User reviews

I admit it I'm a Death Note fanboy, the anime was a masterpiece and truly one of the most intelligent well written pieces of television ever made.

The American adaptation was a travesty, an embarrassment of colossal proportions which missed the entire point of the series and I was concerned about the Japanese version purely because I can't imagine telling that epic a story in 90 minutes.

Immediately I was taken by the solid casting, this was Light and L was sheer unadulterated perfection and a stark contrast to the American version who was the weakest link of the entire film.

The movie is a compact version of the first half of the anime with some slight differences/tweaks near the end which actually change the story quite a bit. Honestly I didn't mind as they were done so well as was the rest of the film.

So where does it go wrong? Well it doesn't really, but be aware this is part 1. Even I didn't realise that and will be shortly venturing into the finale. I always hate movies which aren't self contained and without part 2 this is merely part of a story.

The final moment of this however was outstandingly done 10/10.

If you like the anime I recommend this, yes it's essentially the same story but a valid adaptation that deserves your time.

Well written, fantastically acted, a near masterpiece.

The Good:

It's Death Note

Very well made, written and filmed

Extremely well cast

The Bad:

Red Hot Chilli Peppers was the weirdest choice for a credits song

Ryuk sfx are really quite weak

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

If a person has a gun to their head, point a gun at them as well that'll show em!

The US had no excuse for not making a decent Death Note movie

Just returned from debut of Death Note, and surprisingly I enjoyed it. Manga to big screen adaptations don't always do so well, so I wasn't getting my hopes up over this. All the main characters are portrayed very well by the cast. Yes, even Tatsuya Fujiwara did a great job as the stories protagonist, Yagami Light. However, his rival, played by Ken'ichi Matsuyama was amazing. Completely captured the world's greatest detective's every mannerism with ease. But the true star of this 2 part story is definitely Light's shinigami, Ryuuk. Outstanding job by the CGI crew, and Ryuuk's voice was just as would be imagined in the manga. Can't really give too much away because I'd hate to spoil it for anybody who hasn't read the manga (that being said, definitely read the manga to see what was changed, in my opinion, the changes were overall good, not great, but it won't make you angry) . I guess the main question on everybody's mind would be is the movie better than the manga? No, but in a (about) 2 hour film you couldn't do much better with story. Well worth checking out.

This is the live-action version of the TV anime series, DEATH NOTE. They are both relatively similar, though the plot lines have been moved around a bit and a girlfriend was created for the main character, Light. In the anime and manga, there was no girlfriend and so my purist daughter complained loudly when she appeared in the film. However, I advise you to relax and give the film a chance--I actually LOVED what they did with the lady in the film. Early on, she's about as superfluous as a vestigial tail, but later she becomes an important part of the plot--you'll see. But as for the rest of the film, it is true to the original--Light is an evil piggie and L looks and acts much like a cockroach (like in the anime).

As for the story itself, it's a pretty hard film to describe for Western audiences. If you are already an anime/manga freak, then you probably will not be scared away by the odd plot line and story elements about the supernatural. However, for the uninitiated, please try to suspend judgment--the film can be enjoyed by anyone--not just anime/manga fans. I am much more of a casual fan of the genre and enjoyed the film immensely. My wife generally hates anime and loved the film. And, my insane "sold my soul to anime" teen loved the film as well. In light of this, I really think this live-action film is good entertainment for all.

One final note is that the guy playing Light's father is Chairman Kaga from Iron Chef. Throughout the film, I kept expecting him to whip out a yellow pepper and eat it, but unfortunately he did not!

As a non-aficionado of manga, I am always wary of manga-inspired productions. Nana, for example, panders purely to its manga fan-base and fails to engage a wider audience.

Death Note, however, manages to break free of its comic book origins. Light finds the Death Note, a jotter that allows him to pass a death sentence on anyone whose name he writes in it. Ryuuk, the apple-addicted Angel of Death who owns the book, turns up to play sidekick to Light's procession of executions. The police are at a loss, till super-sleuth 'L' takes on the case and figures out the MO and narrows the suspects down to the lead detectives' family.

Tatsuya Fujiwara is perfectly cast, his angelic features in shocking contrast to the character's dark heart. Ken'ichi Matsuyama is all quirky brilliance as L. The pace is brisk, the twists plausible and surprising. The ending sets up the sequel but in a forgivable manner. Fun, entertaining cinema.

This is clearly a low budget TV movie, starting from the bad acting and ending with the silly 3D CGI. But it's not that bad. The script is pretty complex, keeps one wondering what happens next, then the girl actresses are pretty cute. So one can watch this. Unfortunately, the story ends with the promise of a second movie, which makes it all not worthy. I mean, even when you think you got it all figured out, a second killer notebook appears and the movie ends. Hmmm... Had the feel of a bad TV series pilot.

