Customer Reviews

Death Note (Live Action)

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Death Note is based on the popular manga (Japanese Comic) and loosely based on the anime series of the same name. I've never read the comic but I saw the anime series on imported dvd, and I have to say the Live-action version, Death Note and Death Note the Last Name does the franchise justice. This series is one of the best I've seen from Japan in a while. I will review both films because one movie while phenomenal and definitely can stand on its own, the story is very much linked together.

Plot synopsis loosely derived from the DVD cover:
In "Death Note", Tatsuya Fujiwara plays the role of Light Yagami, a genius law student who picks up the "Death Note" and uses it to "cleanse" the world of evil. Upholding justice obsesses him and he envisions himself as a god in the crime-less utopia he plans to create. As criminals continue to die in unexplainable ways, people start saying that it must be the work of a "messiah", of whom they call Kira. L, played by Kenichi Matsuyama, works for the International Criminal Police Organisation (ICPO) and is deployed to solve the Kira mystery.

In "Death Note 2: The Last Name", the story continues as Light devises a plan to be part of the Kira Task Force headed by L. While the two geniuses are busy dealing with each other, a second Death Note drops into Earth. Rem, a Shinigami (Death God), brings the second notebook and Misa Amane (Erika Toda), a pop star and Kira worshipper, comes into possession of it. Becoming a Kira herself, she accepts the offer to have the 'Eyes of the Death' which will enable her to know the name of any person without being told.
As Misa and Light work together to get rid of L, a new character, Kiyomi Takada (Nana Katase), comes into the picture as the third Kira. With the disclosure of the new rules of the Death Note, the mystery becomes more complex, with a satisfying storyline and a completely unpredictable finale.
That's just scratching the surface, as Light continues to experiment with the capabilities of the book, as well as to internalize all the rules to call upon some serious manipulation of the rules to work to his advantage. Power corrupts absolutely--What would a human being do with the power of life and death?

Man has no right to play GOD.
This film reflects why imperfect human beings should not hold such power, men are fallible, vulnerable to desires and vanity. You see an almost accurate telling of one person's corruption and descent into madness, and how a genius can seem stupid. It also tries to reflect on the different views of a society and how a small "nudge" in the wrong (or right)direction by a government or individual can affect how things are seen by its people. The issue of capital punishment is also explored in both films. Some may say that the film also contains a social commentary.

The battle of wits between L and Light Yagami is definitely one to watch; as the two geniuses struggle to stay one step ahead of the other. It is rather curious that such a complex match-up of intelligence also proves that the two are actually two sides of the same coin but on opposing sides. L is pretty much a charming if eccentric presence as the sugar-loving detective. I didn't know that sugar does provide energy for the brain until I observed him gulp down significant amounts of candy and dessert. The thing that proves Light Yagami quite dangerous is the fact that he believes that he is doing the right thing and whatever steps he has taken may seem cruel, it is justified. When one believes his cause his just, one becomes more determined than the common opponent.

Death Note is smart storytelling, the plot twists and thrills are non-stop, each scene has a relevance to the next. The thrills/suspense are more CEREBRAL than visual with a very solid structure. The direction by Shusuke Kaneko effectively promotes intense energy and never lets up on the suspense, further accentuated by its twists and turns. Upon watching these two films, keep in mind that this is Fantasy-horror, the "Death Gods" have that manga/anime look, they may have that cartoonish look, but they look almost exactly like in the comic. Story-wise, it is pretty intense, it is genre-busting, battle of wits thriller that involves the supernatural world. (Although some anime films do surpass other films in terms of plot) I will stop here, since with this film, the less you know, the better it would be.

Death Note 1 & 2 really caught my attention. This is intelligent storytelling and for the most part, kept me on the edge of my seat. It made a good transition from comic to film. The two dvds are very much worth every penny!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! [4 ½ Stars]
These two films have been selected at the 2007 New York film festival.

"Death Note" was a much better flick than I was expecting. It was a huge hit in Japan, and because I had never read the original manga, I had avoided it thinking I wouldn't get the entire story. My loss, as it turns out.

The cat-and-mouse detective game mixed with the fantasy elements of the gods of death and their magical books makes for an interesting story. The two main characters, "L" and Light, are an intense duo, and like the best of this genre of film it is hard to decide who to root for. Light (Tatsuya Fujiwara, "Battle Royale"), known by the general public as the hero/murderer "Killer", is the holder of the Death Note, and has the power to kill anyone on Earth just by writing their name. A hardcore and brilliant student of criminal justice, he uses his power to erase the vermin of the world, serial killers, child rapists and gangsters. For the most part, his actions are praised, but he is still a murderer in the eyes of the law, and needs to be brought down. On his side is the Ryuuk, a Japanese god of death who gave Light the Death Note in order to keep himself entertained. Hunting him down in "L" (Ken'ichi Matsuyama, "Linda,Linda, Linda"), a young, oddball genius with a penchant for sweets who keeps his name hidden in order to protect himself from the powers of the Death Note. L hunts Light, and Light hunts L, and it is never clear who is the person a step ahead, and who is the fly falling into the web.

