Parents' Guide to

Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

More infomercial than movie. For series fans only.

Movie PG 2004 90 minutes
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 8 parent reviews

Holly R.
Holly R. Parent of 0-year-old
October 21, 2017
age 5+

An American made cash grab disappointment

This film wasn't originally created in Japan but was pushed for by the American dubbing company 4Kids. 4Kids had success with the Pokemon movies but after the Pokemon hype took a long flop, they pushed for a theatrical film of Yu-Gi-Oh since it was very popular at the time. This movie was pushed into existence by American company 4Kids working up a script and begging the series creative team in Japan to make a movie. The result is a mediocre cash grab. It's not flat out terrible, but it is very disappointing to hardcore fans and unwatchable for non fans unless they are kids.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much consumerism
clonegamer654
clonegamer654 Adult
July 6, 2016
age 10+

this is ok

this is not the best yugioh movie but it is kinda bad and kinda good so it is ok

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 8 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Less a movie than an infomercial, YU-GI-OH! THE MOVIE, like the TV show, follows the story of champion card-player Yugi (voiced by Dan Green), who can access the power of an ancient pharaoh to help him triumph over all who challenge him. His perennial nemesis is wealthy Kaiba (Eric Stuart), who doesn't realize that his spirit has been captured by the spirit of the pharaoh's evil enemy, Anubis (Scottie Ray). Five thousand years ago, the pharaoh vanquished Anubis for what he thought was eternity.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (8):
Kids say (2):

When a movie begins by telling you that "Eternity does not last forever," it's clear that no one behind it is paying much attention to the script, so you'd better not worry about it, either. Anyone who's ever seen the Yu-Gi-Oh! TV series, played the card game, or bought the cards knows what to expect here. The characters usually undergo some transformation or make use of a secret to attain power, almost always an attractive theme to kids.

The static visuals get tiresome quickly, and the characters are confusing to those not already familiar with them from television. The dialogue consists of a lot of boasts and threats like, "Soon worms will feast on your flesh as they feasted on mine!" Kids, especially those ages 6-10, love to memorize and sort endless facts, whether about Pokemon, dinosaurs, cars, or Beanie Babies. So parents may decide that the movie's benefits as a sort of training wheels for social interaction and a sense of mastery outweigh its shortcomings as a movie. Nevertheless, non-fans will conclude that eternity may not last forever, but this movie feels like it does.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the characters' view that there's nothing more powerful than friendship. Do you agree? Families might also enjoy looking for the movie's many references to other movies, including On the Waterfront, The Godfather, and The Wizard of Oz.

Movie Details

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