Yu-Gi-Oh!

Despite the snazzy mouthful of geek jargon, this wasted effort of sharp-looking and imaginative Japanimation by director Hatsuki Tsuji is just a pointless kids’ flick about two guys playing cards. However, writer/producer Michael Pecoriello’s insists on adding some sort of plot. Unfortunate viewers must endure this incoherence involving a really old dead guy (colorfully known as the Ancient Egyptian Sorcerer) who is determined to fulfill some 5,000-year-old prophecy to be reborn. Somehow this ties in with the two teens and their overzealous egos who battle in a dual court and randomly flip over cards according to arbitrary rules in order to summon the Ultimate XYZ Dragon Cannon that can attack with its Ionic Super Thrust, or maybe its weapon of choice is the lightning sword. Who knows? Who cares, other than the 8-year-old boys in the audience who are dazzled by the bright colors and loud action scenes. YU-GI-OH is YU-GI-NO!