Warner Bros. | Release Date: August 25, 2017
3.1
USER SCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 484 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
83
Mixed:
104
Negative:
297
Watch Now
Stream On
Review this movie
VOTE NOW
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Check box if your review contains spoilers 0 characters (5000 max)
5
strifespectreAug 25, 2017
You know, I had the smallest of hopes for this movie. However, it just ruined everything what made Death Note great. Pacing is too fast, Characters aren't likeable or people you can sympathise with unlike the manga, and it's just a mess, butYou know, I had the smallest of hopes for this movie. However, it just ruined everything what made Death Note great. Pacing is too fast, Characters aren't likeable or people you can sympathise with unlike the manga, and it's just a mess, but I am not going to lie; it was an entertaining film to watch. It was cool seeing how the setting was adapted into an american highschool, and William DaFoe was a great casting choice for the film. Talent is certainly there, the actors are just let down greatly by the writers. Effects are pretty nice as well. Otherwise, it's a painfully medicore attempt at trying to "adapt" and westernise a great Manga/Anime series, simillar to what Ghost in the Shell was back in March. The film certainly had potential - and could have been great. But, that's where it failed. Expand
10 of 10 users found this helpful100
All this user's reviews
5
Dauntless07Aug 25, 2017
It's worth a watch, but its logical inconsistencies may turn off fans of the original. It's not The Last Airbender or Dragonball Evolution levels of bad, but it does dumb down some of its source material to fit the 101 minute running time.It's worth a watch, but its logical inconsistencies may turn off fans of the original. It's not The Last Airbender or Dragonball Evolution levels of bad, but it does dumb down some of its source material to fit the 101 minute running time.
...
Part of the original's strength was that, although supernatural elements existed, there were clearly defined rules, and every move the leads took was intelligently calculated. These rules are changed in this adaptation somewhat, most notably, a specified cause of death now needs only to be "physically possible." By that logic, why doesn't Light just make one of his victims draw an exact copy of L's face and name? For some reason, this never occurs to Light, probably because he too has been dumbed down. What made him so interesting in the series, in addition to possessing a genius level intellect, was that he was a model student; not someone you'd suspect of serial murder. Here, they made him into a troublemaker from the start, and he makes idiotic mistakes like openly reading and talking about the notebook in public places. Heart attack is not the default cause of death as in the anime, resulting in an unnecessarily gory film. Misa wasn't a strong character in the source material, and I have no idea why they tried to make her a pseudo Lady Macbeth here. It's almost as if she's making Light do these things, rather than focusing on his descent to evil.
...
The setting change didn't bother me, because the story of Death Note could have happened anywhere. The characters, however, are often so different from the originals that I wonder why they bothered keeping their names. The real stars of the film are William Dafoe as Ryuk, (he's perfect in anything sinister to cartoony levels,) and Keith Stanfield as L, (he captures the air of his source character remarkably well.) The real problem is the short run time, which forces the plot to move at breakneck pace, and does not allow for the methodic intellectual chess game between Light and L. There's enough here to make me believe the actors could have made this shine through, but not with 1 hour 40 minutes. Instead of sequel baiting, perhaps more focus should have been placed on creating a better film.
...
All that said, I was still able to enjoy myself watching this film, and that's because the concept is really good. What happens when a teenager is given the power to kill? At the very least, we get an answer to that question when the power falls to a cringy punk. As you might expect by the run time, it starts going bad for him pretty fast. The effects were decent, though more practical effects for Ryuk would have been appreciated. The music was hit or miss. I think if they slapped another hour on to really develop these characters and the plot, or cut Mia's character entirely, we could have had a better film, but as is, it's passable. Average.
Expand
8 of 8 users found this helpful80
All this user's reviews
4
OnlyTeeAug 25, 2017
The issue with Netflix's death note is its failure to turn death note into a prime time basic television Teen audience show. The movie feels like this type of show which would run for a couple of seasons crammed into an almost two hour movie.The issue with Netflix's death note is its failure to turn death note into a prime time basic television Teen audience show. The movie feels like this type of show which would run for a couple of seasons crammed into an almost two hour movie. You will feel all of the hour and forty six minutes as this movie has nothing to keep you enthralled. No sides to pick. The movie doesn't know if it wants light to be the ultimate evil or good and doesn't give you any other side to root for if you find the anwser yourself. light has no charisma or strong motivation, he does not captivate. In the original series Death note, light has the strongest charisma and clear and defined motivation. This gave viewers a chance to either be hypnotized or completely turned off by him. There is none of that in this movie. Light is said to be very bright multiple times but is never shown to be bright outside of math problems or doing homework for other kids which ends up with him getting caught and getting sent to detention (not very bright). So the movie lacks any genius plans or long thought out killings for the viewer to follow and figure out or be suprised by. This in turn creates another issue for the opposing force of L. L is never given any challenge or run around to solve and so his character is weakened because his defining factor,his