Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie - Pyramid of Light (2004) User Reviews

A Waste of Time

[Drake_Clawfang · 4/10 · 31 December 2005]

Truth be told, I'm a big fan of Yugioh. I play the card game, the video games, and watch the anime all the time. So as a hard-core fan, even I have to say, this movie sucked. Big time.

Truth be told,the plot sounds good, and the movie had potential. Anubis, an evil sorcerer, awakens from a 5000 year old sleep and, like most villains, goes to destroy the world. And guess what? He's got the 8th Millennium Item, the Pyramid of Light (picture a blue version of the Millennium Puzzle) to help him do it. To defeat him, Yugi and the gang have to travel into the Millennium Puzzle to defeat him, and battle all sorts of mummies along the way. Now, had the movie focused on the gang's battle against Anubis, then it would have been watchable.

Then, the monkey wench came in the form of 2 words; Seto Kaiba. Maximillion Pegasus appears, but he ain't the villain. And even the evil sorcerer Anubis can't be the big bad, he only appears for about 10 seconds (egxagerating here). Nope, it's Kaiba and his obsession to beat Yugi (this guy needs a hobby!) that drives the movie, start to finish.

Anyone who has watched the anime knows how annoying Kaiba can be. You'd think that, if the guy runs a multi-national corporation, he'd have a brain. But even Kaiba can't figure out something's wrong when Anubis whispers in his ear, and the monster attacks physically hurt the duelist. Guess he doesn't have a brain! The movie simply combines 2 good elements that mix to form nothing: A card game and an undead evil. Picture the cast of The Mummy playing poker, and you'll get an idea of how bad the movie was. It was basically a 90 minute episode of Yugioh. It contributes nothing to the anime, and actually creates a huge plot hole (the opening sequence mentions Yugi has been dueling for 3 years, meaning that seasons 3 and 4 in the anime take place at least 2 years apart). And the Pyramid of Light is never mentioned ever again, nor is Anubis, and all cards seen in the film are never seen again either. If I, as a fan didn't like this movie, how enjoyable do you think it would be for a non-fan? Save yourself an hour an a half, and skip seeing this.

It's OK

[kingdomheartsmjm · 5/10 · 21 March 2013]

I remember seeing this for my friend's 13th birthday party. We were all huge yigioh fans and seeing yugioh on the silver screen was a dream come true, until we actually watched it. We went in the movie theater and we each got special yugioh cards. my friends got cool monster cards like blue eyes shining dragon or dark sorcerer. I got a pathetic trap card that I would never use. The movie didn't even start, and I was disappointed. For the movie, it was average. Some good parts, some bad parts and a lot of cheesy one liners. It's not bad as the people that give it a 1 say. Trust me, his is not a 1 star movie. Baby Geniuses was a 1 star movie. However the people that give this a 7 or 8 are also wrong. It assent as well written as the show and they did it include fan favorites like bandit keith or Mai valentine. Overall, it isn't bad, but it is not great.

Depends on what you want

[Darklordnoodlez · 5/10 · 27 December 2020]

Objectively it's a bad movie, but it has so much charm. Also it has so funny moments and a really good sound track. So if you look at it critically it's garbage, however if you're looking for a fun movie this is the one. It felt like it had so much soul and so much love put into it.

Just an extended episode of the anime

[GamerOfTime · 1/10 · 2 November 2013]

Yu gi oh was an anime I watched from time to time but I was never really that big of a fan. I was actually expecting the movie to be decent at the very least but, boy, was I wrong.

In the movie, Kaiba defeats Peagsus in a duel and wins two new cards to help him defeat Yugi's god cards, one of them being the pyramid of light which prevents Yugi from summoning the god cards and Yugi, Joey and Tristans souls are sucked inside Yugi's Egyptian god puzzle. While Kaiba and the Pharoah are in the pyramid of light, any life points they lose will affect their physical life force.

One problem with this movie is that It is the usual "Kaibi wants to defeat Yugi" plot that has been seen plenty of times in the show. It would have been a lot more interesting if they went in a similar direction to the Pokemon movies where team rocket are not the main villains but still somewhat relevant to the plot. Because of this direction, the outcome is pretty predictable.

I normally prefer dubs over subs but the dialogue in this movie is pretty cringe-worthy. In one scene inside the Egyptian god puzzle, Joey says "I believe we're not in Kansas anymore" which just felt forced and unnecessary.

The biggest problem with the movie is the main villain, Anibus who doesn't appear until near the end of the movie and by this point, you just know that the pharaoh is going to make quick work of him.

If you are a hardcore fan of the anime, you may enjoy this movie but otherwise I do not recommend it.

This movie should have a Surgeon General's warning!

