Review of Death Note (2017) by Iiispqriii — 25 Aug 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 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.