| "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
I wasn’t overly impressed by the film versions of Death Note. It was structured a lot better, it looked awesome and it was driven by pivotal
moments and so forth but I found the performances diminished the whole concept of the show. I wasn’t taken in by the physical incarnations here,
especially Tatsuya Fujiwara who portrays Light Yagami.
Although he delivers a measured performance, and is indeed a fine actor, I think his judgment was off in this rendition because in a film that’s both
psychological and supernatural in equal measure, he didn’t have to underplay so much. That’s not to say that he had to ham it up all the time but
Light’s character has a more cynical view of the world. In the anime series, he’s really quite bitter.
He’s been betrayed by a world that’s gradually gone mad and the fact that he can’t understand this is what drives him to murder not only criminals
but innocent civilians as well. Although he’s a highly intelligent individual, he’s driven by rage – and curiosity - more than anything else. At a very
base level, he’s a vigilante. He even murders law enforcement officers who pose a threat to his plan to cleanse the world of all scumbags. It’s
these complexities that define the Light character and make him more like ourselves and the anime really captures this. In the film, Fujiwara
underestimates the key principals that make Light tick and in my opinion plays him really one-dimensionally.
Essentially, Light is an angry, embittered soul and whether it’s coincidence or fate that the Death Note fell into his lap is another question for
debate. Not to condemn Fujiwara in any way but I just think that he could’ve been more seething and more irate, because for me the Light in the
anime and the Light in the movie collection were two different characters.
This movie collection is pretty much all the events of the first five volumes of the anime. The first film is simply entitled Death Note while the second
is called Death Note: The Last Name.
To give you a quick rundown of Death Note, Light Yagami is an esteemed pupil and one night he stumbles across a notebook in which if he writes
a name into it – having pictured their face in his mind – that person will die (usually by heart attack, unless specified otherwise). A God of Death -
or Shinigami - comes with the package and Light sets out to rid the world of all unsavoury characters. It’s not long before Light is known as Kira
and as he continues to make the world a better place, he is soon tracked by a mysterious investigator known only as L. This sets up the basis of
the entire piece; a battle of wits between judge, jury and executioner and Earth’s uber-detective. Both have their own insular view of justice but
who will win the battle? Moreover, what is the true definition of justice?
The main problem with the anime is that it exploited Light’s internal consciousness to the point of insulting our intelligence. Light’s voice-over
constantly backtracked and reminded us far too often of events and his thoughts. This could be seen as a palpable reflection of the true state of
one’s mindset but it became frequently tedious.
The film versions here eliminate a lot of this and as a result, they emerge as better realized works. They also look fantastic. Director Shusuke
Kaneko helms both films here, giving them both a much-deserved goth/punk exterior.
The Shinigami’s here are probably the only use of CGI but they’re done really well. Ryuk, who’s Light’s God of Death, looks awesome and those
who remember the anime, where Light is captured simply strolling down the street with Ryuk hovering close by, will be pleasantly surprised
because it’s those little touches that are made infinitely better in this collection of films.
I personally preferred the drawn-out style of the anime over this collection of films but many might favour this over the series because it trusts its
audience a lot better, while purists probably won’t like any of these impetuous versions.
These two film versions of the first five volumes work because they translate well to the screen. They’re highly cinematic. The main problem I had
were the physical interpretations of these characters. Some worked, while others didn’t.
Fans here should enjoy this collection of films, no matter what is said...
moments and so forth but I found the performances diminished the whole concept of the show. I wasn’t taken in by the physical incarnations here,
especially Tatsuya Fujiwara who portrays Light Yagami.
Although he delivers a measured performance, and is indeed a fine actor, I think his judgment was off in this rendition because in a film that’s both
psychological and supernatural in equal measure, he didn’t have to underplay so much. That’s not to say that he had to ham it up all the time but
Light’s character has a more cynical view of the world. In the anime series, he’s really quite bitter.
He’s been betrayed by a world that’s gradually gone mad and the fact that he can’t understand this is what drives him to murder not only criminals
but innocent civilians as well. Although he’s a highly intelligent individual, he’s driven by rage – and curiosity - more than anything else. At a very
base level, he’s a vigilante. He even murders law enforcement officers who pose a threat to his plan to cleanse the world of all scumbags. It’s
these complexities that define the Light character and make him more like ourselves and the anime really captures this. In the film, Fujiwara
underestimates the key principals that make Light tick and in my opinion plays him really one-dimensionally.
Essentially, Light is an angry, embittered soul and whether it’s coincidence or fate that the Death Note fell into his lap is another question for
debate. Not to condemn Fujiwara in any way but I just think that he could’ve been more seething and more irate, because for me the Light in the
anime and the Light in the movie collection were two different characters.
This movie collection is pretty much all the events of the first five volumes of the anime. The first film is simply entitled Death Note while the second
is called Death Note: The Last Name.
To give you a quick rundown of Death Note, Light Yagami is an esteemed pupil and one night he stumbles across a notebook in which if he writes
a name into it – having pictured their face in his mind – that person will die (usually by heart attack, unless specified otherwise). A God of Death -
or Shinigami - comes with the package and Light sets out to rid the world of all unsavoury characters. It’s not long before Light is known as Kira
and as he continues to make the world a better place, he is soon tracked by a mysterious investigator known only as L. This sets up the basis of
the entire piece; a battle of wits between judge, jury and executioner and Earth’s uber-detective. Both have their own insular view of justice but
who will win the battle? Moreover, what is the true definition of justice?
The main problem with the anime is that it exploited Light’s internal consciousness to the point of insulting our intelligence. Light’s voice-over
constantly backtracked and reminded us far too often of events and his thoughts. This could be seen as a palpable reflection of the true state of
one’s mindset but it became frequently tedious.
The film versions here eliminate a lot of this and as a result, they emerge as better realized works. They also look fantastic. Director Shusuke
Kaneko helms both films here, giving them both a much-deserved goth/punk exterior.
The Shinigami’s here are probably the only use of CGI but they’re done really well. Ryuk, who’s Light’s God of Death, looks awesome and those
who remember the anime, where Light is captured simply strolling down the street with Ryuk hovering close by, will be pleasantly surprised
because it’s those little touches that are made infinitely better in this collection of films.
I personally preferred the drawn-out style of the anime over this collection of films but many might favour this over the series because it trusts its
audience a lot better, while purists probably won’t like any of these impetuous versions.
These two film versions of the first five volumes work because they translate well to the screen. They’re highly cinematic. The main problem I had
were the physical interpretations of these characters. Some worked, while others didn’t.
Fans here should enjoy this collection of films, no matter what is said...
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