| "THE HUMAN WHOSE NAME IS WRITTEN IN THIS NOTE SHALL DIE" |
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Death Note - Movie Collection
DVD/APPROX. 256 MINS/2006 - 2008/JAPAN M
DVD/APPROX. 256 MINS/2006 - 2008/JAPAN M
Death Note (2006)
Imagine a notebook, one in which you could write a person's name and how you wanted them to die then sit back and wait for it to happen. Now
imagine that notebook in the hands of a Japanese student. That's the basic premise of Death Note which has gone from manga to anime to the
live action feature I'm reviewing here.
I really wasn't expecting a lot going into this, given the basic plot it sounded like pretty generic teen horror, (and I'm sure the inevitable Hollywood
remake will be), but Death Note is surprisingly mature and deep in its themes. Central to it all is the idea of the effect power has on a person and
how far they will go to achieve their goals. When Light Yagami, (Tatsuya Fujiwara), finds the Death Note he plans to use it to rid the world of
criminals. But when his activities attract the attention of law enforcement he's forced to make some hard choices on who he will wield his power
against.
Further complicating this is his father Souichiro, (Takeshi Kaga) who is the chief of police and the case attracts the attention of the brilliant but
reclusive detective known as L, (Ken'ichi Matsuyama) and the FBI. And then there's the Death God himself who decides to hang out with Light and
see how he uses his new toy.
What really set this film apart from most other genre films for me is the way it concentrates on the characters, their actions and interactions. The
way they suspect each other, and try to manipulate them to their ends. In many ways the film is as much psychological as it is supernatural. By
focusing on the human element among all the other happenings it takes your mind off the rather unbelievable elements of the plot and grounds it
in some reality. And it does feel real, not like a soap opera, which given some of the subplots it all to easily could have become.
Also helping keep all this grounded in reality is the lack if effects. No bizarre and gory deaths at all, something that took my by surprise. The default
demise is a simple heart attack and even though Light can specify the way a person dies he keeps it within the realm of believability. People are
shot, hit by a car, etc. No wild Final Destination type set pieces to pull you out of the film. While I'm sure some people will be disappointed by this
it works for the best in the end, (how many of you remember anything about the FD films except the deaths?).
Indeed the only real effect in the film is Ryuuk, the Death God himself. His appearance is faithful to his manga and anime origins which I honestly
found more bizarre than scary. Rendered by CGI he looks like he just wandered in from a Tim Burton film both in looks and mannerisms. The final
results are odd and quirky giving us a Death God who's more likable than some of the human characters.
Along with the lack of effects there's a lack of gore and skin as well. Those who demand these in their genre films would by advised to look
elsewhere. Those who look more for plot and character driven films will be a lot happier with Death Note. It's also a good film for parents looking
for something they can watch with the kids.
This region 4 dvd comes in a 2 disc set with it's sequel Death Note: The Last Name, (which I'll be reviewing shortly), and Madman Entertainment
have loaded this up with extras. From the very sturdy case that contains an inlay diagramming the character's relationships to each other to the
collection of trailers, making of featurettes and even a 26 page booklet this collection is loaded with extras.
In short, this is a great film released in a great package. Madman Entertainment, through its Eastern Eye division deserve plenty of praise, (and
your money), for this release.
Death Note: The Last Game (2008)
Picking up right where the first Death Note ends, the sequel wastes no time in launching into the action with Misa Amane, (Erika Toda), using the
Death Note she got at the end of the first film to stage an impressive show of her powers and support for the owner of the original notebook.
Holding a television station hostage and killing off crowd members who voice objection to her message. This gets things off to a tense and thrilling
start and sets the tone for the film.
Much more complex and complicated than the first, this film expands the cast considerably with characters ranging from a ruthlessly ambitious
newswoman to another couple of Death Gods. But the main focus is still on Light and L and their cat and mouse games. With Light now a member
of the taskforce hunting “Kira” those games becomes much more edgy and high stakes than in the first film.
The lengths each will go to defeat the other and obtain their goals are astounding. This is especially true of Light and his transformation over the
course of the two films is amazing and leads to a truly shocking and unexpected ending.
With the multiple Death Gods involved in the proceedings this time there's considerably more effects than in the first film. Ryuuk is joined by Rem
who gives Misa her notebook and Jealousy is seen in a flashback sequence explaining how things got to where they did. We also learn more about
them and the rules that govern them, all of which are quite interesting. There's certainly enough material here for another film or two and I
wouldn't mind seeing it explored.
As with the first film there's little in the way of gore or skin. However I must say that Misa provides us with some great eye candy by way of her
perky goth flavoured attire through out the film. I was really hoping she would deliver the goods so to speak, but alas this isn't that kind of film.
On the down side, the use of music by Red Hot Chili Peppers is very annoying and out of place. I like RCHP quite a bit but “Snow” is so out of place
it actually made me laugh for all the wrong reasons.
