks"; the first is an alternate "Desert/Kikeinalo" theme that was unused in the film, while the second is Furst's original sketch for Lhikan's theme which was used partially in the film's DVD menus and incorporated into the score at various moments featuring the character.

The soundtrack's initial lack of availability was partially due to it being lost in a hard drive crash for several years, as Furst stated multiple times. Prior to the 2017 release, Furst revealed that the "entire score" was eventually recovered thanks to his assistant.

Reception
Cartoon Network's Toonami aired several scenes from the film along with the first Bionicle movie Mask of Light. The film was first screened on October 6, 2004, at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California. Cartoon Network aired the movie for the first time less than two months after its release on December 18, 2004, at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.

Though reviewers were still skeptical as to the toy promotional nature of these films, several noted their marked improvement over the original Bionicle movie, including its filling-in of major plot holes that had been present in the first film. It was also noted for its references to The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The Matrix, and Excalibur. There was concern that the Bionicle brand promoted violence, running counter to the LEGO themes of patience and careful construction. A sequel entitled Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows was released in 2005.

Bionicle 2 was nominated at the DVD Exclusive Awards for Best Animated Premiere Movie. It was also nominated for best director and best original score. Bionicle was nominated at the 32nd Annual Saturn Awards for Best DVD release. It was also an iParenting Media Award winner for Best Home Video/DVD. Two awards were won by the studio that created Bionicle 2 at the 27th Annual Telly Awards. It also won the Golden Reel Award for Sound Editing in a Direct to Video Release.

DVD release
Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui was released on DVD on October 6, 2004 in the United States. The DVD included a number of documentaries including the making of the movie and associated toy line. There is also a featurette entitled "The Legend Revealed" that has a brief question and answer session with the production team. Some critics were concerned that the DVD makes too much of an attempt to sell the Bionicle product.