[uzzman · 1/10 · 28 August 2004]

Scientists estimate that the average human being has around 100,000,000,000 (100 Billion) brain cells (or neurons) and that after the age of 20 we tend to lose them at a rate of around 9,000 neurons per day. There are activities that can enhance that, such as sniffing paint or glue, which can accelerate that loss to about 300,000 a day...remarkable to say the least. In my own research this past week, I have discovered that exposure to the new movie "Yu-Gi-Oh!" makes the paint huffers of the world feel a little better about their eroding brain cells, as I believe I may have lost in the area of about 1.6 billion neurons in the time span of an hour and a half.

Yu-Gi-Oh is a fantasy card game that has taken over our children's lives and depleted our (parents) pocketbooks of hard-earned cash and has given us some of the most confusing conversations we have ever been subjected to. The cards have turned our sons (and some daughters) into poster children for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder without any help in sight. Either my son is OCD or he is a genius, but to follow this game with any type of success, I suspect he would have to be a mixture of both.

This leads me to "Yu-Gi-Oh!" the movie. My 9 year-old son has problems with his handwriting, he has issues with the use of pencils upsetting his tactile senses and his reading could be better, but he can utilize the internet to find the release dates of ANY movie that may, or may not be, in production at any moment. I, on other hand, am lucky if I can remember to shave in the morning. Anyway, he knew months in advance when this movie was coming out and quickly began to pine away the days with a sense of wistful yearning that is usually reserved for Sonic the Hedgehog and Spiderman...I knew at that very moment that my brain cells were at risk.

In the weeks preceding the release of "Yu-Gi-Oh!", I thought of so many ways to get out of seeing this celluloid nightmare. Maybe I would be called away to business in a Third World country...maybe I would be forced to sell soap to the criminally incarcerated...maybe I could pay a babysitter to go to the movie with him. In the end, after debating with my ex and also realizing I was too poor to afford a babysitter, I subjected myself to the experience.

We arrived at the movie theater; my son a portrait of unheralded joy with a hint of trembling angst, and me, saddled with the look of a man who has realized that the Governor is not going to call with a stay of execution...I am resigned to my own fate. As I expected, we got MORE cards upon payment of the tickets, though I did save some money by going to the matinée, so that's a positive. We started to the theater and as providence would have it, the movie actually started early, so we missed the first 3 minutes or so, which probably saved me approximately 300,000 neurons.

I cannot remember that much about the actual movie, but I do remember the "plot" (and I use that term loosely) was just what I thought it would be. It can be broken down into this easy to understand dialogue:

Enemy Guy: "I have this incredible card!"

Yu-Gi: "Oh yeah? Well, I have this incredible card!"

Enemy Guy: "Well, you may think that, but I have this card which combined with this other card makes your card obsolete!"

Yu-Gi: "Ha! You only think that, but I have this face down card that when combined with this magic card and this other spell card combine to create the ultimate monster that you could never dream of stopping!"

This goes on for an hour and a half. I am not kidding. I got you...you got me...I got you again. Finally someone got someone else and a card that was never before seen makes an appearance and changes the dynamics of the film. It was like watching theoretical Dungeons and Dragons geeks if they were to spar on ESPN, only the latter would probably be more entertaining because of the commercials. Speaking of commercials, this is literally an hour and a half infommercial.

Finally its over...its over...its over. I keep having to assure myself that this is indeed the case. In the moments after, I realize that I cannot remember the names of any of my teachers in grade school and that I can no longer pinpoint the exact moment when my hair began to recede. Thankfully, these memories are not as important as others and "Yu-Gi-Oh!" has not taken everything from me. The only thing I can actually remember from the movie is that the Blue Eyes Shining Dragon is not one to be trifle with.

In closing, I would be remiss if I did not quote that great sage Dean Vernon Wormer, "Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son". After seeing "Yu-Gi-Oh!" I might tend to disagree.

Pokemon meets The Mummy meets a rules booklet

[Krog__ · 1/10 · 20 August 2004]

For five thousand years, it was not meant to be awakened. For five thousand years, it was not meant to be awakened. For five thousand years...

I must've heard that phrase (or whatever the hell else they said) three times in the first ten minutes. Which is really, really stupid. Okay, so basically the plot is something about the card game, which is all the movie really is about. They spend a whole bunch of time explaining the cards that are played ("I'm playing Deck Virus or whatever! This means that you lose ten cards and it gets really annoying when I keep explaining everything! By the way, your shoe's untied! Ha ha ha! It wasn't! That's the joke, right? I told you your shoe was untied and it wasn't! I'm so witty! Why do I keep doing speed balls?"), which gets VERY daunting. The movie sucked, seriously, although I'm sure Roger Ebert just had a blast.