supreme intelligence is lost as his quirks of eating candy,sitting positions, and matter of fact social awkwardness actually define him and so he is seen as a Weirdo who makes pretty obvious conclusions and is quick to anger instead of the cool and calm super genius who is going toe to toe with Kira. Misa or Mia in this movie is a step up from her air headed idol self to a cheerleader who is more of the i cheer cause i want to and smoke cigarettes while doing it type than the typical pretty and popular. I believe this character would have been more interesting as the main character. Mia is introduced to the death note by light and becomes addicted to the power of it. pushing light to do more killings and then working killings on her own. I think her power craze would make for a more interesting story then the typical western issue of tap dancing between morality with power. Finally Ryuk is the saving grace of this movie. A perfect adaption, ryuk's love for carnage, apples, and unclear motivations or loyalties shine through perfectly. Ryuk is for the most part hidden in shadow or unfocused lens but when shown his CGI is very well done. I hope this isn't the last we see of His live action character because he could be wonderful in better mediums. In summary, Netflix's death note is a shallow adaption of one of the greatest Suspense Thrillers in the world, with a weak main character in light who's addition to the plot seems to be the name connection to the original character, the naming of the villain Kira, and a very weak challenge for L to figure out. Weak and misused side characters and no one to root for, Watch this movie for ryuk and some interesting aesthetics, otherwise there is nothing here for even a boring rainy afternoon. Expand
8 of 8 users found this helpful80
All this user's reviews
5
themikeAug 28, 2017
This film is far less awful than the flood of incensed fan reviews suggests; that's not to say it's very good, or even holds a candle to the source material (which I loved). It's seriously hurt by a 90 minute runtime which makes the storyThis film is far less awful than the flood of incensed fan reviews suggests; that's not to say it's very good, or even holds a candle to the source material (which I loved). It's seriously hurt by a 90 minute runtime which makes the story almost incomprehensible, and a script that's trying way too hard to be "American teen movie". Netflix's Death Note isn't completely without its moments though! There's some great performances (Ryuk and L mostly), and stylistically it's definitely cool. Ultimately, just another entertaining but forgettable popcorn movie, with a frustrating amount of wasted potential. Expand
7 of 7 users found this helpful70
All this user's reviews
5
ElPolloLoco82Aug 25, 2017
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bottom line, this movie needed to be a miniseries and not rushed into roughly an hour and a half movie. The pacing was too fast and it doesn't allow you to really connect with any of the characters in the movie. Another problem I had with this adaptation, which is what most people will point out is that they fundamentally changed the core attributes of the characters that they adapted from the anime series. For instance, Light was smart, but he wasn't genius level smart like he was in the anime series. He also wasn't very confident and the way they approached being "Kira" was completely different. Light, in the anime series, was all about creating and being the god of this new world order where crime will essentially be eliminated, and nothing and no one would stand in the way of that. This Light, just didn't have the stomach for it. Not to mention, Light, in the series, was the epitome of what every man wish they were, and every woman wished they were with. Light. in this movie, was remarkably average; even down to the reason for why he continuing to use the Death Note and pursued this life as Kira, all to impress a girl (Mia). What really made the anime series shine though, was the way Light and L danced a mental tango where Light was trying to either find a way to eliminate L or convince L that he wasn't Kira and L trying to get L to slip up so to confirm his suspicions that Light was Kira. In this movie, not so much; L confronts Light at a gelato shop, where he breaks Light to into letting it slip that he was Kira. This movie would have been better served if they cast a better Light, and didn't write him as such an unconfident wussy. Also, in the series, Ryuk and Lights relationship wasn't as adversarial as it was in this movie. In the series, Light and Ryuk was there for some side commentary and answer any questions that Light may have had in regards to the Death Note. In the movie, they really didn't like each other. Ryuk was the true star of this movie and because they played the relationship the way they did, his screen time was pretty limited. All in all, it's going to upset fans of the original anime series. To the point where they will flat out give this a "0" because of those differences. I think if you come in, never seeing the anime series, you'll find this movie to be remarkably average. That's why it's getting the oh so average score of a "5". Expand
4 of 4 users found this helpful40
All this user's reviews
4
TheQuietGamerAug 25, 2017
The cultural phenomenon known as "Death Note" is a lot of material to try to turn into an hour and forty minute movie. So what we end up with is a film that goes for cheap thrills instead of a truly satisfying adaptation. You aren't going toThe cultural phenomenon known as "Death Note" is a lot of material to try to turn into an hour and forty minute movie. So what we end up with is a film that goes for cheap thrills instead of a truly satisfying adaptation. You aren't going to get all of the well thought out twists and turns, shocking reveals, or deep looks at the characters and morals of the story. You will get treated to some gory kills and surprising sense of humor though. This is the kind of thing that is sure to break the hearts of longtime Death Note fans, likely regardless of how much of an open mind they have going into this. The movie's baffling tone and angst-driven teenage romance are just likely to turn of those who have not experienced the manga/anime.