The story itself I won't bother to detail. There is a manga by the same name and I guess it's more complex than the movie. Bottom line: It's not an art film or anything, you would watch it only because there is nothing else better to do. But you won't feel regrets about watching it either.

I dunno why some people think that the CGI of Ryuuk was bad... I thought it was excellent - realistic but not too out of place. It doesn't have physical fights and thrill (and if you've read the manga, you would know). The actor choices were pretty good - Tatsuya Fujiwara was, and still, well-known for his on-stage productions, and Kenichi Matsuyama's (from Nana fame - he was Shinichi, the bass player of the band 'Black Stones')L / Ryuuzaki was awesome! His every 'weird and strange' movements were exactly how I imagined the actual L would be ^-^ If I have to choose one thing negative about this film, it would be the character - Shiori. I have nothing against her, but then again, she was just some additional romance line that the director thought was a good idea. So in the end... if you're a fan of the DN manga, and you don't mind the directors changing the scenes abit, you should definitely give it a try!!

All around the world criminals are having heart attacks and dying. Coincidence or divine justice? The world soon realize that someone is punishing criminals and the mysterious avenger is popularly called Kira. In truth Kira is Yagami Light, a brilliant Japanese high-school student, who accidentally discovered Death Note, a God of Death's notebook. With it Light can kill anyone he pleases, as long as he knows their name and faces. But soon the world's greatest detective, L, is on his trail and the battle of two brilliant minds begins.

So as far as the plot goes, "Death Note movie", and its second part "the Last Name", stay very faithful to the original manga their based on, which is a wonderfully written, exciting story. The most notable change in the first movie is that Light has a girlfriend, Shiori, who is a new character. This however doesn't much ruin the story but actually makes it more interesting to watch, as Shiori doesn't approve Kira's killings and therefore is against Light. The ending of the movie, also a big change, actually makes Light appear as more sinister and cold hearted than before.

The actors are, overall, doing a good job. Tatsuya Fujiwara, who is best remembered from "Battle Royal" film, makes a good performance as Light, the brilliant young man who wants to make world a better place, but slowly starts to loose himself in his own ideals. L is played by relatively unknown Ken'ichi Matsuyama, who brings the cool, eccentric detective from manga pages alive. His performance is wonderful to watch, as he completely becomes L with all of his movements. He pretty much steals the show from Fujiwara. Takeshi Kaga makes a believable performance as Light's father, Inspector Yagami, who is unknowingly hunting down his own son. Also Yu Kashii, as Light's girlfriend Shiori, and Asaka Seto, as vengeful Naomi Misora, makes good supporting roles. And of course the bored God of Death Ryuk is voiced by wonderful Shido Nakamura, who also voiced Ryuk in anime series of "Death Note".

Sadly the film is not without falls. The story telling is sometimes slow and may make a viewer loose their interest. Even though movie follows original manga closely it just doesn't have the same exciting thrill in it. Also, the tense atmosphere between police and L seems to be lost somewhere. I was also disappointed of how the other police investigators, like Matsuda, have become just minor characters that occasionally say something. And they could have done a better job with creating Ryuk, who looks rather ridiculous. Just taking him from manga illustrations and adding to film doesn't work.

Still, "Death Note" movie is worth watching, especially if you liked manga or anime series, and the cliffy ending definitely makes one want to see the second part also. Over all, an enjoyable film.

I saw the movie last night, and I thought it was very good. Repeating others, it would probably be better to read the manga a bit to see the changes, but the changes weren't that horrible. Some of the action is a bit wishy-washy(such as the heart attacks), but L was very good. The actor definitely captivated you as the character from the anime and movie. Raito was believable, but he didn't seem as genius as he did in the movie. The animation on Ryuk was also pretty sweet, only bad in one or two angles. I definitely can't wait to see "The Last Name". Already reading the ending, I think the director did a good job in changing some of the views and order of things.

Overall though, this movie is a must see!!!

I know this is a TV movie, but with the budget and distribution they acquired for this adaptation I expected much more. I felt the acting, without being too harsh, was almost laughable. The screenplay was also quite different to the manga/show. Camera-work/directing could have grabbed the viewers attention if it experimented more with visually stimulating ideas, also lack of creative sound.

Pros: Animation was quite good. It was the main reason I came to watch it in the first place. Although, it was obvious at times it was done in post which very much takes away from viewing experience. I also liked the sets/locations chosen in the relevant scenes. Just needed more umph in every sense!!

Because I love the show/manga I will be generous, although I felt it was very much average.