Anyway, this is probably the worst movie I've ever seen; at the very least, it's the worst I've seen in a while. Right up there with Mystic River and The Dark Avenger. See it if you want to understand the way suicidal people's minds work. Otherwise, go see ANYTHING else.

Unless, of course, you enjoy being bombarded by senseless images and explanations of a card game.

YuGiNot!

[czimmercowell · 17 September 2004]

Finally got to see YuGiOh the Movie for myself and find out what the hype was all about.

After watching it, all I can say is, I'm glad I didn't buy the ticket with my own money.

Before I begin, let me just say that those who say that the voice acting here is very good are both deaf and probably have the IQ level of a monkey's. That being said, let's begin.

Not much has changed in the YuGiOh movie. The animation is the same as the one that comes out on TV (virtually no color depth, light shading or added cels to enhance the fluidity of motions in the characters) and the voice actors are, with the exception of Kaiba and Pegasus, pure crap (then again, when was 4Kids ever known for good VAs? [insert sarcastic laugh here.])

For those of you who don't know or who haven't seen the flick yet, I discourage you from reading the rest of this because it's a spoiler. Basically the story revolves around Yugi Moto and how he is the King of Monsters, blah, blah, blah. We all know he became so darn good because once he finished completing the Millennium Puzzle, he was suddenly inhabited by the spirit of Pharoah. (No name for this Pharaoh. Why? I'd like to know that myself.)

Anyway, unbeknownst to Yugi, when he released Pharoah, he also released Anubis, the stereotypical ancient-uber-bad guy-come-back-to-life-to-continue-what-he-did-in-life: to (wait for it....) DESTROY THE WORLD (bum, bum, bum, dramatic reverb!) So its up to Yugi and his friends (mostly Yugi) to kick this guy's tuckus and send Anubis back from whence he came.

Pretty straightforward, no? Not to mention, predictable

The plot is very, very simple. Good guy runs into bad guy. Bad guy wants to destroy the world in the most horrible way possible (even though the reason for wanting to destroy said world is never discussed.) Good guy inevitably beats bad guy against all odds because good guy has the cause of justice going for him and everyone lives happily ever after, content once again that good has triumphed over evil (well, that's what wishful thinking is all about).

Character development is shot all to H-E double toothpicks. Those who are hardcore fans for YuGiOh will undoubtedly know which bozo is which and will probably ignore this lapse. But Joe Average? Fuggedaboutit! Before we really know what drives characters other than Yugi to do what they do, the next duel is on! Why does Joey keep talking tough even though he usually ends up flat on his face? Why do Yugi's friends keep trying to help him save the world when no one could care less whether they exist or not due to Yugi's overwhelming presence(he IS the star and title of the show.)? Why does Tea even try to show some scrap of independence and fire when in the end, she's nothing more than spare baggage? If Pegasus really wanted to keep the Shining Blue Eyes out of Kaiba's hands, why did he opt to duel with him instead of just having a whole battalion of guards smoke Kaiba-boy? In the end, why did Pegasus even bother saving Yugi's grandparent and friends when he was once the bad guy a long time ago? If Anubis was a powerful as he said he was, why didn't he just bring all of his monsters to life and and wreak havoc on the world instead of engaging Yugi in a duel? The fate of the world is on the line and you two are settling it with CARDS!?

In other words, what drives the characters to make the decisions the made? What makes them do what they do? Is any of this explored? Oh no, no, no.

So what we have are 2-Dimensional characters thrust into some meaningless but nevertheless visually entertaining dance and whom we wouldn't care less about if they died or not as long as Yugi came through.(Shonen Jump/4Kids Entertainment: "duh, We think that the game is so popular that even those who don't play the game know the show. So we trust that they, uh, will all under...unerst...get it. A-hyuk!")

The sense of excitement and suspense is also destroyed by Yugi being portrayed as the typical invincible male hero who can never do anything wrong and who always comes out at the top with the winning combination. How in blue blazes can you root for a guy you know will win anyways? Where's the fun in that? Like Kaiba, I was so waiting for him to finally trounce Yugi after hearing the little twerp preach about the heart of the cards and the power of friendship. But then I remembered, this is Yugi, the guy who never, EVER, gets anything as horrible as a bad hand or a bad draw. So I was forced to sit through a 90-min. movie waiting for the inevitable to happen. Yugi Wins Again. All I can say is: THANK GOD FOR ROOTBEER!

