Death Note (Live Action)
|
List Price: Our Price: $9.73 You Save: $15.19 (61%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $3.86 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Death Note (Live Action)
Movie Review: A Must Watch
Summary: 5 Stars
I really really loved this and if you're a fan of Death Note this is perfect. L totally rocked.Movie Review: A solid adaptation
Summary: 4 Stars
So the manga was a massive worldwide sensation, the anime series is destined to go down as an all-time classic, and you people still can't get enough. Well, here you go: "Death Note" has now been quite successfully adapted as a two-part series of live action films. I put off watching them for some time out of fear that the story would be butchered, but -while neither are brilliant films- I'd have to say that I'm impressed by how closely the films were able to match the original storyline while adding some new flourishes that can only be seen as improvements. As long as expectations aren't too high, I think most will be pleased by this version of the story that every Japanophile knows by heart by now.
The film opens with a single black notebook falling from the sky, landing on the nighttime pavement during a rainstorm. Next, we see criminals performing violent acts and/or getting set free before their names are scrawled across the screen; seconds later, they drop dead. The news reports speak of "Kira", an invisible force that is delivering judgement on criminals that are escaping punishment and running rampant. Some people say Kira is a monster, some say he's a savior as the crime rate continues to fall. It is then we meet Light Yagami; a college student with a genius intellect, a loving family, a beautiful girlfriend, and a notebook that kills anybody whose name is written within it's pages. "Death Note" is the same as it ever was, a story about means versus ends, civil rights versus civil order, the line between good and evil, and the true meaning of justice. This movie's best feature is it's respect for the original story. This is what every film adaptation should strive to be.
In spite of all the goodness, there are major bumps on the road to adapting a first-rate anime to live action. First off, this is obviously a serious live-action film; one that involves supernatural creatures known as "shinigami", the Gods of Death. These creatures are essentially perfect CG reproductions of their respective manga/anime counterparts. Ryuk (Light's shinigami who we meet in this film) is extremely distracting whenever he is onscreen as he appears to have just stepped out of a videogame into the real world. He's my favorite character from the anime (along with Misa, who is introduced here and co-stars in the sequel), but in this film he's an annoyance at times. There are some things that just don't translate well to live action and CG anime characters are one of them. L, the mysterious and bizarrely eccentric detective sent to bring Kira to justice is a unique character and the true hero of the story adn the actor portraying him does a fine job, but his kooky mannerisms come off as rather cartoonish when you watch a real person ape them. These are all minor issues that can and probably should be swept aside considering the difficulty of faithfully adapting an anime as popular as this one to film. But people who are not already fans of "Death Note" will almost certainly be put off by these things so they have to be taken into account. And if anybody can tell me how the Red Hot Chili Peppers factor into the vibe of these films, do share. "Dani California" just seems like an odd choice for a theme song is all; especially when there is so much great music on the Death Note Tribute Music Soundtrack.
All-in-all fans should be more or less pleased with this film, whose exceptional faithfulness to the source material should be commended. But there are a lot of peope who will likely be put off from this movie the second Ryuk flies in in all his 2nd-rate CG glory. The end of tis one leads into the sequel which is actually better and offers a new and superior conclusion to the already brilliant story of the manga/anime. So have no fear "Death Note" fans; this one gets more right than most feature film adaptations. However, I can't really recommend it to the average filmgoer. The bad CG really does a number on this film visually and it just doesn't hold up to the perfection of the anime series. 3 1/2 stars rounded up for degree of difficulty.
Movie Review: who would have thought?
Summary: 4 Stars
being really only a neonate in anime, meaning i really only watch what comes on adultswim and what i hear on the grapevine, i was really unsure that deathnote could be made into a full length movie. this had kept me from seeing it when it played in a few theatres not too far from my home. all i have to say is that i was dead wrong.
having finished reading the manga about shortly before the series ended stateside, i knew the basic plot and i kind of knew what to expect. light yagami finds the deathnote by happenstance, realizes it actually works and begins his crusade against injustice in society as kira, the name he has taken from his followers.
if you've watched the series, read the manga the above information is a given. what had really concerned me before i watched the movie was the pacing. as stated in other reviews, the first movie takes place over the span of 12 episodes in the anime, which comes out to about a running time of a little over four hours as compared to the two hours of the movie. needless to say, i was afraid the plot or characters were going to be underdeveloped and it would all fall apart under the weight of what it was trying to accomplish.
this also introduced a second concern along the same line. having watched the series, read the mangas and finally realizing where the movie was going to end in the grand scheme of things, (don't you just hate it when you know the alotted time can dictate the plot for you?) i was concerned about the ending point. i would imagine when completing the movies as they have chose to do, they would want to make sure that each movie ends with that classical cliffhanger or a resolution of sorts. going back to my knowledge of both the anime and manga, i just couldn't find the logical ending dynamic enough.
on both accounts though, i was thoroughly surprised. in reference to the time constraints, characterization is done beautifully. the ony complaint i have is the lack of characterization for L, but then again, i realize that he will step into the spotlight while all the other investigators fade and take more secondary roles (or maybe lower than that). furthermore, anime always seems to have a useless dialogue and the movie has seemed to streamline everything a bit creating a much more even flow.
as for my concern for the ending, two characters are given much more life to create the correct type of ending, an ending that is far different from that of the anime or manga, an ending that makes a great springboard for the next movie. overall, the ending was astounded me and i had thought i knew what i was in store for.
as for the other odds and ends, i was rather surprised that those the acted in the dubbed version of the anime do so as well in the movie. subtitles can also be limited translation japanese text rather than speech which is a nice touch.
after watching the first movie, i'm really curious to see the second. however, at this pace, i'm curious how many movies they will make to complete the whole? i thought i was through with deathnote, but alas, it has captured me for a second go.
Movie Review: Ooh, you gotta watch it!
Summary: 4 Stars
I had only heard the idea behind "Death Note" before I watched this movie. Having experience with Manga and Anime, I already had expectations. This movie Totally met and exceeded them! LOVED IT!
PROS: Wonderful voice actors, engaging storyline, Awesome Shinigami!
Cons: Wish I could get it in original Japanese with subtitles, has that little bit of 'corny' feel to it at times. Anyone who doesn't enjoy seeing an Anime come to life might not 'get' it (that might not be a con...lol).
I might have had issues with missing parts if I had seen the anime or read the manga first.
But, seeing this first and then starting the Anime and Manga, I find that the books and Anime fill things in for me and don't take away from the movies.
You Must do yourself a favor! Have "Death Note II" in hand before watching "Death Note". You are going to want to watch it right away!
Sit back and Enjoy it for what it is... a great movie!
Movie Review: A worthy Live Action adaptation
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie is, first of all, a good view because of the high production quality involved. I must say I appreciate the thought that was put into this first live action adaptation of the series. Fans of the manga and of the animated series will find themselves right at home here. The end is a definite teaser for the sequel. My only suggestion is for true fans of the series and cinema in general to turn off the english dubs and to watch this with the original Japanese voice with English subtitles, to alleviate the unavoidable translation issues that happen when trying to cram all that English into the mouth motions of the Japanese language.