Even if you haven't seen the anime (which you should) this is still a bad movie, that's edited poorly and doesn't follow its own logic. Nor does it establish any of its characters or their motivation, really. (Mia's motivation is never explained) Also, just saying a character is smart isn't good enough, you need to show us. And this movie continously tells us its characters are smart and then shows us how incredibly stupid they are. That doesn't work...
It's not just a bad adaptation. I'm giving this a thumbs down, not as a hardcore fan of the series, but as a hardcore fan of movies. And this is just a bad movie.
I've not really followed the Death Note series, so watching this movie from that perspective, I actually enjoyed it.
I understand die hard Death Note fans might be annoyed if it isn't faithful to the source material (like I said, i have no frame of reference), but I'd hardly say this movie deserves the harsh reviews it has and to be honest it may even be a good movie to actually get new people to check out the Death Note series (like I'm now tempted to do).
Convoluted and flawed. Completely disregards the core of what made the original Death Note so interesting. This was just uninspired and disappointing. Such a shame.
Added to the likes of Dragonball Evolution -- another western adaption that didn't need to be made.
Don't compare this too much to the manga or anime or whatever. It's an American remake. What else did you expect.
It has a different feel than the manga/anime, which is fine, it's not the manga/anime. If you didn't like this at all, then ok, guess your criteria is higher than mine. Whatever
As someone who had read the manga, and watched the anime and Japanese live-action movies, this was a very bad idea. But I went ahead and tried giving this a chance anyway and my conclusion is: It's very Americanized. Plus there's just not enough Willem Dafoe.
“Relax, Light.
You’re asleep and you’re dreaming of some eight-foot-tall,demon-looking motherfucker.”
The fact one outsmarted Death was the cause of a lot of trouble in “Final Destination“, resulting in a whole series of victims. Recently I saw “Wish upon” with a Chinese music box falling into the hands of a teenage girl. A music box she used to fulfill certain wishes. Only this wasn’t without consequences and individuals here also died in gruesome circumstances. “Death note” is again a variation on the subject. Here it’s the student Light Turner (Nat Wolff) who gets a mysterious notebook thrown into his lap. Whose name is written in it, is doomed to die. And this notebook is accompanied by Ryuk. A kind of hedgehog-like God of death who passes on the notebook if necessary and ensures that the rules described in the booklet are strictly followed by the owner of the book. Light Turner sees an opportunity to rid the world of unwanted criminals. Praiseworthy and noble, but of course not without consequences. Before Light realizes it, the entire police apparatus is behind the mysterious murderer of scumbags from all over the world.
Admit it! It sounds promising after reading the storyline. Well, I thought it sounded interesting. An original concept with plenty of possibilities to make it a breathtaking and extremely exciting fantasy story. And actually they largely succeeded in it. Provided you aren’t a fervent fan of the Japanese manga this film is based on. After reading a bit about the subject on the worldwide web, I can imagine that this film version feels somewhat limited compared to the original manga. The original story in that manga is being spread out over 108 chapters and bundled in twelve manga booklets. That’s why this movie seems so chaotic and the story flashes past you in a rush. In retrospect, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea if they had made a series of it. The book “The Hobbit” only has about 200 pages and yet Peter Jackson managed to produce roughly eight hours of film to tell this tiny story. If one extrapolates this to this manga, this would probably result in rougly 100 hours of footage.
Fortunately I’m a complete nitwit when it comes to Japanese manga and I can judge this film without prejudice. I have amused myself with it. Not only did I find the concept intriguing and at the same time it was frightening how Light has control over someone else’s life, simply by putting a name down in a notebook. You can also expect some bloody scenes (“Final destination“-like) when an unfortunate victim dies. I found Nat Wollf convincing enough as the somewhat timid, bullied student who slowly grows into a merciless avenging angel. His girlfriend Mia (Margaret Qualley) has a fairly limited role and didn’t impress me so much. Ryuk is by far the most interesting character. It’s largely a CGI creation. But thanks to the magnificent voice-over by Willem Dafoe, the entertainment factor of this mythical figure rises swiftly. The most disappointing character was L. (Lakeith Stanfield). A mysterious, young detective who’s just a few steps behind Light. But I’ll always remember him as the masked dude who maintained a peculiar seating position.
For a moment I was playing with the idea to watch the original manga one day. I think there’s little chance this will ever happen because I dislike series and Asian-oriented cultural objects aren’t quite my sort of thing. But I’m convinced the story will be far better and more intriguing. However, you’ve never seen the original? No harm done if you’d choose to watch this little treat.
Add your comment
Comments 1 - 15 of 18
Vocal Antagonist
They completely lost the point of what made the anime so compelling.mad pigeon
I wouldn't say it's bad as DB Evolution, but it took a giant crap on the source material, surely.There is some overacting from the main lead, the plot is just to crowded and fast and I was hoping for better direction from Adam Wingard.
Props for Willem Dafoe, Lakeith Stanfield, soundtrack and cinematography. Woulda been better if it was mini-series.