The dialogue is one of the most mediocre things I have ever had the displeasure of hearing. Never have I seen a movie filled to brimming with corny one-liners and clichés after clichés in a pathetic attempt to be funny. When Joey said, "I coulda been a contender," I was this close to flinging my drink at the screen (but you'd have to be crazy to throw away a perfectly good 2liters of rootbeer). I've heard better comebacks and lines from a turkey sandwich. I was looking for snappy and witty lines like the ones from Tarzan, Treasure Planet, The Power Puff girls or The Simpsons. Instead I got dialogue written by melodramatic halfwits who probably have delusions of being the next Shakespeare.

I think I could have ignored the horrible dialogue if the voice actors had just been brilliant VAs like Charlie Adler, Hank Azaria, April Winchell, Tom Kenny, Nick Backay, Nicole Sullivan, Emma Thompson or Richard Horvitz. Instead, I'm stuck with B-class people like Wayne Grayson and Dan Green!? AAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!!

The sound and music is forgettable at best. Who sang these songs? The Alan Parson's Project or Wangchung? Ugh!

And the movie, like the TV series, can never just end without Yugi or one of his friends launching into their long rhetoric about the heart of the cards or the importance of the power of friendship. How in hell can the power of friendship influence the way the tides of a duel turns? Even if you got your whole crew of 20 backing you up, if you're going up against a guy with more experience and better cards and strategies, then you are going down. The only time the power of friendship works is if you take that crew of twenty of yours and mess up the guy who beat you in some dark alley and make a break for it before the cops come. That's the real power of friendship! When Yugi broke into his speech again during the final minutes, I had to tell myself "Must...resist...the...urge...to...fall...into...a. ..coma." Why do movies like Pokemon and YuGiOh and Beyblade never fail to preach? Talk about your self-righteous streak!

Perhaps the only redeeming parts of the movie were the showing of the new cards and monsters and the duels themselves which showed some pretty nifty combos and attacks and counterattacks that can be used in the game. Unfortunately only the card players will understand any of the duels.

All in all YuGiOh the Movie is a "watch once". Fans cannot blame the average movie watcher's ignorance of the game for them not liking the movie. The movie is nothing more than a longer version of the TV series. It's just not memorable. My dad has never heard of Tarzan, but he enjoyed the animated movie from Disney immensely. My mother has never read Treasure island but was glued to the screen when Treasure Planet came to town. YuGiOh preaches too much and patronizes kids waaay too much. Adults in the theater kept looking at their watches, praying for the flick to end while I was ready to screw the head of the next brat behind me who yelled "That's Blue Eyes White Dragon! I have that card!" To which his idiot companion responded with equal volume, "My Exodia can beat that!!"

I guess I'm just thankful that YuGiOh the Movie is not as brain dead as Dragonball Z.

For die-hard YuGiOh fans, you'll probably like this. For others looking for a movie with more depth and a meatier story, stay far, far, faaaaar away from this flick as humanly possible.

Falls flat compared to the hit TV show, but has some merit

[Dragoneyed363 · 6/10 · 26 June 2008]

First of all, I will say that this movie at an exception to the show, was terrible. This film just on it's on though, was actually okay. If you did not catch what I meant, compared to the show, this movie is crap because it tries way to hard to be cool and different when it's just not.

All the characters are way less likable. That does not mean it was a terrible movie itself though. It was enjoyable to watch, and even though it definitely was not great, there are far worse than some have let this movie on to be. A lot of anime films like this are getting unfair treatment. Of course you will like it if you are a hardcore fan of the show, cards, games, etc. altogether, but if you do not like Yu-Gi-Oh!, and have not been a fan of it at all, why did you see this movie in the first place?

This film was made for fans and little kids, not just some random people who want to sit down and watch this, because of course they will not have a clue of what is going on. They might not even be able to appreciate it. I am glad this got out of the Bottom 100, because it did not need to be there when it was, but I really do not think it should be considered a great movie on any standards either.

this movie is an disgrace!!!

[KOknockout920 · 1/10 · 8 December 2005]

Last year, i saw the movie and, oh god, it was one of the worst movies ever!!! Its about this kid who wins this uhhh.... tournament and another guy gets this card that disables the use of his god card thingys and he duels and him and this guy shows up and almost destroys the earth when the kid beats him and saves the day. Overall, this movie is a disgrace to all what movies stand for. The lines were cheesy, the voice acting stunk, and it didn't make any sense!!! if you are thinking of renting or buying it,this is my warning. Please don't rent or buy it, for if you do and you sit down and watch it, it will cause seizures, temporary loss of your mind, and please, don't lift any heavy equipment for two weeks after viewing. Thank you. I mean come on, even yugio fans will think this movies a stinker.

It could have been a hell of a lot better.....

[dobrien4587 · 6/10 · 19 April 2010]

Now I grew up with the television show and the trading cards this movie is based on, so I have no problem with the lack of character development. But the thing is, Pokemon the First Movie was better than this.

