Death Note

Maybe I will be a little bit more lenient than the other reviewers on this site. I know the original comic book story and I’ve read it. However, I had no idea the Japanese created a film based on it a couple of years ago. Because of that, I have enjoyed this American version even more. Sure, the beginning of the movie sucks, because Nat Wolff stumbles upon the death note like a Balkan huy stumbling upon a nuclear warhead. After a rather rushed beginning, however, a story equally interesting as the one in the comic book is set in motion. Sure, there are some ambiguities and contradictions with the comic book, but that doesn’t change the fact that Adam Wingard did a really good job with the premise. The eighties-sounding music creates a great atmosphere, and the well-developed storyline holds your interest all the way to the ending credits. In the end I was really satisfied. (01/20/2018)

A huge surprise for me, and Adam Wingard has made up for the miserable Blair Witch and is back to where I like him from the days of You're Next and The Guest. Death Note will surprise more people who are not familiar with Japanese anime and the three-part film, so I have almost no complaints. The idea is exploited enough and there is no shortage of deaths like in Final Destination, which warms the heart at least for a while before the 6th episode and the ladder scene, quite possibly the best gore scene of the year so far. The acting is surprisingly very decent, Willem Dafoe as Ryuk is properly mysterious, the main character is a bit awkward, his girl is an attractive bitch to a fault and the biggest star is young "Bourne" L (Keith Stanfield), who has another excellent role after Get Out, and all his dialogue was disturbing to the point of giving me chills. It's decently suspenseful, entertaining enough, nicely gory, pleasantly twisted towards the end and visually and musically captivating, so in this year's horror malaise, I'll take this as a great refresher. 8/10. (08/25/2017)

The ratings on this site confused me quite a bit because this film deserves a few more percentage points. I haven’t seen the original Japanese series, which many people seem to praise to the skies, but I can’t compare it, so I’ll rely on my instincts and what I took from the film. Death Note has a truly original story—there’s nothing quite like it that I’ve seen before, so it definitely gets a thumbs up for that. The casting might not be perfect, but everyone delivers what’s essentially expected of them. The actor in the lead role was quite likable, though at the beginning, I didn’t buy a single expression from him. Ryuk, as the god of death, portrayed by Dafoe, was phenomenal—his voice gave me chills, and overall, his character was very intriguing. The story developed well, everything had the right pace, and the film maintained tension. However, don’t expect a deeply presented plot (though for a horror film, it’s okay). The ending, accompanied by an amazing soundtrack, put the cherry on top. The only, yet quite significant, flaw was Ryuk’s limited screen time—he was the best part of the film, and we needed more minutes for the god of death. If you don’t set your expectations too high, you’ll enjoy the film. I give it 68%. (08/30/2017)

I understand everything that was presented, I understand why Adam Wingard wants to bring the material closer to the American audience and simplify the background, why Ryuk is more straightforward (and therefore unfortunately also almost never sophisticated). But with all of this comes a lack of understanding of the entire concept of the battle between two brains. Light remains a highly intelligent Kira, and L remains a master of deduction, always on the trail of his prey. However, they clash in a sadly half-baked duel of emotionally overwhelmed individuals, where the former happily reveals his secret to a girl who has no reason to trust him and becomes her devoted thoughtless doormat – and the latter (perhaps due to lack of sleep?) gradually turns into an impulsive nerve-wrecker. The resulting film is then a pleasantly fast-paced thriller with excellent soundtrack and fabulous visuals, but it understandably deviates from the logic of the legendary Death Note brand halfway through its duration. And that's bad. Netflix should have taken matters into their own hands and gone straight for a grand miniseries instead of a modest film. There, the characters would have humor, depth, and meaning. (10/20/2017)