Adam Wingard seems to be content with almost parodying the source material. Rather than focusing on twisted, complex characters and the dark motives of it's lead character the movie is perfectly content to have us laugh at everything going on. I could deal with a more self-aware style that's willing to poke some fun at itself, but I can't tell if a lot of the humor was intentional or not. Is the movie actually trying to not take itself seriously, or failing miserably at delivering tension and thrills? Regardless of which is the case, the movie is funny for all of the wrong reasons. The more action-packed conclusion the film has does lead to a nice little twist though. So there is some payoff in the end.

While Wingard can't carry the story or tone necessary to keep things afloat, he does deliver some visuals. The gore is ridiculously over-the-top, adding to that possibly unintentional comedic feeling the movie has, but it's still pretty entertaining to watch. Ryuk looks great and his scenes carry a cool mix of creepy and playful. Probably the thing from the anime and manga that the movie gets the most right. I also have to praise the casting. Nat Wolff, Lakeith Stanfield, and Willem Dafoe are pretty great in their roles as Light, L, and Ryuk respectively even if they aren't playing the same versions of the characters many of us know from the source material. Stanfield even manages to nail some of L's mannerisms. We also have Shea Whigham in a nice and very likable supporting role to help back things up.

In the end though the strong cast can't make up for the lackluster writing. This also just isn't a good adaptation of the source material. It's a bad movie, but it's a watchable bad movie. When all is said and done I couldn't tell if I was laughing with it or at it, but it still managed to make me like a few of these characters who are basically originals despite having the recognizable names. I don't recommend watching it. Especially not if you are a fan of the real Death Note story. You won't be bored if you do decide to check it out. Just disappointed. There's so much more that could have been done here and better.

4.5/10
Expand
3 of 3 users found this helpful30
All this user's reviews
4
theopateoAug 31, 2017
I felt the movie rushing to cover all of the anime materials and failing at all of them. Have to admit it was a good effort but a bad idea to put such a deep story into a movie. When I say "good effort" I mean average actors, dialogs andI felt the movie rushing to cover all of the anime materials and failing at all of them. Have to admit it was a good effort but a bad idea to put such a deep story into a movie. When I say "good effort" I mean average actors, dialogs and direction but not awful. Expand
3 of 3 users found this helpful30
All this user's reviews
5
delphinebackDec 20, 2019
It started good for me, but went down after 30 min... Qualley is beautiful and good but jeez... it started nicely done...why?
3 of 3 users found this helpful30
All this user's reviews
4
RtheomAug 25, 2017
As with most American adaptations of anime, they completely missed the mark on what makes Death Note interesting. The anime had (at least for it's first half) an extremely tense game of cat and mouse being played by characters that wereAs with most American adaptations of anime, they completely missed the mark on what makes Death Note interesting. The anime had (at least for it's first half) an extremely tense game of cat and mouse being played by characters that were incredibly intelligent and purposeful in their actions. This movie was a couple of boys that were kinda angry at each other yelling for a little bit, while Ryuk went from a sinister trickster into some sort of horror movie knock off demon. Definitely skip this unless you're super curious how much they could have possibly missed the mark on this. Expand
2 of 2 users found this helpful20
All this user's reviews
6
IIISPQRIIIAug 26, 2017
Expecting a movie with a run time of less than 10% of the source material while still expecting 100% of the story is not only asinine, but inequitable (note this is the issue with most reviews under 5). The team led by Adam Wingard showed aExpecting a movie with a run time of less than 10% of the source material while still expecting 100% of the story is not only asinine, but inequitable (note this is the issue with most reviews under 5). The team led by Adam Wingard showed a considerate and attentive effort on reducing a complex story reliant on long term character development down to a short 1.5 hours. The real tragedy here is not that the story failed to be a copy and paste effort from its Japanese material, but instead that this adaptation was not expanded into an episodic series. I would have loved to see more of Willem Dafoe as Ryuk and to see a more subtle progression of Light turning towards Kira, but cuts and alterations to the story needed to be made in order to create a coherent and enjoyable movie. Hardcore fans will only enjoy scoffing at the inconsistencies from the anime or manga, but if you enjoyed Death Note casually years ago or are unfamiliar with the source material, then I would suggest giving this film a shot. Don't let the fanatics sway you away because this American version of a Japanese manga doesn't unrealistically follow the source material religiously. Not the greatest film, but it is certainly nowhere near the Dragonball Evolution levels the current rating suggests. Expand
2 of 2 users found this helpful20
All this user's reviews
4
BroyaxDec 1, 2019
Après le manga et plusieurs adaptations japonaises au cinéma, le fameux Death Note part aux USA pour un nouveau film qui voit et revoit à sa manière les évènements du cahier de la mort. Une nouvelle adaptation qui démarre fort bien ma foi,Après le manga et plusieurs adaptations japonaises au cinéma, le fameux Death Note part aux USA pour un nouveau film qui voit et revoit à sa manière les évènements du cahier de la mort. Une nouvelle adaptation qui démarre fort bien ma foi, puis se prend les pieds dans le tapis alors que les rebondissements se succèdent, de plus en plus incohérents...