The story is very predictable and not too interesting either. I mean, it interested me when I first saw it, but keep in mind, I was young, and looking back, the story actually confused me at points. The duals were not that great. Which disappoints me, because most of the episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh were duals! The duals in the movie were either too slow, or too predictable, or just plain boring.

My suggestion to you and anyone who has seen the TV show (not that GX or 5Ds crap) If you must, watch this movie, I mean it was OK, but it was not that great either, you will only get it if you have seen the original TV show.

I have lowered my iq

[shalow666 · 1/10 · 14 August 2004]

I snuck into this movie, trying to waste some time. Now, as a result, i have the iq of a simian. Why, because this movie was so bad, so mind numbingly horrid, so water buffalo testicle sucking, that I have now been reduced to a frothing lobotomized shell of my former self. Plot, there was none, or if there was, it wasn't one even remotely memorable, coconuts! Random lame battles, following extreme periods of mind destruction. Point being, avoid this like the plague, its like Gigli! Except animated, with coconuts, and Japanese cartoons!

For shizzle, Me

Entertaining, dynamic, it is exactly what you would expect from an animation movie.

[dasa108 · 8/10 · 4 October 2021]

We have a movie that moves fast, honors the card game, relates to past events of the characters and is also connected to the tv series. It is a light film, entertaining and for all of us who saw the series without a doubt it is the best film of the character that gives the film its title. For the fans it is memorable.

Good,but not as good as it could've been

[Tori_ishtar · 7/10 · 20 August 2004]

Well,we finally got the see the Yu gi oh movie today. It was okay,for a movie. I hate that everyone keeps calling it a ninety minute commercial. It's only going to appear that way if you haven't seen the show.

Now for the good parts. The best lines from the movie came from Pegasus in my opinion. I think bringing him into the plot was a smart idea,for those who had seen Duelist Kingdom. But for those who have not had that opportunity...(don't know how many wouldn't have.....) Pegasus' sudden appearance, as well as the other main characters' reactions to him might confuse some fans.

The music in this movie was fantastic. (hence my rabid attempt to get the soundtrack!!) I liked "You're Not Me",played during a particular scene concerning Kaiba

Plot: Well....okay. this is where the movie was sort of lame. Especially for those of us who are major Egyptology nuts like me. Anubis seems to be the villain here. Now,come on. Any idiot knows Anubis wasn't ever human. he was a diety,the God of Afterlife judgment. The whole "Pyramid of Light" concept was okay,but I wouldn't have called it a Millennium Item. It wasn't even gold plated for Ra's sake! I liked the fights with the corpse. But,I will say this. It looks kinda like the writers of this movie read a bunch of Fanfiction on the web,then pulled different concepts together,and somehow brought out a semi-sloppy plot with redundant dialogue,and some seriously awesome monster effects.

As a Whole: This movie is strictly for die-hard Yu gi oh! fans,and yes,that includes me. I loved the movie for it's dialogue,monsters and music. But I know these people can do better with plot lines. I bet Takahashi was really disappointed,if he saw this. (Word has it,it was only made for the US. Gee,I wonder why!)

Pathetic

[tomd4ever · 1/10 · 20 March 2005]

This movie is probably the worst movie I have ever seen. Absolutely pathetic. I am a Yugioh fan but I on behalf of all the other Yugioh fans out there say that this movie is a disgrace to Yugioh and all its fans.

Yugioh is about a young boy named Yugi and a card game called Duel Monsters.Yugi is connected with the spirit of an ancient pharaoh and is better at Duel Monsters than everyone else.I believe and I am sure everyone else that saw it all the mothers and the older siblings that anyone involved with Yugioh the movie should be SLAPPED!I only saw it because they had a card promotion going on and if you saw it you would get a free rare card etc. I got a crap card and saw a crap movie in fact you would have to pay ME if you wanted me to see it again.

So in summary don't see it even if the producer or director have a gun aimed at your head and are forcing you to watch it, either get shot or challenge them to a duel.

Let it end!!!!!!!!!!!!

[fireswordshield · 1/10 · 21 December 2006]

I was thirty minutes in, when i decided with what few brain cells i had left to end my life. I reached into my coat pocket and felt the reassuring grip of my revolver. I slowly brought it up and into my mouth. I whispered one last goodbye, and pulled the trigger. (click!) N00000000!!!

