Review by: Dawnrazor
Date: 2nd May 2008
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.
Date: 2nd May 2008
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.
| "THE HUMAN WHOSE NAME IS WRITTEN IN THIS NOTE SHALL DIE" |
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Death Note
2 DVDS/APPROX. 256 MINS/2006/JAPAN M
2 DVDS/APPROX. 256 MINS/2006/JAPAN M
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