For Yu-Gi-Oh! fans around the world, a new movie just made its public appearance: Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Side of Dimensions. Here's my review of the movie, totally objective, of course.
Okay, this was quite possibly the best movie I’ve ever seen. Of course, I’m completely biased, having been an avid fan of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise for the better part of my existence. Objectively though, Dark Side of Dimensions was unsurpassed as a movie centered around the King of Games – better than Bonds Beyond Time or even the Yu-Gi-Oh! movie itself. Allow me to regale you.
Dark Side of Dimensions centers around one spectacular goal of the magnanimous Seto Kaiba – revive the Pharaoh and beat him in a duel, once and for all. As you might remember in the very last Yu-Gi-Oh! episode, the Pharaoh was defeated by Yugi Muto and left, his soul finally finding rest, before Kaiba could beat him in a climactic epic battle. For those as invested in the franchise as I, you are well aware that Kaiba is a particularly high-minded individual who will stop at nothing in his goal of being crowned the very best duelist in the world. Whether or not he succeeds, however, I’ll not reveal, for fear of giving away a great spoiler.
For those just entering the Yu-Gi-Oh! scene, you’ll be entertained by a new villain with an unexpected and heart-wrenching backstory. For those who have been with Yugi and the gang since the very beginning, there’s a whole host of Easter eggs and references that’ll put a smile on your face the whole time through.
The whole gang is back: Yugi, Joey, Tea, Tristan, Bakura, Kaiba, Mokuba, and even Duke are prominently featured in the new plotline. One marked difference is their physiognomies: the traditional troupe of characters undergoes a serious makeover, which makes sense since the movie takes place at the time of the gang's high school graduation, years after the series finale. While some of the visual choices are questionable (Kaiba's rockin’ abs, anyone?), they are a welcome change that subtly ages the characters from the younger ones we were used to. A new style of card effects and an updated mode of dueling (the eponymous “Dimension Summoning”) also lend a veritable freshness to the franchise.
Dark Side of Dimensions, as its name implies, is certainly more grungy and darker than its predecessors, clearly meant for a slightly older audience. But it's well worth the ten year wait - complete with Kaiba's signature biting one-liners, hyper-realistic trading cards, stunning visual effects, tension-filled reveals, galactic elevators, futuristic tech, plenty of Yugi's perfectly coiffed hair (Kaiba's words, not mine), and enough new iterations of Blue-Eyes White Dragon to make your head spin, Dark Side of Dimensions is more than deserving of a five-star review.
Plus, in case you weren't already convinced, a ticket to the show comes with a Gold Rare copy of Obelisk the Tormentor! What could be better than that?
