The audience is smarter than the film gives them credit for, and although major changes have to be made in an adaption, there’s never an excuse for dumbing down.The concept of “Death Note,” the manga and at least start of the film, is simple. In that sense, the film is a success.īut I couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was a real wasted opportunity here. Fans of the original will watch it out of curiosity and be deeply disappointed, while those new to the idea will enjoy it for what it is. It’s a high-concept thriller, and nothing more. Thankfully, the film doesn’t really take itself too seriously, which stops it from being a cringe-fest and firmly puts it into popcorn territory. It kind of reminded me of Stranger Things, which isn’t a terrible comparison. Most of the film’s sequences are visually pleasing, lit up with clashing neon, humming along to an eighties soundtrack, and the sound of synths.
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I actually want a redub of the anime series with Dafoe's voice now. And although Ryuk was warped to be more of a "bad guy," the casting of Willem Dafoe was beyond perfect. This serves to drive the film’s action sequences, and a lot of careful decisions are replaced by impulsivity, just to speed things up. L is also enjoyable, and weird enough, but makes a lot of decisions based on emotion for a character who is supposed to be a brilliant tactician. In the film, she’s given a lot more purpose, and plays a kind of “Lady Macbeth” role, even if it’s unclear why she’s so twisted. In the anime she’s simply awful - a simpering, spineless schoolgirl who’s utterly obsessed with Light, and would do anything to please him. There is a couple of things the film gets right, and one of them is Light’s girlfriend Mia. I wasn't expecting this to be a faithful adaption, or a particularly good one, but I must admit, I was entertained. Ugh, anyway, enough of my fanboy griping. It wouldn't have killed us to subvert our expectations. I really loved that aspect of Ryuk, and again, it’s a shame that his character had to fit the Western perception of demonic entities. He doesn’t have a horse in the race - he just likes eating apples and watching the chaos unfold. Ryuk is supposed to be a spectator, just like the audience, standing beside Light and giggling at the human’s plans. To his delight, the tense game of cat and mouse that ensues is the most entertaining thing he’s ever witnessed. He hangs around in the world of death, bored out of his mind, until he decides to give his Death Note to a random human and just. In this film, he is a malevolent force, pressuring Light into murder and pursuing his own private, twisted agenda.
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My second major gripe was the role of Ryuk, the death god who gives Light the notebook. I genuinely don’t understand why Western adaptations always have to make unlikeable characters sympathetic - it’s not like we’re incapable of rooting for antiheroes.
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Nobody has to convince him to kill people, and there was something wonderfully refreshing about such an openly immoral character.Īnnoyingly, the film warps Light into a bullied weirdo with a Batman-style motivation his mother was killed by a criminal, and Light’s rightful thirst for revenge sparks his killing spree. He is an egotistical sociopath who truly believes in the nobility of his actions, and will stop at nothing to achieve his agenda. In the anime, Light is popular, smart, and utterly ruthless. Of course, it’s impossible to distill a long, complicated television series into a single movie, so in the process, L and Light are simplified.īut I took issue with the way Light was depicted here. The anime series was a Machiavellian game of cat and mouse, with the two brilliant strategists constantly plotting to outwit each other, planning their moves several steps in advance. L is desperate to find out who Kira is and put a stop to the killings, and Light’s own father, a police officer, is also on the case, unaware of his son’s involvement. They operate together, killing criminals under the name of “Kira.”īut Light is hindered by a police investigation led by the enigmatic and eccentric “L,” teenage genius.
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From his initial uncertainty, Light slowly morphs into a mass murderer with messianic delusions, egged on by his sociopathic girlfriend Mia. You can even choose the exact cause of death, but there are rules and limitations. Write a person’s name in the Note, and that person dies.
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Death Note tells the story of high-school student Light Turner, who is given a “Death Note” by a shinigami (god of death), Ryuk.