Netflix’s Death Note review…

The ongoing subject of whitewashing is a hot potato right now in Hollywood. From Ghost in the Shell to the rebooted Hellboy franchise. And now, Netflix’s, Death Note came in for a force 10 battering… and the main problem it seems, if the new adaptation deviates from the original source material, and the main characters’ ethnicity changes… then there are people in the wide world– who are, just, not happy. But if you’re willing to give an adaptation the time to breath, even if it veers away from original content, then it’s actually surprising how well the properties can mature.

The thing about the adaptation of Death Note, premiering last week on Netflix, isn’t that it’s bad. It isn’t even the questions raised by the whitewashing controversy. It’s that everything in it happens so fast that it’s hard to keep pace with.

Adam Wingard’s Death Note takes the manga’s original premise — a book that kills anyone whose name is written in it — like a misunderstood teen movie bolstering it. We have an international manhunt and a governmental conspiracy thrown in. On top of that, there’s the previously-hinted-at-but-never-fully-explained backstory of L (Lakeith Stanfield, manic and weird as hell), which is invented for this movie. Then you’ve got the murderous vibe that Death Note holder Light (Nat Wolff) and Mia (Margaret Qualley) have going on.

In this iteration of Death Note, it takes place in the United States in Seattle, Washington. The story follows Light Turner as he discovers the Death Note as it falls from the sky and lands directly next to him. After testing the powers, being pushed by the shinigami Ryuk, Light teams up with Mia Sutton to eradicate the scum of the world while also keeping this side of him away from his father and master detective,

And that’s not even including the fact that the Death Note has rules — rules not explained by the death god Ryuk (voiced by Willem Dafoe), the spirit attached to it, and which appear to come and go depending on the needs of the story. Explaining the events of Death Note takes significantly longer than its 100-minute running time…

It looks stylish — the violence is gory and shocking and constantly reminds you that these kids are playing with lives of actual people. But the moral dilemma is never allowed to land with the audience because there’s no breathing room. Knowing the original gives it slightly more weight, but if you were being introduced to the characters and story by this movie, you’re going to get lost.

The movie hurtles through Light finding the book, Light and Ryuk talking, Light and Mia arguing about who to kill, Light inventing Kira, Kira becoming famous as a vigilante killing morally reprehensible people, Light’s dad being assigned to the Kira task force, L showing up to hunt Kira, L’s backstory, Mia and Light trying to outwit L, more killing, betrayal, accidental murder, a homecoming dance, a big set-piece ending on a Ferris wheel, and a reveal that is so convoluted the movie has to spell it out with a voiceover.

In fact, Light’s not really trying to cleanse the world of evil as much as he is a guy doing things to please his dad and his maybe-girlfriend.

All of Light’s more crusading impulses are passed onto Mia — and that’s all we know about her. Whereas L gets a brand new background shoehorned into the movie, Mia is just… there, mainly to make Light more sympathetic in comparison. And to give the story someone for him to try and redeem.

I don’t think I need to write out what Death Note is about since most people have seen the anime or read the manga. It’s incredibly popular, which is why most people were anticipating the movie. Most people thought Death Note was incredibly easy to adapt into a film…

Wingard nailed the casting of Willem Dafoe as the voice of Ryuk, the demon who sent the Death Note to Light. Dafoe absolutely devours the role and chews the surrounding scenery, but he is so entertaining that he only enhances the film.

Wingard wisely kept most of Ryuk’s appearances in shadows, and Ryuk’s creepy visage gave him a unique presence in the movie. He really did look like a manga demon who came to life.

Seasoned performers like Paul Nakauchi and Shea Whigham brought dignity and life to their supporting roles as as L’s assistant, Watari, and Light’s father, James Turner, respectively.

The thing about Death Note is that while it’s malicious and violent, it never goes over the top with the deaths. Kira’s trademark death are the heart attacks. And while there are more violent deaths such as suicide and getting run over by cars, the anime doesn’t gore it up and slap it in your face. It’s subtle, but frightening. The movie however takes the gore and raises it to another level to give us Final Destination type deaths with blood and body parts and mush flying everywhere.

In the anime, Light is a handsome, charming, and charismatic guy whose popular with guys and girls. He has a load of friends while also has girls into him and in the anime he dates many girls as a cover up. Whilst, Netflix gave us a typical high school angsty, romance between angry boy and cheerleading girl. With more teenage melodrama and condenses the story of the original manga in a way that isn’t always satisfying to watch.

While the leads falter, the supporting cast steps up in a big way to keep their parts in the movie grounded and entertaining. Willem Dafoe’s Ryuk was an absolutely inspired piece of casting, and he easily carried his scenes. If there is a sequel, bringing him back as Ryuk is a must.

What’s initially noteworthy about Death Note is that it’s a proud, flashy member of Netflix’s latest wave of slick, bigger-budget original movies and it lands amid mixed company. While Okja dazzled, War Machine fizzled and Death Note arguably lands somewhere between the two.

Netflix is bringing Manga to the masses, and the new film is filled with 90s horror. Death Note is flawed but a fun emo ride, nevertheless.