Je me demande pour ceux ou celles qui ne sauraient rien de cette histoire étrange, n'ayant rien lu ni rien vu s'ils entravent quoi que ce soit à ce bordel géant qui survient dans le dernier tiers du film. La fin du manga est d'ailleurs assez foutraque à cet égard mais ce n'est pas aussi aberrant en comparaison de ce scénario qu'ils ont écrit à trois : ils n'ont pas dû s'y retrouver eux-mêmes, ceci expliquant cela dans doute !

Notons néanmoins que la réalisation est de bonne facture et qu'on ne s'ennuie pas le moins du monde, y compris dans la confusion très ambiante. Côté distribution, le petit gars se débrouille bien, de même que sa jolie copine (on dirait une petite soeur d'Eva Green !) mais pourquoi "L" est -il devenu un homme de couleur qui vit au Japon (?) se téléporte à Seattle et devine tout plus vite que la lumière...? c'est n'importe quoi.

Bref, quel regrettable manque de rigueur ici et on préfèrera de loin les adaptations japonaises, bien plus claires et maîtrisées que ce Death Note américain, et c'est décidément bien dommage, car le sujet en lui-même reste toujours aussi fascinant.
Expand
2 of 2 users found this helpful20
All this user's reviews
4
mrdr4gonNov 15, 2017
As an adaption of Death Note, it's a 1/10. As a film taken on its own, it's just a mediocre Tween Romantic Thriller with a Death Note skin. Some of the ideas this film presents are interesting taken in abstract, but it's definitely avoidableAs an adaption of Death Note, it's a 1/10. As a film taken on its own, it's just a mediocre Tween Romantic Thriller with a Death Note skin. Some of the ideas this film presents are interesting taken in abstract, but it's definitely avoidable as a whole. Expand
2 of 2 users found this helpful20
All this user's reviews
4
CittadelAug 26, 2017
Some parts are okay, some parts are cringy and some parts are awful -- really awful. I did enjoy watching it, but I couldn't deal with the fast pace and the weird relationship in this adaption of Death Note. A series might have been a lot better.
2 of 2 users found this helpful20
All this user's reviews
5
CoKronakanSep 19, 2018
This movie is sadly and painfully casual in almost all aspects of it. It has to many tags such as: Mystery, Horror, Adventure etc. which a lot of those is not! The directing style is also clumsy and nothing out of the ordinary. A lot of thirdThis movie is sadly and painfully casual in almost all aspects of it. It has to many tags such as: Mystery, Horror, Adventure etc. which a lot of those is not! The directing style is also clumsy and nothing out of the ordinary. A lot of third person shots from Ryuk's perspective, when he is not even there and it's useless. I didn't feel like the movie had pacing issues or dragging with the story, everything happened and unfolded right away, which was a god thing considering that it became boring pretty fast. The actors performance was almost the whole time exaggerated and broke off the little immersion the movie had. It wasn't very fun to watch neither entertaining. Also the 80's-90's styled music felt too forced and didn't fir at all the movie's environment and it's dark vibe. But the visual effects really looked good so credit is due there. Every single decision in the movie felt without consequence despite it's dramatic ending, which you could foresee almost from the intrigue. Also the plot was awfully simple, and louzy, but at least it wasn't cheesy. There is no humor in the movie which concludes to the fact that it takes it's self to seriously. There is a stable conclusion at the end, but it's just not enough to save the movie. So overall it's a painfully average movie, with almost every single main element being fundamentally flawed and broken. And my average rating is for the movie aspects only and not even considering the Manga on which is based on, and the accuracy of it, because then it would be a much lower rating. Expand
2 of 2 users found this helpful20
All this user's reviews
4
TakoxAug 27, 2017
Quite disappointed by the movie, there are some aspects of Light's personality that definitely are not form original character, making him look ridiculous and annoying. I liked Mia though, she had an interesting development through the film.Quite disappointed by the movie, there are some aspects of Light's personality that definitely are not form original character, making him look ridiculous and annoying. I liked Mia though, she had an interesting development through the film. L... I better don't talk about such a parody of original character, being just another annoying child. In resume, one can end up enjoying the film, but it's far away from the anime or manga and accept weird decisions, hope they fix them in next movie if there is one. Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
