Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

Bring on the duels... or keep 'em. Really. I don't mind.

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown October 20, 2023

My monster can beat your monster! *Dramatic pause* Or can it? Welcome to 2004's hottest anime trading card game (that doesn't feature the word Pokemon) -- Yu-Gi-Oh! -- and its feature length movie... erm, commercial... rather, collector's infomercial... or... eh, yeah... just sit down, strap in and enjoy the battles! Or... not. Cause there isn't a lot here to enjoy. Alas, no matter how much your inner 2000s child loves (or loved) the Yu-Gi-Oh series, game, toys or card decks, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie is something of a mess; a dull, plodding mess where heroes and villains staring at flashy cards stands in for action and indecipherable lore steps up in place of a gripping or even cohesive story. Nearly twenty years past, Yu- Gi-heads will surely be able to unearth some nostalgia, but anyone else -- even watch-anything-and-everything anime junkies -- will find a hollow core at the center of this wholly unnecessary and downright baffling animated film.

The eye that sees what's yet to come, its vision shall be fulfilled. Unless blinded by events predetermined, thus light and shadows both be killed...

Official Synopsis: For ultimate action, he holds all the cards. The duels, strategies, lore and flat-out fun of the hottest trading-card game around supercharge this first-ever movie inspired by the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! games, comic books and TV series. Heroic Yugi squares off against archrival Kaiba in an adventure even more dangerous than before when the imaginary monsters in their playing cards become ferociously real and an old evil entersthe fray. Who will win this ultimate showdown? Whether you're a novice battle rookie or a professional Duelist, you'll want to watch and find out!

How does Yu-Gi-Oh work? Honestly, I couldn't tell you if you paid me. My son adored the card game, snatching up set after set at Toys R' Us and Target when he was five. But we sorta just made up the rules as we went. (Strangely enough, he always seemed to win. It was our Calvin Ball.) The Yu-Gi-Oh movie doesn't help matters. Even watching it in 2023 -- having already watched it at least a dozen times with my kid years ago -- I still have no idea what the hell is going on, much less how anyone thought such a literal adaptation to the screen would make for a compelling flick. Yugi is a triangle-jawed, oval-eyed wonder at whatever lights up the air in front of his oddly angular face, but his plunging voice and penchant for melodramatized exposition makes for a grating protagonist. The baddies aren't much better and the whole lot comes across as Dragon Ball rejects and folks who would've failed to land a role in Pokemon.

As far as I can tell, five-thousand years ago a pharaoh entombed the Egyptian god of the underworld, who dreamed of world domination. Several millennia later, we find Yugi -- champion of the Battle City Finals -- as he holds three god cards (all Egyptian, conveniently). His rival Kaiba, though, out to reclaim the Battle City title, tracks down an even more powerful card, passed down from Anubis himself. Anubis naturally appears, still bent on taking over the planet. Dozens more card duels follow all this and... well, that's where I lose track. There are dragons, life points, energy powers, puzzles and traps, best pals and archenemies aplenty, attack points, soul trips, prophecies, jargon-skewed battle strategies, transformations, summons and... other stuff. It's all very colorful and shout-y, but it doesn't make a lick of sense. Spoiler: Yugi pulls a win out of his hat by... I have no idea. He wins, though. The takeaway? Buy more Yu-Gi-Oh-branded products and stop asking questions. I'm sure a ten-year-old could explain every beat and plot point. Maybe adults lose that special something that allows us to interpret the uninterpretable. If your kid loves Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie, good for them. Don't try to rob them of their joy. But if this one is for you, be sure your nostalgia pump is primed. Otherwise, you'll find yourself shaking your head and wondering exactly what's unfolding on your screen.

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Digitally remastered, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation shows little to no signs of age and, on the whole, looks far better than it ever has before. And far better than anyone will probably expect. Colors are bold and beautiful, with striking splashes of primary power and deep shadows seeped in inky blacks. Contrast is spot on and detail is notably exacting. Line art is crisp and clean, backgrounds are reproduced with excellent clarity and what texturing there is proves to be revealing. There also isn't much in the way of artifacting or other anomalies, though some exceedingly minor banding and aliasing is present here and there for those who keep their eyes peeled. All in all, Yu-Gi-Oh! looks great and, presumably, couldn't get much better than what we get here.

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Brace yourself original language fans. The Blu-ray release of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie features a single track: an English-dubbed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix. It's a full, surprisingly solid lossless experience, though, with clean, neatly centered voices, fairly engaging directional effects, and slick, battle-ready channel pans. The rear speakers have a good bit to offer, despite the rather chatty, front-heavy nature of the film. Battles are energetic and eager to please, taking advantage of all the channels. Low-end output is pretty good too, albeit a tad thin and brittle on occasion. It all makes for quite an immersive toy commercial, or as immersive as you could expect from the movie's bark-y, 'splodey, smash-n-bash-y sound design. Fans will be pleased.

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blu-ray release of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie doesn't include any special features.

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

What happens in the course of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie's 90 minutes? I have no clue. Seriously. Lots happens. And yet little makes sense. You can follow it just fine -- you only need to grasp the basics to survive all the expository warm-ups and flash-card battles -- but you probably won't enjoy much if anything about it. Cinedigm's Blu-ray release, on the other hand, is better thanks to a strong digitally remastered video presentation and a more than solid lossless track. It only includes an English dub, which will no doubt disappoint purists, but I suppose beggars can't be choosers. If you or your little battlers dig Yu-Gi-Oh! and are willing to wade through anything and everything to get in one more duel, you'll find something to enjoy here. Not much, mind you. But something.