The Western Death Note Movie
Genres: Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Super Natural, Detective
In case you have not heard of the original, japanese anime/manga/movie , the plot revolves around Light, a highschool student that has come upon a mysterious notebook called the death note , that has the power to kill anyone by writing their name.
The original anime had gained immense popularity, and was pretty acclaimed by various critics. I was around 14 at the time I first watched it and I instantly fell in love with it, rewatching it around 8 times or so.
So you may be wondering what the main difference is between the anime and the western adaptation. Well there's quite a lot....
L is black and wears a hoodie?!?!
I didn't dislike the setting change too much, seeing as it's a western movie, but this change in the character's race does reflect that Netflix is trying to score some points with the PC( Political correct) plague that has invaded hollywood all over in the past 3-4 years. As more and more minorities started complaining about "white washing" , it seems like the cast of Death Note has also been "black washed" when it comes to L. The main thing which I found to be quite cringy was the fact that L was wearing a hoodie in most of the movie.
Same names, different persons?
It is clear in this movie there are ALOT of persoanlity differences . While in the original anime Light was a highly intelligent sociopath, calculating his every move and not giving any attention to irrational thoughts such as "feelings" , this Light is different. He instantly falls in love with the female lead, Mia , and makes some huge mistakes involving her. I won't say anymore as that would be a spoiler.
The verdict..
Alot of people are saying this movie is shaming the original work, and I can see what they mean. The main thing that really triggered me was how they changed Light's personality. It really becomes a different show once they do that, and in a bad way. The critics have responded and they really crushed it so far. Still, it is a relatively high budget movie and it still deserves some attention. If you're a death note fan and have nothing to do with your time, you could give this a try , as it's quite enjoyable, but nothing more. It will ultimately just make you want to rewatch the original masterpiece.
The creators have said that there could be ** a possible sequel** , the ending of the film hinting that as well, however, seeing the current numbers on the movie, I can say that it's highly unlikely that will happen.
The imdb score
The rottentomatoes score
My score: 4,5/10 (Watch it only if you're a fan of death note and only if you're bored)
Thanks for reading!
I'm really curious to hear YOUR THOUGHTS on this movie. Comment below and tell me what you thought about it. Was it good? was it bad? Did you enjoy it?