Director Shusuke Kaneko, who cut his teeth on Godzilla, Gamera and Ultraman flicks, managed to keep the story close enough to the manga to please the fans while making it complete enough that newcomers don't feel that they are only getting a part of the picture. The CG animated Ryuuk stands out at first, but soon becomes a natural part of the storyline, and Kaneko's familiarity with the special effects learned from the monster films did him good service. All of the actors do a great job, particularly Fujiwara and Matsuyama as L and Light, who carry the movie on the strength of their performances.

"Death Note" was a great enough film that it had me running to pick up the sequel, which actually makes a single film "Kill Bill"-style, as well as checking out the manga and the spin-off flick "L:Change the World". All of them are high quality, and all of them are recommended.

I just watched this in the theater as part of its (very) limited May '08 US theatrical release, and it was simply magnificent! There were a few slightly quirky or off-beat directorial choices, and somewhat rudimentary special effects; but overall, I found it exceptionally entertaining.

The premise is very clever, and the one-upsmanship of the plot twists are simply brilliant. Of course, I think the real appeal of a story like this is that there are actually TWO protagonists in fierce conflict with one other - a rare and difficult literary feat. On the side of the law, we have a neutral (perhaps even slightly evil) hero, known only as "L." Opposite L, we have "Kira," a chaotic anti-hero with a deeply twisted sense of justice. It's that highly satisfying kind of narrative that invites you to root for either or both side at the same time, depending on the color of your soul.

The roller coaster ride that unfolds - both in the movie itself and the depths of your own conscience - is a thrill ride not to be missed.

So the manga was a massive worldwide sensation, the anime series is destined to go down as an all-time classic, and you people still can't get enough. Well, here you go: "Death Note" has now been quite successfully adapted as a two-part series of live action films. I put off watching them for some time out of fear that the story would be butchered, but -while neither are brilliant films- I'd have to say that I'm impressed by how closely the films were able to match the original storyline while adding some new flourishes that can only be seen as improvements. As long as expectations aren't too high, I think most will be pleased by this version of the story that every Japanophile knows by heart by now.

The film opens with a single black notebook falling from the sky, landing on the nighttime pavement during a rainstorm. Next, we see criminals performing violent acts and/or getting set free before their names are scrawled across the screen; seconds later, they drop dead. The news reports speak of "Kira", an invisible force that is delivering judgement on criminals that are escaping punishment and running rampant. Some people say Kira is a monster, some say he's a savior as the crime rate continues to fall. It is then we meet Light Yagami; a college student with a genius intellect, a loving family, a beautiful girlfriend, and a notebook that kills anybody whose name is written within it's pages. "Death Note" is the same as it ever was, a story about means versus ends, civil rights versus civil order, the line between good and evil, and the true meaning of justice. This movie's best feature is it's respect for the original story. This is what every film adaptation should strive to be.

In spite of all the goodness, there are major bumps on the road to adapting a first-rate anime to live action. First off, this is obviously a serious live-action film; one that involves supernatural creatures known as "shinigami", the Gods of Death. These creatures are essentially perfect CG reproductions of their respective manga/anime counterparts. Ryuk (Light's shinigami who we meet in this film) is extremely distracting whenever he is onscreen as he appears to have just stepped out of a videogame into the real world. He's my favorite character from the anime (along with Misa, who is introduced here and co-stars in the sequel), but in this film he's an annoyance at times. There are some things that just don't translate well to live action and CG anime characters are one of them. L, the mysterious and bizarrely eccentric detective sent to bring Kira to justice is a unique character and the true hero of the story adn the actor portraying him does a fine job, but his kooky mannerisms come off as rather cartoonish when you watch a real person ape them. These are all minor issues that can and probably should be swept aside considering the difficulty of faithfully adapting an anime as popular as this one to film. But people who are not already fans of "Death Note" will almost certainly be put off by these things so they have to be taken into account. And if anybody can tell me how the Red Hot Chili Peppers factor into the vibe of these films, do share. "Dani California" just seems like an odd choice for a theme song is all; especially when there is so much great music on the Death Note Tribute Music Soundtrack.

