Review of Death Note (2017) by Tatsuhito K — 15 Sep 2017
I think the first 30-40 minutes of it is watchable and Adam Wingard's strange visual style is certainly worthy of praise. But just because there are some things in the film I like, doesn't make it a good film.
It's always hard to criticize something like this when you are a fan of the source material, and just like with most comic book adaptations or, in this case, a Hollywood adaptation of Japanese manga/anime/live-action films, when there are so many changes to its characters and rules, you can't help but point out everything that is wrong with it.
What makes the source material fascinating is its ideas, its complexity and the psychological cat-and-mouse between Light and L. Wingard, although clearly trying his best, reduces all these ideas and turns it into a cheap gore-fest, completely dumbing it down for the people who are too lazy to keep up with its clever premise.
Wrong move, Wingard. Lazily plotted and poorly executed, this version of "Death Note" is not terrible, but it is certainly a waste of time. Watch the anime or the first two Japanese live-action films instead.
This review of Death Note (2017) was written by Tatsuhito K on 15 Sep 2017.
Death Note has generally received negative reviews.
Was this review helpful?
