Netflix's Death Note: The Definition of "In Name Only"
Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s manga, Death Note, and its anime adaptation have earned international acclaim due to the masterful fusion of supernatural fantasy with the crime drama, complicated moral questions concerning the ethics of using a notebook that kills people to rid the world of criminals, and its intriguing character study into the series’ lead, Light Yagami. The plot focuses on how Light, a bright but bored high school student, fuels his egomaniacal desire to become a “god” by ridding the world of criminals after coming across the titular Death Note (which has the ability to kill any person whose name is written in it). After assuming the anonymous but world-recognized title of “Kira,” Light has to win the metaphorical chess game against those investigating the murders, which includes the world’s greatest detective. While it’s a bit overdramatic and sexist at times, the anime is still fantastic. I’d definitely recommend checking it out on Netflix whether or not you’re familiar with the medium. Its actually rather accessible to American audiences thanks to its short episode count of only thirty-seven half-hours, a plot that grounds the fantastical elements by framing them within the context of a detective story, and its amazingly well done English dub, which is one of the best that an anime has ever received. Of course, such a successful property is bound to have a film adaptation at some point. In fact, Death Note has already been adapted into two live action films and two spinoff films in Japan, and rumors of an American adaptation had been circulating for years. Those rumors eventually became reality when Netflix announced that they would be producing their own version, with the film finally releasing in August 2017. This version, which is the subject of this review, is directed by Adam Wingard and stars Nat Wolff, Lakeith Stanfield, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley. Sadly, the new film absolutely fails as an adaptation, and I’m not joking when I say that Netflix’s Death Note is one of the worst films I’ve seen this year. Be wary of spoilers ahead as I explain why.
I will be fair - this film does get some things right, and I will give praise where it’s deserved. First, the film is shot well enough. There are some clever camera tricks and effective usage of shadows. The shadows are especially effective when used on Ryuk, the death god who gives Light the Death Note, as it keeps his full appearance a mystery. This is also an R-rated version of Death Note, which gives the filmmakers the unique opportunity to actually put some gore in the film. While the series definitely had its share of violent deaths, it still catered to a young enough demographic to where they had to tread carefully with how they handled those deaths. This means that explicit decapitations and the like weren’t really a thing in the original. While tons of gore isn’t for everyone and definitely raises the viewing age for the film to an exclusively adult audience, I feel that it’s a change that’s completely appropriate considering the premise. The acting is also generally decent, and there are two standout performances: Willem Dafoe as the death god Ryuk and Lakieth Stanfield as the detective who only goes by “L.” Dafoe gives Ryuk a rough, ominous voice while also carrying the sense of nonchalance and boredom that Ryuk has in the original. Likewise, Stanfield perfectly portrays L’s uneven, stream of consciousness speech and odd quirks such as his addiction to junk food and his odd crouching position he likes to assume instead of sitting. However, this is where my praise ends - everything goes downhill from here.
The biggest problems with this film come from the lackluster writing, particularly in the characterization. Take Mia (the Amercianized version of Misa Amane, played by Margaret Qualley) for instance. While the original’s Misa perpetuates a negative view of women as stupid and only meant to be used by men (in fact, it’s one of my greatest issues with the original), I’d argue that the film’s Mia is a more misogynistic figure since she’s cast as a prototypical femme fatale. Light’s entire reason for becoming Kira in the film is because Mia pushes her to do so, and Mia’s efforts in manipulating Light into giving her power is the driving force of the film. Consequently, this change shifts the message from the original’s about the dark path that ego can lead a person to one that asserts that women only use men for their own gain. With this in mind, the film’s Mia is much more damaging than the original’s Misa.
Light is also butchered in this film. It seems that they didn’t think that audiences would be able to connect with an egomaniacal murderer, so they decided to try and make Light more relatable by making it seem like he wasn’t crazy about using the Death Note at first. As a result, the aforementioned femme fatale plot is what motivates Light. They also try to make Light more sympathetic by throwing in a backstory about how one of Light’s first victims ran over and killed his mom. The problem with this portrayal is that Light isn’t supposed to be relatable or sympathetic, but monstrous and arrogant. Light in the original version is a well-adjusted teenager with a perfectly healthy family life (no dead mother) in addition to a bright future. However, he’s also bored to tears - it’s only when Ryuk gives Light the Death Note that he finally finds something interesting to do with his life. He then becomes Kira not only because he hungers for power and divine reverence, but because outsmarting almost every police force in the world is a challenge for him, a game even. This Light, who is driven purely by his narcissistic god complex, is much more interesting to watch than the film’s sex-obsessed teenager who gets played like a fiddle and wants to back out when he finds himself in over his head. To say the film missed the point would be an understatement, as the new Light is too boring to justify his own existence.
Oh, boy, this film is a doozy. On top of not adapting the source material well, this film doesn’t even make itself interesting on its own merits. Aside from some standout performances and some interesting visuals, the Netflix Death Note movie is a watered down mess. While the original Death Note was by no means perfect, it’s certainly an entertaining and sometimes thought-provoking work that deserves a lot of the praise it gets (even if it’s a bit overblown these days). This movie, though? Don’t give it a second thought. Just watch the show instead. Like I said before, it’s also on Netflix and it has a fantastic English dub. Even if it turns out to not be your cup of tea, I can assure you that this new film isn’t a viable alternative. Do yourself a favor and spend your one-hundred minutes on something more worthwhile.
