79. Yu-Gi-Oh! - The Dark Side Of Dimensions; movie review

YU-GI-OH! - THE DARK SIDE OF DIMENSIONS
Cert PG
129 mins
BBFC advice: mild fantasy violence, threat

It had to happen - for the first time in nearly 3,800 movies I have discovered one which I simply could not comprehend from beginning to end.
Satoshi Kuwabara's Yu-Gi-Oh! - The Dark Side Of Dimensions scores a very impressive 7.9/10 on Internet Movie Database so I thought I would be in for a treat.
Wrong. Without any knowledge of the card game on which the film is based I was like a ship without a rudder, engine or sail.
After scratching my head for more than two hours, I contacted Master W who was into Japanese manga and anime in his youth.
His verdict was that :"It is insanely complex. You have to understand the Yu-Gi-Oh world to comprehend the film and it is the fourth movie so that would make it even more difficult to watch it without background."
He wasn't kidding. The movie's opening led me to believe I was about to watch porn. A scene at what I hope was meant to be a college as opposed to school sees girls wearing incredibly short skirts with thigh-high skirts.
Thankfully, this element soon fades into the background and we learn of the character Yu-Gi-Oh (voiced by Dan Green) who works at his grandad's video shop and has ambitions of creating his own game.
Meanwhile, there is a mysterious classmate (Daniel J. Edwards) who initially is the victim of bullying but who, it then emerges, has the power to make those he perceives as evil to disappear.
And then there is a duel involving cards and crystal dragons and anyone who has no knowledge of Yu-Gi-Oh might as well leave the room.
From then on, none of the movie made any sense at all to me and as hard as I tried to pick up the thread I found it impossible.
What was real and what was fantasy, what is a duelling jam and why are the male voices too deep for the age of the characters they are playing?
Best not write any more other than to say I have at least ticked off a movie which had been on my missing list.

Reasons to watch: if you are already a fan of Yu-Gi-Oh!
Reasons to avoid: if you haven't any background knowledge

Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: - from my perspective as a non-fan: 1/10



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