Review of Death Note (2017) by Bryan L — 01 Sep 2017

As someone who knows the series, The Death Note movie on Netflix is really awful. It's like some teenager wrote a fanfic of themselves as Light but after only watching 3 episodes of the series. 100 minutes is not a lot of time for character development, and while rushing through establishing characters and important plot points, they lost the true essence of the series.

Light's story isn't an exaction of revenge, it isn't a love story, it isn't running from the police; rather, it's a battle of wits between 2 highly intelligent adversaries who are both trying to unmask and kill the other. It's a duel. In the series, Light and L are convinced that something as contrived as the winner of their tennis match will determine whether or not Light must be Kira. In the Netflix movie, there is no doubt: Light is Kira because his dad wasn't killed. In the series, Light and L work closely together even chained together in the equivalent of 2 boxers standing toe-to-toe with neither backing down. In the Netflix movie, L chases Light through the city with a gun.

More than anything the biggest problem is the characters loss of personality. L retains his solitude and detective skills but loses his social awkwardness, cleverness, calm, and likability. Light's intelligence is merely implied but for a glimpse of strategy in the end. Light is reluctant to kill innocents after only choosing to continue using the note's power for the sake of philanthropy. Instead, these two are just cop and robber with Mia's character actually being closer to the anime's Light.

Not even WIllem Dafoe's voice can redeem this movie. Had I not seen the series before watching this, I think I still would have been put off by the annoying romance, all 3 of the main characters, and sadly even Ryuk. I'd say Daddy Turner was the only character done well.