Yes, watching this movie for more than about thirty minutes is more than enough time for you to decide to buy a gun and end your life. why? well, lets examine the "plot" (a laughable term in this context) A half dozen teenagers get high on PCP while playing cards, and decide to make a movie about it. Essentially a guy decides to destroy the world. the only difference between this plot and billions of others? The entire movie is about a card game!!!! yes, while playing this game, the poorly drawn and hilariously named monsters on the cards come to life (!!!!) in the form of holograms to destroy the world!!! My biggest question about this movie is why do none of the characters simply forgo the dam card game and just shoot the guy in the knees? Does it not occur to anyone in the entire city that it would be far less time consuming (and way less expensive) to just buy a gun as opposed to buying thousands of "booster packs" of cards?

It's about monsters that alway's fight but they're cards.

[ddrdancefan13 · 1/10 · 30 June 2005]

This is one of the worst movies they have made in history. I mean, if you go to the website kidsinmind.com it will tell you all that's in the movie. It always says that the monsters come out of the cards, fight and then they shatter. And it's true, all that's in the movie is them playing cards. If I wanted to see people play cards I would go to Las Vegas and play cards. At least the don't have crappy little drawings on them and you win money. If you thinking about seeing it then don't. It also has the most worse drawings ever since Speed Racer and that show actually was funny after a while cause he always made a stupid face. The only way I would watch that movie again would to sit there laughing my ass off at how crappy this movie is. So don't waste your money on this movie. This movie does't even deserve a 1, it deserves a negative 1 with three zeros on it and it's literally lowest at the worst movie's ever made chart. I would actually rename it and make the name, "Yu-Gi-Oh: Death of the Crappy Shattering Animation."

Turns children's brains into mush...

[raveneye_rebk · 1/10 · 23 September 2006]

I finished watching the movie not half an hour ago and I was stunned... I actually tried contacting WB and 4KIDS entertainment to complain.. but.. it's useless...

Although I am only 18 I have noticed severe decreases in children's general knowledge and now I know why: films like "yu-gi-oh"... to elaborate let's begin with a few pieces of info on Anubis... he was the Egyptian god of embalming, and actually a very good guy... "the Lord of the Underworld" is Osiris, another good god... a very good one actually...

We let children watch such movies and then wonder why all they know is playing computer games although they can't read or write properly... I am from Romania, so I can't put it exactly how this kind of entertainment affects American children, o other children in the world, but to put it shortly.. it's like people forgetting who Abraham Lincoln was!

Not for people who haven't watched the show! *slight spoilers*

[ajolipa · 6 September 2004]

Okay, every single official review of this movie that I have seen says it was basically the worst movie ever, or at least a contender. And yet all of my friends who saw it thought it was awesome. Neither my friends nor (I'm assuming) the reviewers are stupid people, so there must be some reason for the huge discrepancy. The reason, clearly, is that we are people who have watched a lot of the show and already have an appreciation for the complexities of the characters and ideas in it. This movie is simply not made for people who are viewing it with little or no context. That's all there is to it.

Of course it's true that the plot is terribly contrived, the characters not very thoroughly drawn at all, and a good deal of the time taken up with the card game. Is it just a merchandising ploy? Well, yes it is a merchandising ploy, but that doesn't mean that that's all it is--in fact, if you know how to play the card game and know all the different cards and their significance, much of the dueling is quite interesting. Is the plot nothing but a clichéd "save the world from evil" sort of plot? Well...it's more that way than I personally would have done had I been given the task of making a Yugioh movie--I would have ignored all the ancient Egyptian and God Card stuff and focused perhaps on Kaiba's history and relationship with Yugi and Joey, or something. But let's face it, especially in America, the main market for this movie was pre-adolescent boys, and they tend to like powerful evil beings trying to take over the world. So I understand why they had to make it that way. Not my first choice, but understandable. The significance placed on the God Cards is also quite annoying. In fact, in the show, they are not used the same way--Yugi does not keep them in his deck. But they wanted to use them here. Kinda stupid, but whatever.

All that said, in my opinion within the framework of creating a movie based on a show that revolves around this card game, and needing to make it marketable in the right way, they did an awesome job making the movie funny and interesting for people who know the characters and the show. Everyone I've talked to agrees that the dialogue between Kaiba and Pegasus is priceless. If you don't know Kaiba and Pegasus, you can't appreciate the line "Do you ever shut up? I know what it means!" If you've watched Duelist Kingdom, you'll find it funny. Same for many other such lines.

One thing I especially appreciated was the role given to Yugi himself. The Pharaoh, Yugi's other half, isn't actually the hero of the movie, which is nice. Without little Yugi persisting inside the puzzle during the duel, the Pharaoh would have been toast. The movie made no attempt to make Yugi "cooler" than he is, which I was afraid it might. They let him be an innocent, shy, short little high school kid, not your typical hero.

