The appeal of Yu-Gi-Oh! for kids who play the card game shouldn't be too much of a mystery -- at least to any adult who admits to tuning in to celebrity poker on TV.
38
Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
Shallow and repetitive.
38
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Too solemnly boring to entertain parents or older siblings - but, alas, too loud for a long nap - Yu-Gi-Oh! is basically a feature-length promotion for the trading cards.
No cuddly, funky "Pokemon" pocket monsters populate this pic; this game is for the big kids, rife with a ruthless tone, heightened violence and cold calculation. However, fans will put up with a dull tale to finally see their obsession on the bigscreen.
25
Boston Globe
Boston Globe
With its lifeless animation, characterless characters, and plotless plot, Yu-Gi-Oh! is so flat as to make the card game on which it is based seem positively three-dimensional.
20
Empire
Empire
No doubt its small fans are thrilled, but even young kids will have to be pretty undemanding to enjoy this mess.
20
L.A. Weekly
L.A. Weekly
If your child forces you to go to Yu-Gi-Oh!, remember that there's no law against iPods in movie theaters.
The character designs are flat and derivative, the backgrounds crude and uninviting, and the movements jerky and minimal. It's a sad excuse for a movie, but then, it isn't really meant to be one. It's a commercial with a ticket price.
10
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
Has the crass look and feel of a 90-minute infomercial.