The 2000’s decade was probably one of the most popular
eras to be invested in anime, if you were a kid in the United States. At that
time, I had already become a big fan of “Dragon Ball,” “Sailor Moon,”
“Digimon,” “Yu Yu Hakusho,” “Yu-Gi-Oh!” and other shows that were getting their
exposure through Toonami at that time. It was also a time when I was learning
that Adult Swim was also broadcasting anime, and that introduced me to “Death
Note.”
Based on the manga by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata,
“Death Note” was a 37-episode anime that aired on Adult Swim in 2007, just
after it wrapped up in Japan. At the time, I watched a few episodes, before
giving on the series, since I was more interested in action anime that was
airing, like “Inuyasha” and “Full Metal Alchemist.” However, since the show’s
been available on Netflix for god knows how long, I took the time to try and
give it another go, and I’ve been kicking myself for not doing it sooner. So
far within the first few episodes, “Death Note” is truly a show that really has
such a captivating atmosphere to it. From the animation, to its characters, and
the soundtrack that plays with it, it’s all so investing, and I’m looking
forward to more. But be aware, I’m only talking about the first few episodes,
so I’m not as big an expert on the source material right now.
With the popularity “Death Note” has gotten, surely there
should be a movie based on such a phenomenon, right? Well, there is…about six
of them. Yeah, apparently Japan’s film industry was really into “Death Note”
during the height of its popularity, but the one we’ll be focusing on is the
recent American version.
So what’s the plot of the new movie? Light Turner, is a
high school genius, who comes into contact with a notebook that fell from the
sky, called the “Death Note.” From attaining this, he comes into contact with a
Shinigami named Ryuk, who tells him that whoever’s face he sees with a name to
write in the book, will be killed however the writer so desires. This gives
Light the idea to become the god of a new world, killing the most notorious
killers in the world, that has the detective “L” on his case of reckless
manslaughter.
Ever
since it was announced, fans have not been kind to it in the slightest, and
even after it was released, it has been panned continuously. And for the
record, I do agree that it is a lackluster remake…but I don’t think it’s AS
bad. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I love it as much as I did “Ghost in
the Shell,” but people are saying that this film is the next “Dragon Ball
Evolution.” For the record, at least this film tried to be “Death Note.”
Let’s go over the positives. Now for the most part, it
does follow the anime’s plot about a boy given these god-like powers, and
someone trying to foil him, with a few twists and turns to it. I like how the
cinematography and lighting give it this nice feel of an 80’s thriller, which
is heavily supported by the score by Atticus and Leopold Ross. Kudos to David
Tattersall, because every shot just has such a hypnotic eye candy feel to it,
whether it was at the carnival, a café, or even someone’s house. I also have to
hand it to them, for making this an R rated movie and going all out with the
kills, which helps with a film about people dying in different ways, like a “Final
Destination” game. And to be honest, I liked the supporting cast this film has.
Shea Whigham and Paul Nakauchi as Light’s dad and L’s assistant were pretty
good; I like how they both share this worry for the one they’re looking out for.
Lakeith Stanfield was also a damn good L; at first, it was a little off putting
to see someone do those mannerisms in live action, but Stanfield’s mobility
does make it seem effortless and natural, like he was raised that way. Whenever
he’s on screen, he just commands a presence that means business is needed to be
done and over with. Then we get to the most interesting part of the movie, Ryuk.
If there is one thing that they truly honored, it was definitely Ryuk; much
like L, he just catches your attention almost instantly, wondering what this
monster could possibly do if you let your guard down. And the motion capture
performances from Jason Liles and Willem Dafoe combined make it one of the coolest
visuals of 2017.
The director of this film was Adam Wingard, who I don’t
have much of an opinion on, and this film didn’t really help that. This then
brings us to the problems that plague this whole thing: the two main leads. Now
let me be clear, I have nothing against Nat Wolff or Margaret Qualley, but they
clearly were not right for these roles. And no, SJWs, it is NOT because of them
being whitewash versions of two characters that were originally Japanese, it’s
because the script and directing don’t help these characters become interesting.
I know Wolff can be a good actor, as seen in “Paper Towns” and “The Fault in
Our Stars,” but the way Light is written and performed, it makes him feel more
like a mopey angst teen, who nobody understands except the girl who defends him…to
be fair, that’s a creative way to go with “Death Note,” but this doesn’t fit
Light’s character at all. Light is supposed to be this super genius bored kid who
ends up becoming this egotistical homicidal maniac beyond redemption; here, we
just get one of the goth kid’s from “South Park” who screams like nine-year-old
girl. If anything this film could have benefited from having someone like Dane
DeHaan as Light, since he’s starred in three films already that portray him in
such a manner. As for Margaret Qualley, my problem isn’t so much that she wasn’t
really Misa, or rather “Mia”; the big problem is that the script just doesn’t
make her that interesting, other than wanting the power for herself and being “the
love interest.” It may not seem like much, but when you watch just these two on
screen, they really drag this film down by a lot, and I’m hoping it cuts to
Ryuk or L doing something more interesting.
So look, I didn’t come out of “Death Note” pissed off,
especially being a Netflix exclusive, but that’s not saying much. I don’t have
the blood boiling hatred that I have for “Dragon Ball Evolution” or any other “Death
Note” fan, but with how lackluster the two leads are, compared to the
actually interesting supporting characters, it doesn’t help. Japan had proved
to adapt “Death Note” into live action a long time ago, and they’ve been closer
with the development of Light better than the American version. Is it the worst
movie of the year? No, I’ve seen far worse, and this doesn’t even scrape the
Top 25. If a sequel does happen, hopefully they can do something to improve
upon it.
Rating: 5/10
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