Kaiba is an excellent example of why one needs to have watched the show to get the depth of the movie. They don't do much to develop Kaiba's personality, so it really helps to go into the movie already having an appreciation of it. If you do, then you'll find his struggles against the influence of Anubis to be interesting, and you'll understand his internal conflicts, and appreciate the significance of his throwing the Shining Dragon card to Yugi.

Basically, overall, I would never suggest that this movie could stand on its own as a great accomplishment of cinematic drama. Not even close. It's for people who appreciate the show, and all the characters and symbolism of it, and who are willing to accept that a somewhat contrived and over-dramatic plot was necessary for marketing, and who will enjoy the dialogue and character interaction and even the dueling. If you don't like it, fine. Not all movies have to be for everyone. But if you're not a fan of the show, then you have to realize that you're not going to get much out of the movie. That doesn't mean it's the worst movie ever made; it means you're not the right person to appreciate it. Personally, I thought it was amusing and interesting.

All right, for 4Kids at least...

[christianvictorialuke · 7/10 · 13 November 2005]

I think people are very critical about this movie. Many reviewers call it a '90-minute commercial for Yu-Gi-Oh cards', 'the joy of watching people play UNO', or(this one is laughable)'lifeless and dull'. That is absolute rubbish. All of those reviewers were people who know NOTHING about the real Yuugioh series. Anyone who knows the series is bound to like the movie, so take a kid with you who likes Yuugioh. If you are a parent who is ignorant of Yuugioh, ask your child to guide you through it, as I'm sure he(or she)will be happy to do so. Another note to parents, this movie contains some suggestive themes of violence and some mild sensual references(in the design of the female monsters) so make sure your children are mature enough to understand.Also,some things that were edited out of the U.S. version appear here(Spoilers Ahoy!), including Pegasus's wine-drinking, Injection Angel Lily's giant needle, and a nude(but censored) Fairy's Gift. Overall, an okay movie.

Hardcore fans only.

[whoframed_seen · 1/10 · 11 July 2006]

Okay, here's the deal, if you have been a Yugioh since its very beginning and you have bee in love with all the characters and you've collected the cards and watched all the manga and 4Kids episodes at least twice, you are clearly a blindly faithful fan and you will enjoy the film. If, however, you have enough of your senses to check your watch in frustration, you'll recognize this film for the complete and utter garbage it was.

The plot is chock-full of bizarre inaccuracies (Anubis, the Egyptian God with a dog's head, comes back as a buff blonde sorcerer!) which will leave anyone confused, even those who's knowledge of Egyptian history extends as far as the "The Mummy" series.

Now, I recognize that today, 90% of kids animated movies are pretty cheesy, but almost every phrase out of these characters' mouths are ham-handed references to destiny and believing in yourself and never giving up.

And this is the worst bit: I don't hate this movie because it was based on a cartoon. I have seen the cartoons, both the original Japanese and the 4Kids versions and they weren't nearly as bad as this, hell I thought some of it was really cool. But this movie, like the 'Pokemon' movies and like the 'Mortal Kombat 'and 'Street Fighter' movies, is the extremely unfortunate result of big business trying to cash in on what is ostensibly a current fad before popularity dies. Unfortunately, like all the aforementioned franchises, in retrospect this movie will undoubtedly have done more to kill the franchise than to boost it.

Not great, but fun to see anime at the cinema

[Sac-10 · 7/10 · 18 September 2004]

I went into Yu Gi Oh: The Movie, knowing what to expect. I'm not a fan of the card game(In fact, the only card I own is the freebie that came with my ticket purchase), have never played the video games and sporadically watch it on Nickelodean whenever I'm bored and there's nothing else on that I wanna watch.

As far as the movie goes, it ties (as near as I can tell) into the series (Though the start seems to imply it was gonna be a retelling of the second season). The animation is good, and apart from a few boring "we're friends we'll do it together" annoyances, was fairly action packed. Now I'll readily admit, it's nowhere near being the greatest animated movie ever... Hell, there are many story elements and characters that go unexplained, or are explained with one or two sentences, but the thing is... This is not a movie designed to be a stand alone "masterpeice" like the Walt Disney epics of old... but nor is it the rubbish they pump out today. It's merely more of what fans of the game/TV series want, as THAT is who this movie is aimed at.

Don't like animation? This is not for you.

Don't like Yu-Gi-Oh? Obviously not for you either.

But for fans or semi fans like me, it's a fun hour and a half, though only die-hard fans of the series would wanna watch it more than once. Also as my comment above said, it's nice to see anime (Espically anime that ISN'T Poke'mon!) on the big screen, which, here in Australia, is all too rare.

I have never ever given a 1 before....

