Death Note 2: The Last Name

I knew that the Death Note story couldn't be told in a single movie and the Americans proved that several times over, the Japanese made it a two parter and though it's not on par with the anime it's still great viewing.

Following on the story from Light & L's first meeting the battle of the two great minds continues as they try to outdo one another until the fantastic finale.

Once again there are differences from the anime and the story isn't identical (Including the finale) but it's loyal enough to the original material to not be offensive.

Once again both Light and L actors knock their performances out of the park and make up for some shoddy cgi and questionable soundtrack.

I would recommend the Death Note movies to any Death Note fan, anyone who has only seen the US version and anyone who simply doesn't fancy anime.

Now venturing on to the live action spinoffs methinks.

The Good:

It's Death Note

Perfect casting

Extremely well written

The Bad:

They changed Rems entire gender!

Red Hot Chilli Peppers again!? Really!?

Ryuk/Rem sfx still crap

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

The Death note story can be just about accomplished across 4hrs with tweaks

Death Note 2 is a brilliantly done movie. It's the thriller that other movies wish they could grow up to be. I can't think of any major flaw with it. The acting was good, unlike some other Japanese movies which have good plots or ideas which are watered down by poor acting or special effects. It did feel quite stretched out though, it's more than 2 hours long. But that only made the plot that much more twisting and kept the audience guessing. There were some scenes that were a tad clichéd, but it lacked the predictable plot twist that we're so accustomed to in so many Hollywood flicks. The pace was brilliant and kept the movie fresh.Even though it was longer than 2 hours I barely felt it. It's a very entertaining and carefully thought out movie. The director did not screw it up by trying to outdo the anime or manga, and it didn't go up its own butt with social commentary. It was immensely thrilling, engaging and fiendishly clever. A very good movie from Japan, especially after years of poorly made horror films trying to ride on The Ring's success.

After first film's unexpected finale, this one continues adopting the manga storyline while adding some minor original twists, leading to a completely changed and, in my opinion, improved ending.

Although bad visual effects and mediocre acting might turn some people off. If you can look past that, and if you weren't satisfied with the original manga ending, this might be just what you are looking for.

Though a tad better than the first film 'Desu nôto' , this one is very long and it moves at a lethargic pace. Many of the scenes are unnecessarily stretched. Some sequences look forced. Even the conclusion is stretched. The rest of my comment will pretty much resemble what I wrote for 'Desu nôto' but in this one, there weren't as many plot holes and it was a film that's obviously made for teenagers. However, that's not saying that it's a bad film and I would call it an okay timepass (or time waste?) if it weren't so long (and made into two films). Here one is introduced to another 'Death god'. Perhaps this is a film that one can enjoy with friends if some drinks are also involved.

Death Note II picks up right where the first installment left off, with Light and L locked together in partnership. Only a new notebook and shinigami appears, bringing Kira II into the equation, complicating matters for Light while providing him with a means to overcome L.

This film betters the first film by offering more twists and superior plotting. Erika Toda as Misa Amane nails the shallow pop idol role, while providing ample comic fodder to divert us from the mind games. Shunji Fujimura as Watari ups his game here. Light has to face the consequences of his actions and the questionable nature of some of his choices. Ken'ichi Matsuyama shines again as the idiosyncratic L. There are more laughs, more questions, more surprises, and a satisfying climax this time round. No one in their right mind will watch this before watching the first, and if you liked the first you'll want to watch this. Rest assured, it does not disappoint.