Good evening!
Since it seems Netflix will make a sequel about this butchery, I decided to review the movie.
I apologize in advance if this review would turn into an outburst.
At its time, I have love the anime Death Note and it is still one of the best I have ever seen.
Thus, when I have heard Netflix would have released a film based on this amazing story, well, I was torn: on the one hand, I was curious and wanted to be able to dive in Light Yagami‘s world once again, on the other, I was concerned, as always when it comes to cinematographic transposition of something I have loved.
Anyway, as soon as it came out, I decided to give it a chance.
Well, I could spend my time better.
Before I start, I must warn you that will be some spoilers for those who have not seen the anime (what are you waiting for??).
But first things first and let’s start from the plot.
Seattle, Light Turner (Nat Wolff) is a young student who, by chance, finds a notebook that says “Death Note”. Inside it there are some rules and names.
Shortly after getting hold it, Light is approached by a horrible demon, a shinigami (death god), Ryuk, who explains that the notebook gives the power to kill anybody in any way and anywhere as long as the keeper, Light in this case, writes the designated person’s name bearing the target’s faces in mind.
From now on, Light, flanked by Mia (Margaret Qualley), becomes an “executioner” known as Kira.
But things are not going to go always as planned.
Let’s talk about it.
Do we want to overlook that it is set in the U.S. instead of in Japan? All right.
Do we want to overlook that Misa from model has become Mia, the bloodthirsty cheerleader? All right.
We can even overlook the actor chosen to interpret L (Keith Stanfield), seriously.
But we cannot overlook that they turned Light into a spineless guy, subdued to his love, Mia, and who only at the end of the film has a “Light Yagami moment”.
We cannot overlook that they delete scenes of vital importance such as [SPOILER] when Light works with the police and L or when he has an absurd as brilliant plan through which he erases his own memory, makes Misa the new Kira etc, remember? They even ignored the whole “shinigami’s eyes” question because, well, it is pointless, no?! 
It is not one of the major thematics, absolutely no! Moreover, they completely ruin the weird relationship between Light and L turning it into a two-minute-long nonsense. WHATEVER.
Damn, we are not talking about a scene where Light finally remembers that he could take an umbrella instead of letting the rain wet him, no. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT CRUCIAL EPISODES.
And they just ignored them!
It is like taking Cinderella and take off the ball scene and the “teeny tiny” detail that she looses her shoe!
OK, let’s change subject, do we want to talk about the technical part?
Except for Ryuk and the dark tones – basically the only right things in the movie -, music and scenes are “okay”, everything is a little splatter – but I expected that – and surely a TV show would have worked better than a film. The actors are not bad, the direction neither.
The script is the problem.
Dialogues have been trivialised a lot, fundamental scenes are not present and there are actual plot holes.
If I had not known the story already, I would probably have been confused from some missing explanations.
Things happen very fast and often without reason.
And it is obvious something like this happens if you try to show in ONE HOUR AND FORTY MINUTES a story developed in TWELVE VOLUMES or THIRTY-SEVEN EPISODES, ok?
I hope I convinced you NOT to watch it, instead go watching the anime!
See ya!
IL CAPPUCCINO 