6/10

Despite what some may say, this is as great as adaptation of the manga as one could ask for. The actors portray their characters perfectly. The calm menace of Light is portrayed perfectly, with a clear distinction between Light and "Kira" Light, which is impressive considering anime would allow stronger visual cues. L is an honest to god incarnation of his manga and anime counter part down to the smallest detail. Ryuk is also impressive, the CGI effects do him justice and his voice is much better then the one for the subbed anime which was horrendous.

Now obviously the plot needed to be condensed and changed but they did very well. All the important parts are there and the ending, which strays far from the manga, is actually even better then what actually happened in that instance in the story. It wasn't conveyed the complex story involving a genius highschool student who's use of a notebook that kills people that get's him involved in a proverbial chess match with the detective L, but they did a fine job. Misa, despite her short screen time, acted the part of Misa perfectly, down to the voice.

Fans of the manga should enjoy as long as they don't expect an exact replica of the manga, and fans of thrillers should enjoy this as well.

9.5/10

Death Note, the movie I though was amazingly done! For the most part it stays very close to the manga and keeps true to the general feel of Death Note. The over all story of DN spans across 8 manga volumes and how they've compiled them has been quite ingenious, Again keeping with the feel of Death Note. If you've read the manga, you will notice certain events, and like with most movies compared to the books, you can tell where gaps are by poor character development, more times than not. With Death Note it's merely seamless.

The characters are wonderfully and are perfectly portrayed! Ryuk is outstanding and rather entertaining to watch, especially when he goes into apple withdrawal's.

Good Things:

The movie has good pacing and a protagonist with a clear motivation who is smart and charismatic. You don't agree with his motives, but you understand them.

I liked the lead and thought he did a good job, along with everyone else. The acting was terrific.

As someone who isn't really that nostalgic for the show, I'll say I though the casting for Light and L was pretty good.

Bad Things:

The story kind of left me unsatisfied, since it's kind of split into two parts, but that's to be expected.

The CG for Ryuk was literal cancer, it looked like a video game that came out when the movie was released, it just looked awful.

I was mad they didn't include the potato chip eating scene. They show a fracture of it, but that's it. Like, what the hell? This scene need to be SEEN, IT NEEDS TO BE WITNESSED, IT THIS LITERALLY THE GREATEST SCENE IN CINEAMATIC HISTORY! WHY THEY INCLUDE SCENE?????????!!!!!!!!!

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I think this is a decent adaptation of the show, 7/10

The pacing was slow at first but as it progressed i was completely hooked into the this adaptation. I have seen quite a bit of the anime and it precedes it well, with minor changes. Everything in the movie is well done and true to the whole concept of the story. The visuals alright, as well as the acting. It really depends on a viewer on how to take Deathnote, but to me it's really interesting not to mention thrilling.

It keeps you wanting more and keeps you on edge on what will happen next. The choices the characters makes and why, reflects our reality in a sense. The plot is simple yet so complex. What really gets to me is the idea of this whole deathnote, a responsibility, a choice, a sacrifice for the sake of one's belief and morals. This is those kind of movies where you tend to think quite deeply in absorbing the story yet allowing yourself to be entertained. Recommended to all. You can't miss this. Something different, interesting.

Well, I am new to death note, I decided to watch it in cinema and it was great. There was a twist in the plot. It made me want to know what was going to happen soon. It did not waste my two hours, but although it was a bit slow but still it was a great movie. I did not read the comics but guessing from the poster, it look great. Although, the characters from the comics did not really fit the actors, the acting was okay. The story was simple, Light received the death note and killed bad guys....L was tracking him down. Dead simple but there were twists in the plot, the ending was a big twist. I would decide what would happen. I hope Death note 2 is better than this when watching Death note 2 trailer.

I have not read the original manga or watched the anime before viewing this movie, so i would not know how faithful it was was to the source material.

But all things considered, Deathnote has its fair share of ups and downs. The story's premise hooked me instantly. An intelligent but disillusioned university student, Light Yagami, one day finds "the Deathnote". Any person whose name is written inside the book would die. Along with his new pal, the "shinigami" known as Ryuk, Light uses the Deathnote to kill off suspected criminals one by one. The authorities are baffled by the strange deaths but nonetheless attempt to track down the mysterious killer whom they term "Kira"(I'm betting this is a mispronunciation of "Killer"). As the body count increases, the police enlists the help of a quirky young genius named "L", thus setting up a battle of wits between the two young men.

While the plot may have sounded good on paper, it does not seem to translate well to screen. I applaud the director for managing to maintain a constant air of suspense throughout the entire movie and for trying to incorporate a number of interesting themes such as the social subjectivity of good and evil, the role of morality in justice, and the question of fate and determinism. Sadly, those two great aspects of this film suffers from some disappointing execution. Those underlying themes I mentioned tend to "pop in" here and there in the form of dialog rather than actually being blended into the ongoing story. It sometimes feels like the writers reluctantly inserted those scenes of philosophical rhetoric as an afterthought.

