Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions

I'll be honest, I watched solely for Kaiba's nonsense.. and he didn't disappoint!!

A man so rich and powerful, he basically controls the world from the shadows. With technological prowess beyond anyone's comprehension, backed by his infinite wealth, he has access to every possible bit of information and his genius can do anything he desires.. yet he care's about nothing than to be reunited with the one man he considers his equal. Sounds like a romantic plot? Well, Kaiba would even travel across "dimensions" just to play against him again.. not being able to let go of the Pharaoh that is no more.

The premise itself is befitting his character and immensively enjoyable!! But the backdrop and context for this event is simply complete nonsense! Even if it thinks it actually offers any substance.

In it's 2-hour runtime, it barely develops the scarcely-explained unnecessary plot it introduces.. leaving the viewer with more questions than answers, and gasping at the idiocy of it all. With people beings living connected to others via the collective consciousness and reality being nothing but their own perception. But Kaiba's ego and Yugi's friendship can best it all!! And as expected, the game's actual rules don't matter again. It's all noise.. but the story at least understands what matters is Yugi/Yami VS Kaiba!

Yet, the animations and visual effects are worth watching, and the voice acting even better. Sadly, the English dub does a disservice to this production, as the there's no one as talented in his delivery as Kenjiro Tsuda-san doing Kaiba! Watch it in Japanese, because anything else is subpar.. even insulting. Would not recommend only to those that enjoy how far-gone this franchise is, and want a character arc worth of Kaiba's character.

Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions was not as bad as I had expected. The strongest point of the film was definitely the visual experience. It was quite stunning to look at with many cool shots and scenes.

However, like the original series, there were plenty of predictable downsides. The duels were repetitive which made the film dull to watch. The storyline itself raised far too many questions and plot holes. Did Sarah give the puzzle pieces away so that they would be away from Diva and so that the pharoah would be ressurrected faster? If so, why give them to Yugi? Why not give them to Kaiba? Why would either of them agree to the tournament?

At least there was a nice progression of setting up mysterious and then answering them later in a satisfying way.

This movie is meh. It introduces some new characters but it was kind of boring. I was a fan of the series and the first movie was really great. This one had me falling asleep all the time. It is not what I expected at all. I would never rewatch it (like I did with the first movie) but it is not terrible. It is ok I guess..

This movie was amazing; especially, when compared to the series. In length it is the equivalent to a 7-part episode, and they would be 7 of the best episodes of the series. It has a very similar feeling to watching the duel with Pegasus or the Egyptian God card duels of the series.

The animation is superb, and though a little bit of CGI/2.5D is used, it is very mild, looks good, and much more clean than is often seen in Pokemon movies.

The beginning is a little slow at times, but the rest of the movie is very well paced with plenty of dueling and plenty of lore. It is a wondrous follow-up to the Duel Monsters series. In a period when many long-awaited sequels and remakes of well-known franchises are failing, this one brings back all the nostalgia and joy of Duel Monsters.

As a Yu-Gi-Oh! Movie, The Dark Side of Dimensions delivers exactly what longtime fans would expect: high-stakes duels, dramatic speeches about destiny, and Seto Kaiba being as over-the-top as ever. Visually, the film is stunning, with crisp animation and a darker, more polished art style that fits the more serious tone. The soundtrack also does a solid job of heightening the tension during duels, making them feel more intense.

However, the movie struggles with pacing, feeling overly drawn out at times, especially in the non-dueling segments. The story introduces an interesting new antagonist in Aigami, but his backstory and motivations feel underdeveloped compared to classic Yu-Gi-Oh! Villains. While the nostalgia factor is strong, with the return of Yugi and Kaiba, the plot often feels like an excuse to stage elaborate duels rather than a compelling narrative in its own right.

For hardcore fans of the franchise, The Dark Side of Dimensions is an enjoyable ride, filled with callbacks and epic moments. But for casual viewers or those looking for a well-balanced story, it falls a bit short. A solid 6/10-entertaining, but not quite a masterpiece.