Sleantia
Even if you haven't seen the anime (which you should) this is still a bad movie, that's edited poorly and doesn't follow its own logic. Nor does it establish any of its characters or their motivation, really. (Mia's motivation is never explained) Also, just saying a character is smart isn't good enough, you need to show us. And this movie continously tells us its characters are smart and then shows us how incredibly stupid they are. That doesn't work...It's not just a bad adaptation. I'm giving this a thumbs down, not as a hardcore fan of the series, but as a hardcore fan of movies. And this is just a bad movie.
Suricata
I've not really followed the Death Note series, so watching this movie from that perspective, I actually enjoyed it.I understand die hard Death Note fans might be annoyed if it isn't faithful to the source material (like I said, i have no frame of reference), but I'd hardly say this movie deserves the harsh reviews it has and to be honest it may even be a good movie to actually get new people to check out the Death Note series (like I'm now tempted to do).
GremVendetta
Convoluted and flawed. Completely disregards the core of what made the original Death Note so interesting. This was just uninspired and disappointing. Such a shame.Added to the likes of Dragonball Evolution -- another western adaption that didn't need to be made.
Karinsil
Don't compare this too much to the manga or anime or whatever. It's an American remake. What else did you expect.It has a different feel than the manga/anime, which is fine, it's not the manga/anime. If you didn't like this at all, then ok, guess your criteria is higher than mine. Whatever
neko's kat
As someone who had read the manga, and watched the anime and Japanese live-action movies, this was a very bad idea. But I went ahead and tried giving this a chance anyway and my conclusion is: It's very Americanized. Plus there's just not enough Willem Dafoe.parker
a messZeozk_wk
This is what happens when you write Death Note in Death Note. Seriously why is there a chase scene between the two main characters in this moviedemagogo
solid 4/10senpaisakurai
Didn't like how the Naked Brothers Band killed off Hanzo :Tdefinitelythekey
...i liked the camerawork i guess
VVKT
It's been a while since I've seen a movie THIS bad..ikkegoemikke
“Relax, Light.You’re asleep and you’re dreaming of some eight-foot-tall,demon-looking motherfucker.”
The fact one outsmarted Death was the cause of a lot of trouble in “Final Destination“, resulting in a whole series of victims. Recently I saw “Wish upon” with a Chinese music box falling into the hands of a teenage girl. A music box she used to fulfill certain wishes. Only this wasn’t without consequences and individuals here also died in gruesome circumstances. “Death note” is again a variation on the subject. Here it’s the student Light Turner (Nat Wolff) who gets a mysterious notebook thrown into his lap. Whose name is written in it, is doomed to die. And this notebook is accompanied by Ryuk. A kind of hedgehog-like God of death who passes on the notebook if necessary and ensures that the rules described in the booklet are strictly followed by the owner of the book. Light Turner sees an opportunity to rid the world of unwanted criminals. Praiseworthy and noble, but of course not without consequences. Before Light realizes it, the entire police apparatus is behind the mysterious murderer of scumbags from all over the world.
Admit it! It sounds promising after reading the storyline. Well, I thought it sounded interesting. An original concept with plenty of possibilities to make it a breathtaking and extremely exciting fantasy story. And actually they largely succeeded in it. Provided you aren’t a fervent fan of the Japanese manga this film is based on. After reading a bit about the subject on the worldwide web, I can imagine that this film version feels somewhat limited compared to the original manga. The original story in that manga is being spread out over 108 chapters and bundled in twelve manga booklets. That’s why this movie seems so chaotic and the story flashes past you in a rush. In retrospect, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea if they had made a series of it. The book “The Hobbit” only has about 200 pages and yet Peter Jackson managed to produce roughly eight hours of film to tell this tiny story. If one extrapolates this to this manga, this would probably result in rougly 100 hours of footage.
Fortunately I’m a complete nitwit when it comes to Japanese manga and I can judge this film without prejudice. I have amused myself with it. Not only did I find the concept intriguing and at the same time it was frightening how Light has control over someone else’s life, simply by putting a name down in a notebook. You can also expect some bloody scenes (“Final destination“-like) when an unfortunate victim dies. I found Nat Wollf convincing enough as the somewhat timid, bullied student who slowly grows into a merciless avenging angel. His girlfriend Mia (Margaret Qualley) has a fairly limited role and didn’t impress me so much. Ryuk is by far the most interesting character. It’s largely a CGI creation. But thanks to the magnificent voice-over by Willem Dafoe, the entertainment factor of this mythical figure rises swiftly. The most disappointing character was L. (Lakeith Stanfield). A mysterious, young detective who’s just a few steps behind Light. But I’ll always remember him as the masked dude who maintained a peculiar seating position.
For a moment I was playing with the idea to watch the original manga one day. I think there’s little chance this will ever happen because I dislike series and Asian-oriented cultural objects aren’t quite my sort of thing. But I’m convinced the story will be far better and more intriguing. However, you’ve never seen the original? No harm done if you’d choose to watch this little treat.
More reviews here : movie-freak.be
tofugirl
Absolutely awful.Showing items 1 – 15 of 18