I can safely say that if this movie were any less suspenseful, i would have fallen asleep in the first 15 minutes. Many scenes are plain boring and the whole movie just seems to drag its feet with only one single, and grudgingly played out, action sequence. I do not usually say this, but this movie would have fared better with a shorter running time, a meatier script and plot or perhaps broadcast as a TV miniseries.

What's more is that the plodding pace is NOT helped by some of the least likable characters i have ever come across in a movie. The main character of Light Yagami came across as very unnatural in both his mannerisms and his interactions with people. One moment he seems to be a normal fun loving university student and another moment he is a delusional despot with ambitions to be the "God of the New World". Unless he had schizophrenia or something, all i can say is that his characterization was very inconsistent. The rest of the cast is uninteresting at best, many are your usual Japanese cop drama stock characters. Only the character of L seemed to "stand out" but he does not come into play until halfway through this boring show. And when he does, we do not get much insight into his motivations or his character. He is just "there" to give Light Yagami a "rival" of sorts.

Despite its many flaws, Deathnote manages to captivate with its suspense and numerous clever twists. A huge pity since it means that after you have watched it once, this movie has practically ZERO replay value; you already know the plot twists, and that effectively negates any form of suspense to be had. Everything else is merely mediocre, even the general "look" of the film feels like an episode of a TV series and not a big screen movie.

Deathnote had so much potential to become an avant garde, thought provoking social commentary film that dives deep into philosophical issues that permeate today's world. Instead it remains on the edge of the proverbial pool, never daring to "dive into" its deeper aspects, hence leaving this movie merely floating on the surface of mediocrity.

Fans of the manga would no doubt worship this movie to no end...........

PS: did i mention that the CGI shinigami Ryuk was embarrassingly bad? He looked like an kid's toy.

OK, let me get it right out of my chest that I don't know a lot about Manga or Anime...

And may be that was the reason I was spell bound for 2 n so hours..

It's an amazing movie with a script that can make you go craaaaaaaaaaazy! What a fantastic idea.. A death note, Gods Of Death, Kiera, L, Light Yagami... WOW! I found Tatsuya Fujiwara very cool n in fact every one of the characters have done a commendable job..

I was taking a break from Hollywood movies and what a break it has been.. I have discovered such gems from Korean, Chinese and now Japanese Cinema.

This definitely points to our lack of ability to project Asian Cinema around the world. Hollywood does it with aplomb. Of course it helps them that they are promised a ready audience, however films so beautiful as this must have been a phenomenal success all around..

Anyways, I regret the fact that I did not see these movies before but Hey! I am excited as hell to watch more...

Casshern and Dororo are on my immediate search list.. Who knows where these would lead me..

I would love to talk to someone who knows about movies based on Manga or Anime... mail me! If u love thrillers or beautiful cinema, either way this one will not disappoint u.. It's a Must Must must watch....

I didn't know this film was based on a manga before seeing it, but it makes a lot more sense to me with that information as background. Honestly I thought the concept was pretty weak, and also rather weakly executed (I found myself comparing the movie to a made-for-TV after school special), but the weird mixture of horror/nihilism, comedic cuteness, stilted genre types, and idol fascination really resolves into something like the kind of affect that seems to characterize so much boy manga and maybe explain its popularity. I don't fully understand that affect personally (where it comes from or its appeal), but this thought has helped Death Note to grow on me after my initial negative reaction. I resisted the absurd stentorian posturing of the detective/father and the self-conscious gorgeousness of the sugar-tooth teenage mastermind crime analyst/idol every step of the way, but strangely enough, these are now the things that emerge in my mind as what make this movie (slightly) special. Even the lazy, unfinished feel of the CGI at which I initially groaned now seems to have its place. To me, this movie is not so much concerned with bringing fantasy to life in a believable, realistic, "cinematic" way (the low-grade CGI is a case in point), but in bending the realistic properties of film toward the world of manga.

I was pretty excited when I heard that there was going to be a Death note movie but... The movie doesn't really follow the events of the Manga very well, and the CGI is pretty bad. Erika Toda doesn't look anything like Misa neither does Tatsuya Fujiwara as Light and both fail to capture the spirit of the characters they portrayed, The only actor who really fits the character is Kenichi Matsuyama as L, which makes the scenes with L very enjoyable to watch. Overall the movie is OK and a good way waste a lazy afternoon but its nothing compared to the Manga or the anime show. So if your a die-hard fan or the Manga's/anime you'll probably be disappointed with the movie.