Review of Death Note (2017) by Helcura P — 31 Aug 2017

Epic fail - the creators of this version of Death Note completely missed the point of the original manga.

Putting aside the disjointed writing and choppy dialogue, the characters are a disaster from beginning to end.

Light is not supposed to be some disaffected loser who can't handle his life. The whole moral question that makes the Death Note concept interesting is what happens when someone who is idealistic and virtuous and has no reason to hate society is given great power and sets out to use it to make the world a better place. This film just gives us another messed up teenager story. Light isn't virtuous and he isn't particularly interesting either.

In addition, while Misa Amane was shallow and not very bright in the Japanese versions, she acted out of postiive emotions such as gratitude and love - again raising the moral questions that made Death Note interesting. In this version she is just a vicious thrill-seeker. She is not a powerful female, she is just boring.

L is also a failure. He has none of the remarkable control and calculated intelligence that characterized L in the original. He's been turned into a rage-filled teenager instead of the the complex savant he should be.

I've watched all the versions of Death Note and the read the manga, and this version is the worst I've encountered.

It's too bad, because an American Death Note could have been interesting. It could have explored ideas about morality and justice set in a world that is less rule-oriented than Japan. It could have had complex, interesting characters to go along with the pretty special effects and atmospheric cinematography.

Unfortunately it just isn't worth the time to watch. If you want a live-action version of Death Note, pick Death Note and Death Note the Last Name. Or watch the anime or read the manga. Even the recent Japanese live-action sequels the Death Note films with give you a more enjoyable and better experience than this one.