Review of Death Note (2017) by Steven P — 25 Aug 2017

Even though this film may not be as bad as Dragon Ball Evolution or this year's remake of Ghost in the Shell, the live-action Death Note ultimately falls victim to many of the pratfalls many western adaptations of anime and manga have had before.

Disregarding the source material isn't enough to save the film from b-movie plotting, inconsistent characterization and a story that considers narrative cohesion a foreign concept. Despite some interesting visuals and a couple standout performances (Willem Dafoe is delightfully hammy as Ryuk), the internal logic and insight on morality and crime from the source material are virtually nonexistent, and the film suffers from trying to cram the bulk of the anime and manga into a single 100-minute film.

It's particularly telling that the film was put online, since it's clear that WB and Viz must have known it would flop as a theatrical release (the former decided to shift their focus to DC, Lego and Harry Potter and the latter removed their name from the opening vanity plates).

The only thing that keeps the film from reaching the abysmal godawfulness of The Last Airbender is that it makes a fairly entertaining black comedy with the right mindset. It's probably the most unintentionally-hilarious movie I've seen in ages, and I've seen The Room.

As an adaptation, it pales compared to the source material, which I absolutely love. As a film on its own, it's overblown as a story and has actors desperately trying to hold back laughter at the script.

As a potential franchise, it probably won't get its planned sequel; which may be the biggest joke of all if the ending is any indication. Even with the film's best efforts, the live-action Death Note is a hot mess of a thriller and not up to the standards Netflix usually sets for their content.

It may pass for muster as an unintentional parody of the series, but otherwise; it feels like all of the anime and manga were mashed together with an after school special and a SyFy originals movie and put in a blender.

The source material, its fans and audiences deserve better than this piece of glorified teen fan fiction; and the potential of its AU is wasted on a film that feels like a bad episode of CSI. Unless you feel like unintentionally laughing for an hour and 40 minutes, you can go ahead and burn the page from your note of this movie.