This movie was…well, it was something. And that something is terrible. My thoughts:
William Dafoe as Ryuk was amazing. He fit the part perfectly and was delightfully creepy.
Kieth Stanfield was surprisingly good as L. His mannerisms were perfect, and his more emotional approach gave the character an appealing weakness amidst his oddity.
The few gambits that actually appeared were very well-crafted, particularly the finale. They actually felt like Death Note, unlike the rest of the film.
Light’s facial expressions and girlish screams made me laugh so much that I’m putting them here
The establishing shots existing only to demonstrate how Mia and Light are edgy outcasts who will naturally have perfect chemistry
Everything about Light’s character. He’s the opposite of the original character- an outcast, stupid, easily controlled by his emotions, acts like the most suspicious person on the planet, outright admits to being Kira to L’s face- everything that made the original Light great is gone and replaced with something that doesn’t fit.
How is decapitation the first method of death you think of for a school bully
The pacing is so bad. Like, it’s hard to even give a specific example because the entire movie counts.
“Your mom was kind of a hippie.” THAT DOES NOT EXCUSE HOW STUPID HIS NAME SOUNDS.
Where are the mind games and gambits? There were precisely two moments that felt like the original in terms of genius and complexity.
Character motivations. Almost no one has a believable reason for doing what they do. Mia especially. She just…comes out of left field.
“If we make the deaths super gory, people will think we’re cool.”
“If we say the word fuck a lot, people will think we’re cool.”
L comes from a creepy orphanage for some reason
The romantic plot is so. Bad. “Hey, I can impress a girl by showing her how I have the power to murder anyone I want!” “Hey, I’m into that!” “Let’s plot the deaths of dozens of people on our next date!”
On that note, all the dialogue is terrible
There’s something about the way everyone treats L that’s just…off. In the original, he was eccentric but respected. Here, he’s eccentric and no one likes him.
Why is Watari so obsessed with sleep????
Watari was pretty much wasted tbh
No feel of rivalry between Light and L whatsoever.
Why is everything so edgy????
The flowers that just friggin…explode when Mia lands on them
What is with the corny pop music at inappropriate times???
Light having a “Normal People Scare Me” sticker on his locker pretty much summarizes the entire movie
No potato chip scene. A travesty
Basically, watch this movie if you want a good laugh via ridiculous edginess, unneeded gore, and necessary swearing. I would’ve liked to see an Americanized Death Note that made better use of its differences from the original to better fit its target audience, but this movie just tried waaaaaay too hard to be dark and gritty while giving nothing of substance. But it is hilarious. And at least it’s got William Defoe.
dededos
kianamaiart
yousharknotpass
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