When a mysterious notebook lands in his lap, student Light Turner discovers that he can kill someone by writing their name inside it. He decides to sue this power to go on a crusade against evil in the world, while a detective known only as L hunts him down...
Although giving it's European premiere at FrightFest, Death Note was actually made for Netflix. In a filmed introduction, director Adam Wingard talked about making the film as visual as possible and that even though it was for Netflix, he wanted Death Note to be have the look and feel of a studio film.
On that level, the film worked superbly. It looked great on the big screen and once again brings up questions to the Netflix policy of giving films very limited screenings in cinemas before they stream the film.
However, what of the film itself? I've never read the manga or seen any of the anime based upon it and so watching this, I was going in blind so to speak (similar to what happened with The Dark Tower film upon release). As a premise, it is an interesting one; what if you had the power to kill someone by writing their name in a book and how they died. How would you use it?
Sadly though the pacing is odd here. To begin with, it starts unsettlingly as Light encounters the book and Ryuk, a demon who seems to control both the book and how it works. I say seems as while the rules are explained and writing in the book on how it works, Ryuk (voiced brilliantly by Willem Dafoe) keeps turning up to encourage or caution Light and Mia, a cheerleader who Light gets into a relationship, letting her in on the book and its power.
However, after a great death scene involving a ladder (one wonders if Death Note was the inspiration to the Final Destination series!), the film expands from the city to worldwide as Light and Mia begin killing people all over the world. which results in a cult rising up supporting them, or Kira, the name they choose to hide behind.
It's here that the film's choices don't quite work, particularly with the detective known as L. The way the character is written and performed, full of quirks from the way he speaks to people to the way he sits, to everything else, it just feels odd for the sake of being odd. Now, it is possible that in the manga or anime versions there is a reason for his mannerisms, but in this live action take it is does get a bit annoying despite the performance of Lakeith Stanfield.
When the story does build up to tense moments, it wants to have it both ways. It wants Light to be both the hero and to a lesser degree the villain of the story, portraying him as someone who is happy to kill those he feels deserve it, like a God, but then has qualms when Mia takes it upon herself to use the book to kill those who will stop them.
It then ties itself in knots with a scene towards the end, that tries to resolve the ending in a way that keeps Light as a 'good person' but it's a scene that just seems to contrived to fully work.
What also doesn't help is that the two leads, Nat Wolff as Light and Margaret Qualley as Mia don't really have proper chemistry together. I'm sure they are both good actors, but they seem miscast here. There is good support from Shea Whigham as Light's father a police detective hunting Kira and Paul Nakauchi as Watari, L's assistant.
The screenplay is credited to Charley Parlapanides, Vlas Parlapanides and Jeremy Slater, but it feels like pieces of the story are missing, again perhaps due to the manga or anime versions having more detail. It has to be said too, the very end, felt more like the film just stopped, rather than having a proper ending. However, Adam Wingard who also directed You're Next, The Guest and the recent Blair Witch, does do good work. As I said, on a visual level the film does look very good indeed.
It might be that the ending was set-up the way it is, as Netflix have plans to continue the story onwards. But if not, it's an unsatisfying ending here. It'd not a terrible film by any means, although I have heard from those that know the source material it is a poor adaptation. All I can say on that, much like the recent Dark Tower film, is that as a film, while I didn't think it was bad, I was disappointed with it.
Rating - 2/5
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