"Death Note" is one of the most beloved animes in the anime community. This psychological thriller is about a high schooler by the name of Light Yagami gaining the power to kill anyone he wants just by writing their name inside of a supernatural notebook called the Death Note. Intent on “eliminating the vermin” of the world, he makes it his own personal mission to kill all criminals and become God of a new world. This engaging plot kept viewers on the edge of their seats, wanting more even after the series ended. This wild popularity is most likely why Netflix was eager to make their own live-action movie based on it. Unfortunately, their efforts seemed to have garnered the opposite effect that they had hoped for. From cringe-worthy acting to poor writing, the film felt like nothing more than a $40 million insult to fans of the anime.
One of the things that stuck out the most throughout the movie is how badly the writers butchered the characters, particularly through the protagonist himself, Light (Nat Wolff). With dark clothing, random fits of anger and a poster in his locker that says “Normal people scare me” (I wish I was kidding), it's clear that Netflix tried make Light come across as angsty and edgy. This differs greatly from anime Light, who's essentially seen as Mr. Perfect. Being charming, handsome, intelligent, and athletic, he's the last person you'd expect to go on a killing spree. And that's exactly what makes him an ideal Death Note user. No one’s going to expect the boy who has a world of opportunities ahead of him to commit atrocities like that. By making him stereotypical, a person you'd definitely believe would do these things, the plot loses its charm and becomes bland.
Another big change is the state of Light’s intelligence. In the anime, Light is nothing less than a genius. He uses his intelligence to manipulate people and prevent himself from being caught as Kira (A Japanese word meaning “killer” that becomes Light’s alias), having been able to keep up the act for about five years. In the film, however, Light doesn't even seem to possess the tiniest bit of common sense. Two notable instances of this is when he carries the Death Note to school, openly using it in front of his peers and barely hesitating to tell his love interest Mia (Margaret Qualley) what it is, when he doesn't have the slightest idea as to how she might react. The other is when he creates the Kira alias for himself. Anime Light only went with the name because people realized there was someone out there killing the criminals, and gave it to him. In the film, no one was suspicious of there being an actual killer until he decided to incriminate himself by giving himself the alias of Kira, stating that even though it means “Light” in Celtic, it won't be traced back to him because it means killer in Japanese. This kind of incompetence is why this Light was the one being manipulated instead of the manipulator.
In addition to the huge changes from the anime as well as the poor writing, the acting was generally subpar as well. Despite being a couple that's supposedly madly in love with each other, the relationship between Light and Mia felt extremely forced. Their scenes didn't feel natural at all, which made each declaration of love unbelievable. Even in scenes where they're supposed to be fighting, they were extremely over the top, making it almost laughable. However, there was one actor who made some scenes throughout the movie enjoyable, and that was Keith Stanfield, the actor who portrayed L, the detective who won't stop until he catches Kira. It's obvious that Stanfield studied the role before he portrayed it, as he had L’s personality and mannerisms down to a tee. While the writers may have butchered L’s character in the second half, Stanfield still made the best of a bad situation and still managed to be interesting to watch. He was my silver lining while watching this movie.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend watching this movie. It's painful to watch whether or not you're a fan of the franchise. Your time would be much better spent watching the anime, which is also on Netflix and much more enjoyable.