[cavalier211 · 1/10 · 1 May 2007]

This movie is so bad it's beyond belief. If you want to watch a 90 minute commercial for YuGiOh, feel free... as if a 90 second one wasn't bad/boring/annoying enough.

Japanese animation, not particularly impressive to begin with, continues its unimpressive reign among lousy movies meant to sell Japanese toys.

How could ANYBODY find this entertaining whatsoever?? Or spend money on this crap??? EVEN seven year olds???? My five year old cousin already thinks YuGiOh is stupid...

Further proof that NOBODY SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO MAKE A MOVIE BASED ON A TOY!!

If you are a fan... an excellent movie

[jessi4 · 10/10 · 21 August 2004]

When I first heard that 4Kids was going to be making a Yu-gi-oh! movie, I was skeptical, as I'm sure most true Yu-Gi-Oh fans were. Anyone who knows Yu-Gi-Oh knows that 4Kids does an OK job at best editing and dubbing the original anime for American viewers. So how could they treat a movie? Especially one that they made themselves?

I'm pleased to announce that, for once, 4Kids did a good job. The plot was well written. For starters, it made sense. It managed to incorporate the show's past, while not giving away its future. In fact, the only spoiler was for the end of Battle City. (As if we had any doubts) In regards to that, I was pleasantly surprised that more was not given away regarding the Battle City Championship. It made that part of the show still worth watching.

Most of our favorite characters were portrayed similar to how they are in the show. (Except for maybe Kaiba, but that's a matter of opinion) There were great duels, some of the best I've seen yet, in fact. Duels that can leave you on the edge of your seat. And one has to love new monsters. And free promo cards.

As a fan, I was both surprised and pleased with the content and pace of the movie. It had some more subtle, adult humor which I found refreshing, as an adult fan. (I'm almost 20) Also, it moved a lot quicker than the show, because they weren't explaining every move in the duel and why they were doing it, like they do in the show.

All in all, I've seen this movie twice, and I enjoyed it both times. First, I saw it with my mom, who had never seen the show, but had to admit it was still a good movie, once I answered her questions and explained who was who. The next time, I took my 16 yr old sister, who had never seen the show, but is now a converted fan. Any movie that can capture new fans, can't be that bad. I think that if you just give it a chance, then it could definitely be worth seeing.

Not the best Yu-Gi-Oh story ever, but it's not by any means the worst!

[simmon4-1 · 6/10 · 17 September 2007]

First of all, I understand that animated movies that primarily target a certain fan base are absolutely butchered by critics. Secondly, I believe the logic in that is flawed. No one should criticize this movie unless he or she is a massive Yu-Gi-Oh fan well familiar with the story lines of the TV series and the general rules of the card game. To judge it without that essential knowledge is simply not fair. I enjoy Yu-Gi-Oh, but I would probably have hated this movie if I had went in to see it without any prior background knowledge of the characters, plot lines, and concepts. Now, since I do have a relatively thorough understanding of Yu-Gi-Oh under my belt, I can honestly judge this movie fairly.

I'll be honest. It had a lot of problems that hindered it. One problem was that, for the most part, the entire movie was one big 90 minute duel. Even for the most die-hard of fans, it can be easy to lose one's attention. Little kids may be especially impatient during an extremely long duel. Another con is that I didn't like the bad guy that much. I thought he was sort of boring and two-dimensional. It also, in all honesty, didn't take much to defeat him. I would have liked to have seen Yugi and friends struggle more to defeat the villain. After all, the sweetest victory is the one you have to work hardest for.

But while this movie does have its share of flaws, it is by no means crippled by them. First off, the music rocks! I love Step Up and the Kaiba song. Those songs get stuck on my mind for weeks! Second, the movie does introduce an assortment of new and spectacular monsters that could certainly become fan favorites. Among these new creatures are the Blue-Eyes White Shining Dragon and the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, arguably the best of their class. There was even a little clever humor here and there.

Overall, it's not great, but it is not nearly as bad as some say it is. I have never regretted purchasing it in any way.

This movie was awful...

[srahorton · 1/10 · 16 August 2004]

My son and I are HUGE fans of the card game (we play tournaments together

every weekend) and the cartoon, but this movie was just awful...

First of all, this is not an introduction to how to play the game, and it's

incomprehensible if you don't already know the characters and the back story

from the cartoon. Even aside from that, the animation was worse than the

cartoon, and except for a couple of comical parts, it just turns out to be an uncomfortable 90-minute commercial (poorly done) for the card game.

I love the card game (OK, I'm totally hooked on the card game), and I enjoy

watching the cartoon with my son every Saturday morning, but the consolation

of receiving a couple of "exclusive" cards DID NOT make up for the $16 in

matinée tickets that I wasted to get them.