All this user's reviews
4
DavidWasHereAug 28, 2017
While the reputation is not as bad as critics and fans made it out to be, as someone that has not seen the anime, it's interesting but it has a ton of bad ideas! For one the pacing is rushed where it felt that the writers had to shove a tonWhile the reputation is not as bad as critics and fans made it out to be, as someone that has not seen the anime, it's interesting but it has a ton of bad ideas! For one the pacing is rushed where it felt that the writers had to shove a ton of episodes in an hour and a half runtime, while also dragging and it feels like it is a lot longer than it should be. Not to mention that the main romance between Light and Mia feels forced and unnatural and all to conventional for the movie's own good. Hell having the romance being the central part of the movie instead of the titular book itself and the cat-and-mouse game between Light and L is honestly the worst decision they could have done. And with dialogue that is over-written and constantly on-the-nose it comes off as laughable as putting 80s soft-rock in integral scenes in the movie, especially towards the end with laughable uses of Chicago and Air Supply!

There are some good here. Willam Dafoe as Ryuk and Lakeith Stanfield as L are good here, there is a few stylish shots and lighting that is alright, the gory death scenes are fun, and the soundtrack by Atticus and Leopold Ross does add a bit to the movie's atmosphere, but the movie has some serious issues with the movie's foundation that really on it's own just does not work. I doubt that the anime is like this, in fact I feel that the romance is a movie only idea, and really this might have been the best Netflix could have hoped for when making a Death Note movie based on the anime's premise alone.

If there is one thing that the movie does right, it is getting my curiosity for the anime to peak and I do want to check it out. Unfortunately to see how superb the original is!
Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
All this user's reviews
4
panreyesAug 28, 2017
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It was an OK movie, but it really wasn't Death Note at all. I understand how a reboot works, but the main characters were too different (not related to one being a white american or black) from the original ones. - Kira is not the perfect student in his school that gets a notebook that makes him think that he's a god.
- L is not really weird and thinkative like he should be. Instead, he's more emotional and jittery.

It's like another story in the world of Death Note. It's like... they just gave up to get a wider and younger audience to like the movie. They will think "Oh, Kira is awesome, he thought all that in the end" but we will know that Kiran and L were a lot more awesome in the anime.

Still, L's acting was pretty good. Kira felt like... just a spoiled child ranting.
Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
All this user's reviews
4
sincredAug 25, 2017
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Se pasaron el anime por el colo, la película estuvo entretenida además mia estaba super buena, ella era el propio lyght y lyght era un retrasado, el no era lyght. ryuoh estaba hecho con Paint. Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
All this user's reviews
4
tellmikeyySep 25, 2021
Willem Dafoe as Ryuk is really the only good casting. Acting wasn't horrible. I feel if it wasn't called "Death Note" , it would of been a more enjoyable film.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
All this user's reviews
4
Kludd4EverJan 18, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm gonna be honest. The forst half of the movie was pretty intriguing, but than it just became a snore fest. Also teh 1st half it's a bit true tot he original while the 2nd one takes completly own rute. Also Willem Dafoe did steal the show when ever he was heard. Expand
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
All this user's reviews
6
ShermosAug 29, 2017
Not bad, but not great. Very minor spoilers.

