Death Note Movie Review
Death Note is one of the greatest, and darkest anime and manga series. However, ever since the Netflix exclusive Death Note movie was announced, it has received backlash. So, does the movie beat its expectations, or is it as bad as it was thought to be?
Story (SPOILERS)
The story starts on a cloudy day at a Seattle high school, where Light Turner is copying quizzes, while the head cheerleader Mia is practicing. The wind and rain start to pick up, but just before that, Light sees a notebook mysteriously fall out of the sky. He sees it’s s called the Death Bote and takes it with him. Once the rain picks up more everyone goes back to the school, she starts to get harassed by some bullies. Light steps up to help her, but gets knocked out. She calls a teacher, who finds his quiz copies. When he comes to, he is sentenced to detention. While in detention, his teacher leaves the room, and he sees the same bully who knocked him out harassing another kid. Then suddenly the Note’s Shinigami, Ryuk, appears. He convinces Light to write the bully’s name, and the bully dies by decapitation.
This freaks Light out, and he goes home after detention. When he gets back, he and his father have an argument over what should have happened to Light’s mother’s killer. This ends in Light writing the killer’s name in the note. After this, Light goes to school the next day, and almost immediately tells Mia about it. They then decide they can change the world by killing criminals, and start dating as well. The movie montages through this major part, and shows more of Light and Mia’s relationship than the actual killing.
However, the greatest detective L, is on to Light AKA Kira. He gets Light’s dad to help him on the investigation. From here the pace is really weird, with Light writing Watari’s name in the Death Note so he can find out L’s real name. When Watari doesn’t know it, he goes to where L was raised to be the next great detective since he was a child. Watari ends up finding L’s name, but is killed before he can tell Light, Watari is killed. In the midst of this Light is being followed by an FBI member. However, Mia kills both him and all the other FBI members.
Light and Mia go to their school dance, and Mia wants Light to give her the Note, so she wrote that he will die at midnight if he doesn’t. This is when L goes after him because he finds out about Watari. Light gets the Death Note, and writes some names that we don’t see. Light tells Mia to meet him at the Ferris wheel, and then flees as L starts to chase him. Light runs until he’s finally cornered where Light gives L the huge hint that “Death can be handed out through a f***ing Calculus book.” L is about to kill Light until a Kira supporter knocks L out, allowing Light to escape. When Light gets to the Ferris wheel he and Mia ride it to the top. She grabs the Note, which Light wrote would happen. They then fall because Ryuk destroys the supports. They both fall, but Mia lands on a flower cart, whereas Light lands in the water.
We then see Light in the hospital, and his dad confronts him that he is Kira, Light explains how he pulled it off. He wrote names so that his pages would be pulled out of the note and burned, he would be saved and then put into a 2-day coma when criminals are still being killed. This is when L finds Mia’s calculus book with a page of the note in it. The movie then ends on Ryuk in the hospital window, saying “Humans are so interesting.”
Presentation
The presentation of this movie is an awkward mix of new ideas and tributes to the original series. This is also blends into the characters and their origins. The mix leaves the characters seem emptier than their inspiration. However, the setting of Seattle was an interesting idea, although nothing ever really ends up changing because of it. The soundtrack was very good, and, for the most part, complemented the movie very well. I say for the most part because there are a few 80's soft rock pieces, which aren’t necessarily bad, but just aren’t what is associated with Death Note. However, the thing that is best presented in this movie is Ryuk, who is voiced amazingly by Willem Dafoe. His full body is almost never seen, and if his is moving, it’s in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable. When he’s not moving, his slouched posture and glowing beast eyes are sure to put viewers on edge.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Death Note movie fails as an adaptation of the series, but more importantly, it fails the characters. I would forgive the story if the characters in the movie were as clever, or as like able, as their previous iterations. Another gripe I have is with the new character Mia, who replaces Misa as the love interest, and is such a better character, until the movies kills her off during the third act, removing her from a potential sequel. I say potential sequel, because the movie definitely teases one at the end. However, the greatest thing about this movie is Willem Dafoe’s Ryuk. Sadly he isn’t in the movie too much, but whenever he appears, it’s amazing. The movie had the potential to be really good, but it ultimately failed. Although, at the end of the movie when we find out what Light’s plan was, his true character from the original series starts to shine. I believe this adaptation could have been better, or it could make a much better sequel, possibly incorporating more Death Notes and making a unique experience or adding characters like Near and Mello. I think that the biggest problem about the movie is that it tries to copy the story of the original, but also tries to be unique, and the two ideas end up clashing against each other. I think a sequel could make a better improvement, and actually be pretty good, but the damage has already been done by this movie.
5/10
