Death Note (Netflix)

Netflix’s live action adaptation of the hit anime and manga series Death Note is an utter disgrace and an insult to fans. It strays completely from the source material and lacks everything that made the series so popular. It was far less interesting and exciting than the original series.

For those unfamiliar, Death Note’s original debut was as a manga written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata that ran from 2003-2006. In 2006, it received an anime adaptation that stayed true to the source with only slight deviations. The story follows a brilliant high school student named Light Yagami who finds a mysterious notebook with the power to kill people by writing their names. With this power, Light becomes determined to kill all criminals and “become god of a new world.” He is opposed by the great detective, L, who is determined to catch him, and the two engage in a battle of wits as they try to remain one step ahead of the other.

The movie produced by Netflix is a lot less interesting. The direction by Adam Wingard was baffling, the pacing was inconsistent, some scenes dragged while others moved quickly. The screenplay corrupted the story to the point where it was almost unrecognizable. The script also lacked much of the humor of the original Death Note.

In Netflix’s film, Light Turner (apparently, they decided to Americanize the names) is portrayed simply as a dumb teenager who seems more interested in impressing a girl, as opposed to the brilliant sociopath with a god complex that he is supposed to be.

Many of the characters in this movie are practically complete opposites of their originals. Light, portrayed by Nat Wolff, doubts himself, is reluctant about using the Death Note, and makes countless mistakes that could cause him to get caught, all things that are completely out of character for the real Light. In this film Light is just some kid who is too far over his head. The relationship between Light and Mia (who is probably supposed to be Misa) is the complete opposite of how it is in the anime and manga. The character of L should be very rational and calm. In the film, he was uncharacteristically emotional. Near the beginning of the film, despite having many things that were out of character, actor Keith Stanfield did a somewhat adequate job of portraying L’s distinctive mannerisms, but later in the film those mannerisms were abandoned completely. Whether this was the fault of the screenplay, the director, or the actor, it detracted from the film. This film’s Ryuk, played by Willem Dafoe and Jason Liles, is given a much more monstrous appearance and is portrayed as an evil character who goads Light into using the Death Note. In the source, Ryuk is just a bored death god whose role is mostly just that of an observer.

The film’s soundtrack was also seriously lacking. Unlike the anime which featured great tracks with a rhythm and pacing that complimented what was currently happening and enhanced the experience, this movie had songs that seemed out of place. The rhythm and pacing of these songs did not fit the current scene and I found them distracting.

Probably the biggest issue with this film is how badly it handled the conflict between Light and L. Something that made the anime and manga such a great success was seeing the mental battle between these two brilliant characters. All of the tension that was so riveting in the original is completely missing from this film.

This film’s greatest failing was the direction it took in trying to adapt the story. If they had made it as a completely original story with completely original characters that just took place in the Death Note universe, it might have been a decent film. Instead they made a story that is clearly supposed to be the original but by changing so many details and diluting its characters, it is merely a poor imitation.

While I strongly recommend watching the anime or reading the manga, I am unable to recommend this film.