Since this is part of a two disc set with the original, it shares the booklet and other extras with it. In other words this is a well endowed package,
guaranteed to satisfy. Madman's Eastern Eye label have a winner on their hands here.
Imagine a notebook, one in which you could write a person's name and how you wanted them to die then sit back and wait for it to happen. Now
imagine that notebook in the hands of a Japanese student. That's the basic premise of Death Note which has gone from manga to anime to the
live action feature I'm reviewing here.
I really wasn't expecting a lot going into this, given the basic plot it sounded like pretty generic teen horror, (and I'm sure the inevitable Hollywood
remake will be), but Death Note is surprisingly mature and deep in its themes. Central to it all is the idea of the effect power has on a person and
how far they will go to achieve their goals. When Light Yagami, (Tatsuya Fujiwara), finds the Death Note he plans to use it to rid the world of
criminals. But when his activities attract the attention of law enforcement he's forced to make some hard choices on who he will wield his power
against.
Further complicating this is his father Souichiro, (Takeshi Kaga) who is the chief of police and the case attracts the attention of the brilliant but
reclusive detective known as L, (Ken'ichi Matsuyama) and the FBI. And then there's the Death God himself who decides to hang out with Light and
see how he uses his new toy.
What really set this film apart from most other genre films for me is the way it concentrates on the characters, their actions and interactions. The
way they suspect each other, and try to manipulate them to their ends. In many ways the film is as much psychological as it is supernatural. By
focusing on the human element among all the other happenings it takes your mind off the rather unbelievable elements of the plot and grounds it
in some reality. And it does feel real, not like a soap opera, which given some of the subplots it all to easily could have become.
Also helping keep all this grounded in reality is the lack if effects. No bizarre and gory deaths at all, something that took my by surprise. The default
demise is a simple heart attack and even though Light can specify the way a person dies he keeps it within the realm of believability. People are
shot, hit by a car, etc. No wild Final Destination type set pieces to pull you out of the film. While I'm sure some people will be disappointed by this
it works for the best in the end, (how many of you remember anything about the FD films except the deaths?).
Indeed the only real effect in the film is Ryuuk, the Death God himself. His appearance is faithful to his manga and anime origins which I honestly
found more bizarre than scary. Rendered by CGI he looks like he just wandered in from a Tim Burton film both in looks and mannerisms. The final
results are odd and quirky giving us a Death God who's more likable than some of the human characters.
Along with the lack of effects there's a lack of gore and skin as well. Those who demand these in their genre films would by advised to look
elsewhere. Those who look more for plot and character driven films will be a lot happier with Death Note. It's also a good film for parents looking
for something they can watch with the kids.
This region 4 dvd comes in a 2 disc set with it's sequel Death Note: The Last Name, (which I'll be reviewing shortly), and Madman Entertainment
have loaded this up with extras. From the very sturdy case that contains an inlay diagramming the character's relationships to each other to the
collection of trailers, making of featurettes and even a 26 page booklet this collection is loaded with extras.
In short, this is a great film released in a great package. Madman Entertainment, through its Eastern Eye division deserve plenty of praise, (and
your money), for this release.
Death Note: The Last Game (2008)
Picking up right where the first Death Note ends, the sequel wastes no time in launching into the action with Misa Amane, (Erika Toda), using the
Death Note she got at the end of the first film to stage an impressive show of her powers and support for the owner of the original notebook.
Holding a television station hostage and killing off crowd members who voice objection to her message. This gets things off to a tense and thrilling
start and sets the tone for the film.
Much more complex and complicated than the first, this film expands the cast considerably with characters ranging from a ruthlessly ambitious
newswoman to another couple of Death Gods. But the main focus is still on Light and L and their cat and mouse games. With Light now a member
of the taskforce hunting “Kira” those games becomes much more edgy and high stakes than in the first film.
The lengths each will go to defeat the other and obtain their goals are astounding. This is especially true of Light and his transformation over the
course of the two films is amazing and leads to a truly shocking and unexpected ending.
With the multiple Death Gods involved in the proceedings this time there's considerably more effects than in the first film. Ryuuk is joined by Rem
who gives Misa her notebook and Jealousy is seen in a flashback sequence explaining how things got to where they did. We also learn more about
them and the rules that govern them, all of which are quite interesting. There's certainly enough material here for another film or two and I
wouldn't mind seeing it explored.
As with the first film there's little in the way of gore or skin. However I must say that Misa provides us with some great eye candy by way of her
perky goth flavoured attire through out the film. I was really hoping she would deliver the goods so to speak, but alas this isn't that kind of film.
On the down side, the use of music by Red Hot Chili Peppers is very annoying and out of place. I like RCHP quite a bit but “Snow” is so out of place
it actually made me laugh for all the wrong reasons.
Since this is part of a two disc set with the original, it shares the booklet and other extras with it. In other words this is a well endowed package,
guaranteed to satisfy. Madman's Eastern Eye label have a winner on their hands here.
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