Based on review scores, I went into this expecting it to be another terrible adaptation of a popular anime, which Western film makers are infamous for. I was pleasantly surprised. It's hardly a
Not bad, but not great. Very minor spoilers.

Based on review scores, I went into this expecting it to be another terrible adaptation of a popular anime, which Western film makers are infamous for. I was pleasantly surprised. It's hardly a 10/10 film of course, but the visual style was pleasant to my taste and fairly true to what I remember of the source material. I was most impressed with Ryuk, the death god. , and I thought the acting was decent at its worst moment. The plot suffered from trying to condense too much into one movie and without having read any in detail reviews yet, I suspect this is where most people have issues with the film. They weren't bad enough to completely break the film for me. I suspect fans of the anime are putting it on too high a pedestal. They seem to forget it had problems itself. The entire second half sucked.

Edit: Having read through several of the negative reviews, I can see a major gripe was the adaptation having a different plot from the original. I have no problem with this as long as the spirit of the original is captured, and I think it basically is. The core message of Death Note is that you can't make the world perfect. There is always some kind of catch, a lesser evil, or a cloud in every silver lining. I also see a lot of criticisms of how the characters were written and of the plot. These are legitimate, but I stand by my original argument that fans are being too hard on the adaptation and looking at the source material through the rose coloured glasses of nostalgia.
Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
6
diegonelliSep 7, 2017
Ok I already didn't have high expectations because most people around me told me it was bad. I decided to watch the anime before so yeah I'm kinda disappointed. I know it's just an adaptation but like... literally nothing is similar to theOk I already didn't have high expectations because most people around me told me it was bad. I decided to watch the anime before so yeah I'm kinda disappointed. I know it's just an adaptation but like... literally nothing is similar to the anime. I really didn't like the direction this took.. but however it still was pretty entertaining so, I don't mind that much. I'm just MEH-ing at this. Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
5
Comrade_007Aug 26, 2017
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I wasn't expecting a japanese movie so I am not as much dissapointed as I expected to be. Japanese live actions are also not too successful. Actually this film is too short which not allows to adapt such a piece of art like Death Note, but I saw some potential in this movie (I like L and Light seems not so perfect as he is in manga). But there is one thing that this adaptaion is missing: it`s not a love story, not a teen`s love tragedy, it`s a simple question to ask -> "...I am a trembling creature or whether I have the right …" F. Dostoevsky Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
6
mr-yinAug 25, 2017
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I personally do not have an issue with director's choice of choosing a different story to follow since the Death Note may be owned by almost anyone in the world. The acting in the film is not a major issue, but L's actor and Light's father are sometimes too stiff when interacting with the other characters in the film. My major gripe with the film was the pacing, however. We are expected to believe that Watari and L have a deep relationship with each other from youth, and that Mia and Light are young lovers following her seeing the Death Note, but something about it seems wrong. Watari deserved more screen-time with L, and I feel that Mia's motives for wanting the Death Note are too extreme when compared to Light's own desires. The ending was slightly predictable in that Light would likely control what happens, but seeing it unravel was still enjoyable. There seems to be a lot of freedom concerning how deaths are controlled in this Death Note adaptation, much to the point that the characters' actions in the film seem unfair. In the ending, Light essentially cheated his death by controlling the paper his girlfriend, Mia, had previously written his name on by causing the paper to burn in a nearby fire. It was an enjoyable movie overall. The movie is not terribly bad as most people make it out to be, but it is no masterpiece either. If you are hell-bent on seeing an adaptation of the manga/anime, do not raise your hopes. The movie disappointingly falls short in engaging the audience as the anime/manga have done by opting for a more action-driven narrative. I am interested to see what a possible sequel might hold since the film ends on a cliff-hanger, but I do hope that characters in the film aside from Light are fleshed out more. Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
5
ElaVationAug 26, 2017
Death Note, an incredibly dark and intense movie whose characters don't connect with the evil that they're doing, blows through all potential plot with low budget cut scenes and drags its one dimensional characters through unrealisticDeath Note, an incredibly dark and intense movie whose characters don't connect with the evil that they're doing, blows through all potential plot with low budget cut scenes and drags its one dimensional characters through unrealistic scenarios that twist the anime far from its original goals. Overall, entertaining, but not a good movie. Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews