So Netflix put out a Live Action...Movie? (I was almost certain it was announced as a series.. Who am I to say) Adaptation of one of my childhood favorite Anime, Death Note.
Binge watched at nauseum to the point it contests Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Cowboy Bebop for the spot of most accumulated hour of rewatching. Given the varying differences in series length, that still says a lot.
So, as I need to build the nonfiction tab for this website, the first scene of the anime made me certain this was perfect as an example of my ability to constructively review a movie. What better way than what appears to be a bastardization of something I cherish dearly? I know for a fact I will get a kick of Willem Dafoe as Ryuk. He brightens up even the darkest points of film history.
Sadly, this movie is another low notch on that timeline.
Below I give you the moment-by-moment thoughts I have had on the movie so far. Now, as I am long winded but hopefully humorous, I have decided to split this up. I also decided that, in order to keep my perspectives fresh, I would transcribe my thoughts on the first half of the movie before I finish watching it. As such I paused the movie almost exactly half-way through the film so my thoughts rewriting it and editing my thoughts aren’t completely influenced by the final half.
I also decided to further split it up into more reader friendly chunks. Right now it looks like four parts, but as I do not know how much ranting the second half will cause me, we will see.
I hope you enjoy. I am not at all affiliated nor was part of the creation process of Death Note. I am merely a lifelong fan that is, once more, highly disappointed.
The Last Airbender is no longer the worst adaptation in my mind. Worse, this one likes to toy with you. Building up your hope before dashing it entirely.
So here is my review riff list of the first quarter of the Netflix Live Action Death Note Adaptation.
Spoilers to follow.
--- // Blogger’s Note!!! // --- I gained the Descriptor!Name habit from roleplying a while back. I feel it will make it easier when it comes to comparing characters. So please note that “A!CharacterName” and “M!CharacterName” means “Anime!CharacterName” and “Movie!CharacterName” respectively.
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~*~* Light from the first scenes does not at all appear to be the calm and collected character we are introduced to from the beginning.
~*~* Anime light meets Ryuk without visibly showing any fear or concern. Movie Light reacts in a terrified fashion. Further amplified for comedic effect by him slamming into a door. While this may be how many people would react in this situation, first impressions matter. Anime Light set himself apart by seeing something like Ryuk for the first time (least in person as the Light of the ANIME would have clearly studied the Death Note. Not just by flipping through it but we get the feeling someone like A!Light would have poured over books and websites searching for keywords and phrases from the book.) and not freaking out. Instead he screams and acts like a fool through their first encounter.
~*~* Everything is Tweaked, but uncertain if it is for the better. It is worrisome.
~*~* Williem Dafoe is an amazing Ryuk.
~*~* In contrast to Light’s first appearance, Ryuk’s introduction is striking. It stands out, leaving no doubt that this creature is a death god. The designers who rendered him need an award regardless of this movie’s quality, as Ryuk’s imposing figure mixed with how his body is cast in shadow casts a beautifully terrifying figure.
Surprisingly, the signature red pupils peering from the spot in the shadows that Ryuk displayed in his moments of unsettling interjection and unintentional intimidation.
~*~* In regards to our first show of the Death Note’s power (and in cinematic horror terms, our first spice of gorey, horrific action with a decapitation that leans a little on the Final Destination franchise’s Death’s comedic timing. Which given it is about death gods, kinda works?
While we are at it does that mean the Death Note’s deaths are caused by gremlins like in Dead Like Me?) already makes me feel like this is Final Destination 6: Death Note. (wait there were 5?)
~*~* Ryuk still has a sense of being humorous and comedic without it being intentional in this first scene. If I remember correctly from the Anime, Ryuk’s first meeting with Light has this same feeling of being intimidating first. A true Shinigami born from the minds of mortals, before evolving into the puppy-like Death God we know and love.
~*~* When hiding in the shadows, Ryuk looks like a porcupine that fell into mutagen ooze.
~*~* In this movie, Light is a delinquent teenager. Following all the same notes you probably are thinking of when you think ‘Movie Protagonist is an upset teenager.’ Only now with geeky undertones! Light is no longer a brooding honor student. He now rebels by.. Beings (presumably) forced to write other people’s essays? Least the movie has the education system right from my experience. Guy gets bullied AND all of the blame for it from a curmudgeonly principle.
~/~/~* I finished this point here in my journal, (though I expanded on it like the rest of these as I transcribed it to this blog) but I am not done with this as it, like many things you will see, enrages me.
Light was the stressed but diligent honor student. Best of his class, best of his school. Dedicated to the point he was good at sports and just about everything. If this was his only traits he’d be a Gary-Stu. However, it still makes sense. An honor student needs to have extracurriculars, so things like being a tennis god is not out of the question, nor would making CERTAIN your best foot is forward.
That is just explaining it simply though! The important part is Light is most certainly flawed! At first it seems naive, a curious student who thinks he can better the world. Quietly rebellious by using the notebook, careful and collected. Once he got the notebook, he didn’t test it on someone bullying him. He tested it on someone full on molesting, and presumably near raping, a woman! A careless thought that had noble roots that turned into something horrific, but one we rooted for. Light was a character that helped us root for his cause. That made us shocked we were rooting for the villain when all his flaws, when were showing from the cracks from the beginning, pool together to create one of anime’s greatest villainous protagonist. A!Light inspired my characters, inspired my writing. A!Death Note inspired more than I could put in this bullet without making a complete separate essay, but the point is THIS rebellious little teenage stereotype of a generation is NOT LIGHT.
We aren’t surprised this little shit treats the Death Note like an addiction! He is clear as day, maybe misunderstood yes. Maybe bullied, but compared to the real deal this is a muddied imposter. When puppeted around like a lifeless marionette with a rich, careless media machine flailing its limbs for it in scenes ripped out of the manga with a Ryuk that looks and SOUNDS so much like Ryuk that is is so noticeably jarring. Anyway, back to transcribing.
~*~* M!Soichiro Yagami seems to prove this trend is genetic. The good intentioned but overworked (being a police chief) father is.. Still a Police Chief (I..Think? I might have blanked in nerdy, confused rage) but not himself. A lifeless cardboard cut out pumping out expositional disappointment.
~*~* M!Parental-Sock-Puppet is disappointed in Light in typical father-is-at-odds-with-teenage-child fashion. Down the the argument seemingly having either been put on hold until dinner, or having been so long winded that the Father or Light cooked (or ordered out) dinner while Dad was Disappoint.
So far Light has written essays for people. Cheating yes, but as we were introduced to the Bully-who-shall-not-be-named-until-an-epitaph is introduced bullying in a scenes where he exits by knocking light and the camera out with a punch to the face and myself with a head to the desk. Since everyone is acting like HE was the guy running his mouth and fist like it was his only reason to exist in a script.
~*~* School doesn’t trust or like M!Light. If I remember A!Light has awards and likely has some bench or library named after his family. School is really only used for the purposes of showing Light’s education, intelligence, ability to blend in with society like the serial with a book MO that he is, and add fuel to the MAIN POINT of the Light and L relationship: The odd friendship between two masterminds who didn’t fit in. Two outcasts who are the greatest of enemies behind closed doors, but soon are revealed to have been PERFECT friends (or even lovers. Given that scene in the rain and the drying after it. YOu know the one.)
~*~* FIRST a note in the Death Note warns to not trust Ryuk and that he isn’t a pet. This implied, though there is plenty of evidence now that I think about it, that the apple-loving puppy Ryuk we know is all an act to get the superior-complex riddled egotist to trust him. Explains why Ryuk in the world of Death acts more stiff and lifeless in comparison. Depression and Boredom is one option, but so is mind fuckery.
~*~* SECOND! Light pronounced the name, as he read it, as RYE-uck. PULL UP! PULL UP! You are NOT clever enough a movie to make a jab at the Last Airbender. You have WAY too many similarities in the first… I HAVE ONLY BEEN WATCHING FOR HOW LONG?!
~*~* This luckily is proven to have been intentional as the scene that follows is actually very well done. A, notably human and not Ryuk’s, hand grabs Light’s closed door as he investigates the noise. (Cue the laugh-track of horror cinema, the stinger.). Only for a half eaten apple to roll quietly out from the shadows. Then, with props for there being no stinger for this part, with a calm and relaxed ‘Hey Kid. It is pronounced, Ryuk.’ in a pointed fashion.
~*~* Ryuk continues to be my beacon of hope.
~*~* Light and Ryuk’s second meeting is far better than the first. Feeling almost ripped from the pages of the manga. Though it still feels.. Hollow. Dafoe is great, but it doesn’t save that they seem to have stripped Ryu of that charm. He is more intimidating. Dafoe naturally brings his own charisma to the role, but it is missing that hint of sas and the exaggerated twitchy movements that made Ryuk pop from the Anime into our hearts and minds.
~*~* Light apologizes for the initial reaction and mispronunciation in a polite manner that makes you almost feel like this is the Light we remember, down to jumping right to asking for more information on the Death Note’s rule and properties.
~*~* Ryuk’s hand is elongated, making it clear it isn’t the one on the door handle before.
~*~* Light seems to be more in character.
~*~* A small scene that makes the viewers feel the M!Puppet-Parental-Person is just over worked and sad about his wife/Light’s mom being dead. Also, Light’s Mom is dead. I forgot to write this down earlier. It is a plot point for the second major name written in the Death Note.
~*~* Up until now we have been given glances of the clear love interest for this movie, Mia. (Not Misa misspelled, Mia.) Up until now I was guessing a Red Herring instead of the obvious, given A!Light seemed to treat other humans outside of his family as white noise and his family as peripheral distraction. Nope.
~*~* M!Light, thinking more with his dick in this adaptation, out of fucking nowhere shows Mia, aka Love Interest 9432 classification: Who Dat Gurl, that he can use the Death Note by having her watch a news special where the criminal steps outside of the building and kills himself in a specific manner. Then proves he orchestrated the whole thing by having her read the detailed passage in the Death Note.
~*~* no seriously, who the fuck is this Mia girl. Those not familiar with Death Note, she doesn’t exist at all and is filling the shoes of a CLEARLY superior character suited for this role. Also, where is careful desk-draw-fire-trap, potato-chip-bag-camera Light?! Apparently the mark of a over-thinking vigilante criminal killing human playing wanna-be god can make it by just showing their god killing powers for some free booty. No second, triple, and third guessing what telling a random, in the sense of revealing your murder-spree granting powers AND the notebook that causes it… Just, hey personality-devoid-rebellious-creature-movie-writers-think-is-a-female watch me kill this horrible person with his notebook a death god gave me!
~*~* Deep breaths Boots. Deep. Breaths.
~*~* NO! MISA NEEDED TO FORCE THAT SHE WAS TRUSTWORTHY! HAD TO BEG AND OFFER HER LIFE! HAD TO FIND OUT WHO LIGHT WAS USING MAGIC GODDAMN DEATH GOD EYES! HAD TO CLING TO HIM AND GIVE HIM COUNTLESS ULTIMATUMS! EVEN THEN, IT NAMELY TOOK ANOTHER FUCKING DEATH GOD THREATENING HIM TO BE ALL IN!
There is not caring about a successful property, and there is ignoring brilliant elements of writing entirely in place of the same tired god damn bullshit!
~*~* Alright.. Alright I am good.. I should hit play again.
~*~* M!Light narrating directly after the scene changes. “I guess I should feel guilty, but I don’t.” NO! NO, LIGHT YOU SHOULD FEEL GUILTY! You should feel horrendously, honestly guilty! You should bend down on both knees in front of Ryuk and plead for the piece of your soul that made you a deep, entertaining character back.FEEL THE GUILT! ALL OF IT!
~*~* Mia is Misa if the person she stalked was a bland, cardboard cutout of a beloved mythological figure instead of this bland, cardboard cutout of a beloved anime figure. I am calling her Bella Swan if that isn’t clear.
~*~* WE STILL HAVEN’T SEEN L! There is no romantic angle up to this point besides the kismesis between Light and L, and the subtext between L and Mastuda. You know you see it. NOW LIGHT AND FANG BAIT HERE ARE TWO FUCKING FEET FROM EATING EACH OTHERS APPLES AND WE HAVEN’T EVEN HAD A WHIFF OF L!
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While I continued to watch this until the midway point so I could start transcribing, I need to shake my mind of this movie again just from writing down a fourth of the thing. So I will be further splitting this up into multiple posts to follow.
I hope you enjoyed this, and please stay tuned for the review that this was written for, along with the other strange content I hope to through on here.
Including a lovely snipped involving Lickyface I need to throw out into the world.
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Have a wonderful rest of your day,
Doc Boots.