Yu-Gi-Oh; Pyramid of Light: This seems a bit excessive for a card game...

The push to capitalize on Pokemon's fame was a strange time for shows and anime, as many shows tried to tap into that market by making their worlds revolve around their takes on Pokemon. In the case of Yu-Gi-Oh, that included things like making an entire city crawl to a halt just due to competitors in a corporation dedicated to the game's competition, used as a ploy for the owner of said corporation to try and get his hands on three cards, and unintentionally drawing in the attention of a crypt keeper and his servants joining the tournament to try and get them and a puzzle from a kid who has the spirit of a Egyptian pharaoh that shares his body. No really, all of that happens, and I'm even skipping parts of it. Point being, this universe is weird, and it gets weirder when it wants to go cinematic, so let's see how weird it gets with two of the localized movies, starting with the first (to my knowledge) that got released in English, Pyramid of Light. Before you ask, yes I did try a World of Light joke, but nothing worked for me.

Our plot for the movie concerns a vengeful spirit from Ancient Egypt returning to do battle against the aforementioned Pharoh, and no I'm not referring to Kaiba and his Blue Eyes... did I mention that this series gets weird at times? Turns out that when Yugi Moto completed the Millenium Puzzle and reawakened the spirit of the Pharoh, he also revived an ancient Egyptian sorcerer, Anubis. Yes, that Anubis, though with less of a dog head then his portrayals in the real Ancient Egyptian discoveries. Anubis' plan is to use the titular Pyramid of Light to take the life force out of a dueling Pharoh and Seto Kaiba, who started the dual in the first place due to an over-inflated ego and wanting the three Egyptian God Cards that Yugi and the Pharoh possess, primarily because the one who wields the three cards is almost unstoppable in the game of Duel Monsters, the in-universe name for Yu-Gi-Oh. The plot really is that basic because the runtime is close to 90 minutes, and most of that is dedicated to the duel, which in this show's fashion, makes a children's card game one of the most extreme things you could watch. It's actually quite impressive at times how over the top they make it.

However, like what was hinted at, the pacing of the movie is sparatic. Not as bad as the show can be due to all of its padding, but while the start of the film is rushed, the moment the dual starts, it feels like it slows down drastically. There are also moments that feel rushed, like the reveal of Anubis, for the sake of making the duel longer, however that acts as a benefit in some cases because for the love of the heart of the cards I am so sick and tired of seeing "friendship is the strongest thing of all" messages, especially as I've been marathoning Yu-Gi-Oh's early seasons recently, and it feels like it's mentioned every five minutes in between the "oh woe is me, my backstory is tragic" scenes that play out everytime it's that persons turn. I get it Joey, your sister inspires you. Can you stop reminding me of that fact? While 90 minutes is normal for a kids movie, especially in the early to mid 2000's, if it was made again now, I'd appreciate more of a build-up to the big duel, especially since the dual itself has a "buy lot's of tickets and see it again" moment thanks to the fact that there were several promotional cards released for the movie that, to my knowledge, you could only get at the cinema. To Pokemon fans, the Ancient Mew card that came out to promote The Power of One is the perfect example of this, but instead of it being one card, there were 13, including the Pyramid of Light, the Blue Eyes Shining Dragon, and the four Monster cards Anubis uses in the battle. This isn't the only time they've done this apparently, so if you're looking for these cards to add to your decks, good luck (are they even still used in the game?)

"Cartoons are so violent nowadays, aren't they?" (please don't take that out of context)

Presentation wise, like many shows making the jump to movies, the presentation is really good. It looks great even by today's standards and goes all in on some of the sillier sides of the show. One I find absolutely hilarious is Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Jet. Because what else are you going to spend your fortune on other than making more elaborate ways to play a card game, getting a pilot's licence and developing a high tech jet plane based of a card in your deck in said children's card game? The duels have always had a grandiose factor to them, though the new budget makes everything look cleaner, more expressive, and with no limitations done to it as it's not abiding by TV rules, they don't hold back on things like the attacks on the players Life Points. It's also nice to see the extra detail for things like the cards, including letting viewers see what the cards actually do. There are a few times when the animation is a little too goofy for my tastes, moments that stand out like a sore thumb such as Yugi running away from Mummies, but overall the presentation visually looks great. Audio wise, while the effects and voice direction are great, the music's rather generic, and blends into the background. While that's not the end of the world, a part of me was hoping to hear something so out of place for the sake of a pop culture song that it's hilarious to watch in motion, but that moment never came.

The biggest problem with the film is the same one many, many, many movies directly tied to TV shows have. If you don't watch the show, you're going to have a worse experience because the movie relies on that knowledge the audience would have. If you have that knowledge though, this is just a longer episode of the show, which isn't a bad thing per se, but it does take away from the notion of this being a movie. It looks more impressive than the show, but the substance is on par with the show, though improving on it in some cases. There is another movie though that I am aware of that ties into this era of Yu-Gi-Oh, and unlike Pyramid of Light, was one I saw in the Cinemas (one of the few times I'm aware of that had a niche movie get time in an Australian Cinema that isn't dedicated to niche movies). Come Sunday (hopefully), the Shadowgames continue, with the Dark Side of Dimensions.