Review of Death Note (2017) by Onlytee — 24 Aug 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.

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.