Contrary to what some groups might be saying, kids these days are getting smarter. I'm sure of this because at the Yu-Gi-Oh! screening I attended, the children in the audience seemed to click instantly with what was happening on screen. I couldn't help noticing how entranced they were by the film's colorful images and by the card games on display. However, the older patrons -- myself included -- had  no clue what was going on. The best I can figure out is that Yu-Gi-Oh! is a hyperactive, 90-minute commercial consisting of huge monsters duking it out while the characters talk in paraphrased kung-fu dialogue. While this movie may be a decent time-killer with some interesting animation, it fails to hide the fact that it's basically Pokémon in a different package.

For those unfamiliar with the back story of Yu-Gi-Oh!, here's what I was able to gather from the oft-nonsensical plot. Several millennia ago, Egyptian pharaohs did battle with magic and monsters in a game that nearly destroyed the world. In modern times, it's been turned into Duel Monsters, a card game sweeping the globe. Young schoolkid Yugi Moto has worked his way up to becoming the all-time Duel Monsters champion, thanks partially to the spirit of a pharaoh that's inhabited Yugi's body ever since he solved the ancient Millennium Puzzle.

Yu-Gi-Oh! kicks off by revealing that when Yugi unleashed the pharaoh, he also unknowingly caused the resurrection of Anubis, an evil force who tried to bring the world to an end long ago and is starting all over again. Anubis does so by getting two new, mysterious Duel Monsters cards into the hands of Kaiba, a former champion who wants revenge for having been beaten by Yugi. But once Kaiba and Yugi enter the dueling arena, the game they play will decide whether Anubis finally conquers the world or if Yugi and his friends will save the day.

If, after reading the above plot summary, you find yourself intrigued by the premise and are a fan of Japanese anime, then Yu-Gi-Oh! should be a good bet for you. On the other hand, if your head is spinning faster than Linda Blair's in The Exorcist, then lie down, take an aspirin, and pass on this one. As for myself, my exposure to anime has been minimal (aside from a couple of Miyazaki films, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, and the fifteen-thousand Pokémon features), and after seeing a few episodes of the popular cartoon show while babysitting, I didn't place Yu-Gi-Oh! at the top of my "to-see" list.

Most of the time, this movie shows its true colors as an unabashed commercial hawking the real "Yu-Gi-Oh" card game. And it tosses out more corny lines than you can shake a kung-fu flick at (I half expected someone to jump up and say, "Ha-ha! My Blue Eyes White Dragon is better than your Dark Magician! You will die! Ha-ha!"). But despite what little there is of a tangible story and those confusing card game rules, I had a bit of fun with Yu-Gi-Oh! Okay, maybe I didn't understand fully what going on, but the movie never dragged for me. Instead, it seemed to fly by at the pace of a five-year-old on his first sugar high, and I admired the variety of weird, elaborate monsters who gave the film a darker, more mature atmosphere.  

This summer movie season has delivered numerous products designed to appeal to various kiddie groups. Two Brothers hit home with animal lovers, A Cinderella Story pleased the teeny-boppers, and Yu-Gi-Oh!will undoubtedly score points with fourth grade kids who are starting to think "Pokémon" is a little too cutesy. As a film, Yu-Gi-Oh! contributes next to nothing to the world of cinema, but as a shameless, self-aware commercial, boy, does it work like a charm.

MY RATING: ** (out of ****)

(Released by Warner Bros. and rated "PG" for scary combat and monster images.)

Review also posted at www.ajhakari.com.