On a closing note, I understand that the director was scared off of Twitter due to death threats from rabid fans of the show and manga. For that reason, I have to make one thing clear: I do NOT wish any ill will towards any person that worked on this movie. Just because I don’t like the movie doesn’t mean I think that anyone involved in its production is morally compromised or anything. They made a movie that didn’t gel with me, and that’s that. With that said, I don’t want anyone in the comments to go around spewing hatred towards the people behind this film. If you want to critique the film itself, go right ahead! Just don’t make any personal insults or snide comments towards anyone - that nonsense will not be tolerated. Thank you!
UPDATE 9/30/2017: Added italics every time the Death Note title is used. Don't be like me! Always check your italics before posting, folks!
I will be fair - this film does get some things right, and I will give praise where it’s deserved. First, the film is shot well enough. There are some clever camera tricks and effective usage of shadows. The shadows are especially effective when used on Ryuk, the death god who gives Light the Death Note, as it keeps his full appearance a mystery. This is also an R-rated version of Death Note, which gives the filmmakers the unique opportunity to actually put some gore in the film. While the series definitely had its share of violent deaths, it still catered to a young enough demographic to where they had to tread carefully with how they handled those deaths. This means that explicit decapitations and the like weren’t really a thing in the original. While tons of gore isn’t for everyone and definitely raises the viewing age for the film to an exclusively adult audience, I feel that it’s a change that’s completely appropriate considering the premise. The acting is also generally decent, and there are two standout performances: Willem Dafoe as the death god Ryuk and Lakieth Stanfield as the detective who only goes by “L.” Dafoe gives Ryuk a rough, ominous voice while also carrying the sense of nonchalance and boredom that Ryuk has in the original. Likewise, Stanfield perfectly portrays L’s uneven, stream of consciousness speech and odd quirks such as his addiction to junk food and his odd crouching position he likes to assume instead of sitting. However, this is where my praise ends - everything goes downhill from here.
The biggest problems with this film come from the lackluster writing, particularly in the characterization. Take Mia (the Amercianized version of Misa Amane, played by Margaret Qualley) for instance. While the original’s Misa perpetuates a negative view of women as stupid and only meant to be used by men (in fact, it’s one of my greatest issues with the original), I’d argue that the film’s Mia is a more misogynistic figure since she’s cast as a prototypical femme fatale. Light’s entire reason for becoming Kira in the film is because Mia pushes her to do so, and Mia’s efforts in manipulating Light into giving her power is the driving force of the film. Consequently, this change shifts the message from the original’s about the dark path that ego can lead a person to one that asserts that women only use men for their own gain. With this in mind, the film’s Mia is much more damaging than the original’s Misa.
Light is also butchered in this film. It seems that they didn’t think that audiences would be able to connect with an egomaniacal murderer, so they decided to try and make Light more relatable by making it seem like he wasn’t crazy about using the Death Note at first. As a result, the aforementioned femme fatale plot is what motivates Light. They also try to make Light more sympathetic by throwing in a backstory about how one of Light’s first victims ran over and killed his mom. The problem with this portrayal is that Light isn’t supposed to be relatable or sympathetic, but monstrous and arrogant. Light in the original version is a well-adjusted teenager with a perfectly healthy family life (no dead mother) in addition to a bright future. However, he’s also bored to tears - it’s only when Ryuk gives Light the Death Note that he finally finds something interesting to do with his life. He then becomes Kira not only because he hungers for power and divine reverence, but because outsmarting almost every police force in the world is a challenge for him, a game even. This Light, who is driven purely by his narcissistic god complex, is much more interesting to watch than the film’s sex-obsessed teenager who gets played like a fiddle and wants to back out when he finds himself in over his head. To say the film missed the point would be an understatement, as the new Light is too boring to justify his own existence.
Oh, boy, this film is a doozy. On top of not adapting the source material well, this film doesn’t even make itself interesting on its own merits. Aside from some standout performances and some interesting visuals, the Netflix Death Note movie is a watered down mess. While the original Death Note was by no means perfect, it’s certainly an entertaining and sometimes thought-provoking work that deserves a lot of the praise it gets (even if it’s a bit overblown these days). This movie, though? Don’t give it a second thought. Just watch the show instead. Like I said before, it’s also on Netflix and it has a fantastic English dub. Even if it turns out to not be your cup of tea, I can assure you that this new film isn’t a viable alternative. Do yourself a favor and spend your one-hundred minutes on something more worthwhile.
On a closing note, I understand that the director was scared off of Twitter due to death threats from rabid fans of the show and manga. For that reason, I have to make one thing clear: I do NOT wish any ill will towards any person that worked on this movie. Just because I don’t like the movie doesn’t mean I think that anyone involved in its production is morally compromised or anything. They made a movie that didn’t gel with me, and that’s that. With that said, I don’t want anyone in the comments to go around spewing hatred towards the people behind this film. If you want to critique the film itself, go right ahead! Just don’t make any personal insults or snide comments towards anyone - that nonsense will not be tolerated. Thank you!
UPDATE 9/30/2017: Added italics every time the Death Note title is used. Don't be like me! Always check your italics before posting, folks!
Comments
Post a Comment