So Death Note got a Netflix original movie... uggghhhhhhhoercfiun2riofnouw1kkkd1eok
Right, here's the thing, okay? As it stands, I went in with really low expectations. I'll happily admit it. And no, it wasn't because L is a black gentleman or that Light's last name was Turner... fucking Turner! I get it, I totally understand. Actually I don't, but that's besides the point. What exactly was the point of this? Because it's completely lost on me. So much was changed for no reason and much of it remains unexplained. Newcomers won't have a bloody clue what's even going on half the time.
Was it necessary to change the workings and rules of the Death Note? Not really. Did it over-convolute the whole plot? Oh god yeah. Was it just me that was yelling at my Television screen because Light didn't just burn the page with his name in it as soon as he got it? He was running around with it the whole build up to the Ferris wheel scene just so he could supposedly test whether Mia would choose him, which was a complete waste of time because she betrayed him anyway. Which she would never have done originally. Her character adored light obsessively throughout the manga, the anime and the two Japanese films.
Talking of the Ferris wheel scene, I just... I have no words.
What on earth possessed them to play I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love, swiftly followed by Power of Love, (not even the Jennifer Rush version because she probably wanted nothing to do with this trainwreck), when Light is explaining the final arc to his dad, which was only necessary because nobody had a fucking clue what was happening?! I'm almost certain the intention wasn't to have their audience in fits of laughter, but that's what it got from me while my dad sat behind me utterly confused.
Now L, let's talk about L, one of the only redeeming factors of this entire thing. Other than a few gripes, like the fact he wore white in only one scene, or that he sat incorrectly most of the time, or even that he was happy to go outside rather than using his laptop and a signature voice changer... yes, other than all of that. Keith Stanfield's performance was probably as close to the source material as any of this was capable of being. His accent was clearly well practiced and L's signature vocal ticks were there - he was believable for the most part. I feel like he could've done so much more if the writing had been better. The diner scene was the one that made me point and say, "look, he's finally sitting like L!" I was slightly disappointed that he was pushed to retaliate so easily when it's completely out of character for L to do so, but I'll give that one thing a pass.
Ryuk was so shrouded in darkness the entire time that he was barely visible, and whether that was artists choice or laziness we'll never know. But luckily they went with the closest voice they'd get to the original with the wonderful, the legendary Willem Dafoe. Unfortunately he only really appeared when the plot needed explaining or emphasizing, and he wasn't as playful or sassy as he used to be. The centuries have finally gotten to him.
Oh, Light, good ol' Light, how this adaption made me despise you. The first scene was Light being bullied, which was a trope more than likely only used so they could exploit how angsty they made him. His first kill was decapitation for god sake. How angry does a kid need to be? Happy family? Nah, his mum's dead now so he wants to avenge her or something. Y'know, like every character that needs a reason to get back at the world. That was the entire point of Light, he wasn't trying to spite the world, he was trying to purify it. He has a god complex that you're supposed to learn to hate. Emo McEdgelord can suck it.
I didn't want this post to be as long as it is, but it's almost midnight right now and I'm tired and annoyed. In conclusion, from an OG fan point of view, this movie was a mess. Not a homage, but a massive steaming dump on the one fandom whose fans haven't made me hate it to it's very core. From a newcomer's prerogative, I dunno, I guess it's okay. My dad liked it, or what he understood of it anyway. Consider it like a crappy horror movie; you watch it because it's funny to laugh at, not because it's good. I feel like if we compare it to Vampires Suck or Meet The Spartans, it could be seen as slightly less abysmal.
Signed,
Elijah.
Meta Sentience.
29/08/2017
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