All-in-all fans should be more or less pleased with this film, whose exceptional faithfulness to the source material should be commended. But there are a lot of peope who will likely be put off from this movie the second Ryuk flies in in all his 2nd-rate CG glory. The end of tis one leads into the sequel which is actually better and offers a new and superior conclusion to the already brilliant story of the manga/anime. So have no fear "Death Note" fans; this one gets more right than most feature film adaptations. However, I can't really recommend it to the average filmgoer. The bad CG really does a number on this film visually and it just doesn't hold up to the perfection of the anime series. 3 1/2 stars rounded up for degree of difficulty.

I cannot believe how many positive reviews this has gotten.

I love Deathnote. I own both the manga and the anime.

If you've never read the anime or watched the manga: Please don't let this be your first Deathnote experience. And don't be afraid if you've never watched/liked anime before. I was never too into anime, and the first and only manga I have, and I immensely enjoy both. I know movies can never quite live up to books, but this sets a new low standard. I'm not a book snob, and I generally enjoy movie versions of books. In fact, this is the only one I would refuse to ever watch again. This is just an incredibly watered down version of something great. You'll be missing out on lots of details, and the characters just lack any depth. The dubbing is terrible, so you're essentially forced to watch with subtitles. The English versions of both the anime and manga are excellent. If your reason for getting this is because it's cheaper, save up the money for another media, get it on Netflix, borrow it from someone, or at the very least, buy this used.

If you've seen the anime or read the manga: Do yourself a favor and don't watch it, or at least don't buy it. Both my husband and I were severely disappointed by it. The storyline is SIGNIFICANTLY altered, and not in the way of just leaving out one part of the plot--they take it any completely change it. There's much more detail in both the anime and manga that a movie just can't cover. Everything in this just seems muted--Light doesn't seem as evil, L is lame, Ryuk is somehow more cartoon-y than in the animated version. Everyone lacks personality, and the tension and heavy, dark feel just does not transfer over.

For those of you who have only seen the live action version, check out the other versions. It puts this to shame.

I ended up watching this movie several months after I got done viewing all the episodes for the anime series. The first thing I noticed is how the english dub version has the same voice actors of main characters as the english dubbed anime version did... A very nice treat for dub fans! The story is very similar but a little different then the anime. A lot of information was skipped and there are some new outcomes. I don't want to spoil much but fans of the show should certainly see this too. I can't wait for the sequel to come out in America.

I went and saw this movie in theaters earlier this year, when it came out for two nights in May. I was actually expecting the Japanese version with subs (which I had seen previously via the internet over 10 times), but I was pleasantly surprised to find it to be a dub with the anime dub's voices. The original movie was excellent, and while the dub feels a little more comedic (if your not used to seeing peoples words not match their mouth's movements, it's funny for a bit), it's still amazing. Fans of both the original and the anime will enjoy this, despite the awkward mouth-movements-cannot-fit-dubbed-over-voices-properly thing. It's still cool - if you love Death Note, you'll love this! :3 (Don't shun the dub just because it's a dub!)

I'm a huge fan of both the anime and the manga (It's my current obsession) so when I got the chance to go see the movie in theaters, I was ecstatic. I'll admit, the dubbing looked a bit...goofy, but that didn't change the fact that it was just as awesome as the Manga/Anime. Truth me told, I was recovering from eye surgery when I went to see it, so the fact that it was dubbed was a blessing, since it meant I didn't have to try and read subtitle. Another bonus was getting to hear L's wonderful dub voice while seeing the adorable L in the movie. XD

On a serious note, I hope hey release "Last Name" and "LChange The World" as well. I've only seen "Death Note", and really want to see the other two.

I recommend this DVD for any fan of Death Note, or anyone who enjoys a good psychological suspense movie. It realy makes you think! And if you don't want to watch the dub, there's this magical setting called 'subtitles' that lets you watch the Japanese voices, with English voices. Don't decide against it until you've tried it, at least.

Light is a young college student who finds a notebook which gives him the extraordinary power to kill anyone whose name he writes down on its pages. At first he executes only bad guys and criminals, but soon, Light begins to justify killing the good guys who track him down, including FBI agents. Soon, his life becomes a cat and mouse game between the mysterious computer genius L and Light with society caught in the middle.

This was an interesting film with a thought provoking premise, however, I lost empathy for Light really quickly and that sort of killed my enjoyment. Light showed no remorse ever for the deaths he caused but instead seemed to revel in the attention and the challenge.

This film is a teen drama, based on a manga/anime series and will appeal to fans of those genres. I thought the premise was clever but without an engaging character whose motives I sympathized with, I just lost interest. The ending was a surprise, but screamed cliffhanger!

This live action movie very nicely summarizes the entire anime series (30+ episodes). It captures all the important and exciting aspects of the anime series and leaves out the fillers. Also, the ending is different from the anime series, BUT I LIKE IT. I find the live action movie's ending much much better! In the anime series, it seemed they made that ending to stretch the story line out and create more episodes.